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THE    HOESE, 


BY  YOUATT 


EDITED   BY   SKINKEE, 


Qi 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2009  with  funding  from 

NCSU  Libraries 


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THE   HORSE, 


BY  WILLIAM  YOUATT. 


A   NEW  EDITION,  WITH    NUMEROUS    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


TOGETHER   WITH    A 


GENERAL  HISTOEY  OE  THE  HOUSE; 

A    DISSERTATION    ON 

THE  AMEKICAN  TROTTING  HORSE. 

HOW  TRAINED  AND  JOCKEYED, 

AN  ACCOUNT  OF  HIS  REMARKABLE  PERFORMANCES; 

AND 

AN  ESSAY  ON  THE  ASS  AND  THE  MULE, 

BY   J.   S.    SKINNER, 

ASSISTANT  POST  MASTEFw  GENERAL,  AND  EDITOR  OF  THE  TFRF  REGISTER. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

LEA    AND   BLAN CHARD. 

1850. 


Entered,  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1843,  by 

LEA   AND   BLANCHARD, 

in  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  in  and  for  the 

Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  LONDON  EDITION. 


PUBLISHED  UNDER   THE  SUPERINTENDENCE   OF  THE   SOCIETY  FOR  THE  DIFFUSION 
OF  USEFUL   KNOWLEDGE. 


The  First  Edition  of  The  Horse,  which  was  completed  in 
the  year  1831,  has  since  had  a  large  and  continued  sale:  and 
in  acknowledging  the  valuable  communications  which  have 
been  made  for  the  improvement  of  the  work,  it  is  satisfactor}' 
to  the  Committee  to  be  able  to  state,  that  no  grave  errors  in  it 
have  been  pointed  out. 

Vetermary  science  has,  however,  made  great  progress  in  the 
last  twelve  years;  the  Structure  of  the  Horse,  the  Injuries  and 
Diseases  to  which  he  is  subject,  and  the  Treatment  of  these, 
have  been  investigated,  in  this  country  and  abroad,  with  much 
dihgence  and  success,  both  at  Colleges  and  in  Societies  devoted 
to  the  cultivation  of  Veterinary  knowledge,  and  by  practition- 
ers whose  education  and  experience  render  their  observations 
worthy  of  great  respect. 

In  these  circumstances,  the  Society  intrusted  to  the  Author 
the  preparation  of  a  New  Edition  of  this  Treatise ;  and  he  has 
subjected  it  to  so  complete  a  revision,  as  to  render  it  in  many 
respects  a  new  work.  This  remark  applies  especially  to  the 
chapters  relating  to  the  Diseases  of  the  Horse. 
Respectfully  submitted. 

By  order  of  the  Committee, 
THOMAS  COATES,  Sec. 

42  Bedford  Square,  London, 
Ut  March  1843. 


PEERAGE, 

BY   THE   AMERICAN   EDITOR. 

In  undertaking,  at  the  instance  of  the  American  publishers,  to  prepare 
a  new  edition  of  the  last  London  copy  of  the  work  here  presented,  on 
he  Horse  ;  it  has  been  lyiy  endeavour  to  adapt  it  more  exactly  to  the 
circumstances  of  our  own  country ;  and  by  omitting  some  portions  of 
the  original,  not  immediately  illustrative  of  the  principal  subject,  to 
reduce  the  volume,  without  impairing  its  value  for  practical  uses. 

Few  things  have  occurred,  serving  better  at  once  to  characterize  and 
accelerate  the  march  of  intellect  and  benevolence  which  distinguishes 
the  age  in  which  we  live,  than  the  well-known  formation,  in  England, 

of  a    "  SOCIETV  FOR  THE  DIFFUSIOIV  OF  UsEFUL  KNOWLEDGE  ;"  COmpOSCd, 

as  it  is,  of  men  of  the  highest  repute  in  the  various  departments  of  learn- 
ing and  industry ;  headed  by  Lord  Brougham. 

Their  proceedings,  as  far  as  published,  all  show  them  to  be  animated 
by  a  generous  desire  to  collect,  simplify,  and  publish  in  the  cheapest 
form,  the  latest  and  most  authentic  discoveries  and  improvements  in 
science,  and  in  arts  promotive  of  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  the 
human  race.  Under  their  auspices,  several  series  of  publications  have 
appeared,  one  of  which  is  denominated  the  "  Farmer's  Series."  Of 
this  class,  the  first  is  the  book  on  the  Horse.  That  the  Horse  should 
have  been  placed  at  the  head  of  the  list  of  domestic  animals,  having  in 
view  a  treatise  on  the  breeds,  properties  and  uses  of  each,  is  a  distinc- 
tion to  which  he  is  justly  entitled,  in  reference  as  well  to  the  beautiful 
symmetry  of  his  form,  and  his  extraordinary  physical  powers,  as  to  his 
admirable  docility  of  temper,  and  high  moral  qualities,  fitting  him 
eminently  for  the  various  purposes  of  pleasure  and  of  business. 

In  the  work  to  which  we  are  now  introducing  the  reader,  pruned,  as 
it  has  been,  of  some  preliminary  chapters,  he  will  find  little  to  amuse 
him,  of  a  character  merely  curious  and  speculative ;  the  mysteries  of 
charlatanry,  and  the  nostrums  of  empiricism,  have  been  carefully 
excluded ;  and  where  terms  of  anatomical  and  medical  science  have 
been  necessarily  employed,  they  are  explained,  and  applied  with  a  degree 
of  plainness  and  precision,  which  bring  them  within  the  ready  compre 
hension  ol'  every  reader 

vi) 


PREFACE.  vii 

The  task  of  preparation  to  render  the  present  edition  more  useful  for 
American  readers,  has  consisted  chiefly  in  what  will  be  found  prefixed 
to  it,  on  the  various  stages  which  have  marked  and  acts  which  have 
contributed  to  the  improvement  o(  the  English  stock  of  horses ;  some  of 
the  best  of  which,  as  is  more  particularly  shown,  have  been  imported 

into  the  United  States,  from  time  to  time,  for  the  last  century  or  more 

as  also,  and  more  particularly,  of  what  is  said  of  the  American  Trot- 
ting Horse.  To  these  have  been  added,  a  dissertation  on  the  natural 
history  and  uses  of  the  Ass  and  the  Mule  ;  the  last  named  animal 
being  deeemed  worthy  of  especial  notice,  on  account  of  its  utility 
and  economy,  in  American  agriculture ;  and  the  yet  greater  extent  to 
which  it  is  believed  it  might  be  employed  with  advantage  in  this,  as  it 
is  known  to  be  in  some  other  countries. 

But  without  presuming  to  recommend  the  work  on  account  of  any 
observations  of  his  own,  the  American  Editor,  who  has  himself  written 
volumes  to  illustrate  and  defend  the  interests  of  American  husbandry,  does 
venture,  with  the  utmost  confidence,  to  pronounce  the  work  itself  to  be 
one  which  every  gentleman  may  read  with  certainty  of  instruction — 
leaving,  as  it  does,  in  truth,  nothing  untold,  which  need  be  known  of  the 
Horse,  in  his  minutest  anatomy,  with  full  directions  as  to  breeding  and 
breaking,  food  and  exercise  ;  as,  also,  plain  descriptions  of  his  various 
diseases,  and  their  most  simple  and  certain  cures.  Such  a  work  ought 
to  be  in  the  possession,  for  convenient  reference,  of  every  owner  of 
horses,  whether  for  the  coach,  the  saddle,  the  cart,  or  the  plough.  The 
great  value  attached  to  this  work,  and  its  entire  success  in  England, 
may  be  understood,  when  we  state  that  the  new  edition  just  published 
in  London,  and  from  which  the  present  is  reprinted,  has  been  nearly 
rewritten  by  the  author,  and  improved  by  the  insertion  of  many  new 
cuts,  prepared  for  it  by  a  distinguished  artist. 

J.  S.  S. 

Washington,  May,  1843. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


41 


I    TROTTING  MATCH  IN  HARNESS Frontispiecb. 

2.  HEAD  OF  THE  BLACK  ARABIAN Title. 

3.  SKELETON  OF  THE  HORSE Page  68 

4.  BONES  OF  THE  HORSE'S  HEAD 70 

■5.   SECTION  OF  THE  HORSE'S  HEAD 72 

6.  DIAGRAM  OF  THE  SKULL 75 

7.  OCCIPITAL  BONE  OF  THE  HORSE 77 

8.  SPINAL  CHORD,  WITH  BRANCHING  NERVES 80 

9.  SECTION  OF  THE   EYE 86 

[0.   MUSCLES  OF  THE  EYE 92 

n.   HORSE  LABOURING  UNDER  LOCK-JAW 103 

J2.   ANATOMY  OF  THE  LEG  AND   FOOT 113 

13.  SECTION  OF  THE   UPPER  JAW  BONE 123 

14.  MUSCLES,   NERVES,   AND   BLOOD-VESSELS    OF   THE   HEAD    AND 

UPPER  PART  OF  THE  NECK 125 

15.  THE  PALATE 142 

16.  GLENOID  CAVITY  OF  THE  HORSE  AND  TIGER  COMPARED 143 

17.  TEETH  OF  A  FOAL  A  FEW  DAYS  AFTER  BIRTH 144 

18.  TEETH  OF  A  FOAL  AT  TWO  MONTHS 144 

19.  TEETH  OF  A  FOAL  AT  TWELVE  MONTHS 145 

20.  TRANSVERSE  SECTION  OF  A  GRINDER 145 

21.  TEETH  AT  THE  AGE  OF  A  YEAR  AND  A  HALF 146 

22.  TEETH  AT  THE  AGE  OF  THREE  YEARS 147 

23.  TEETH  AT  THE  AGE  OF  THREE  YEARS  AND  A  HALF 147 

24.  TEETH  AT  THE  AGE  OF  FIVE  YEARS 148 

25.  TEETH  AT  THE  AGE  OF  SIX  YEARS 148 

26.  TEETH  AT  THE  AGE  OF  SEVEN  YEARS 149 

27.  TEETH  AT  THE  AGE  OF  EIGHT  OR  NINE  YEARS.— Bishoped 149 

28.  FINEST  SHAPE  FOR  THE  NECK  AND  HEAD 159 

29.  THE  RIBS  AND  VERTEBRyE. 167 

30.  THE  STOMACH 221 

31.  TERMINATION  OF  THE  ESOPHAGUS 222 

32.  THE  BOT-FLY  IN  ITS  VARIOUS  STAGES, 224 

33.  THE   INTESTINES 228 

34    SECTION  OF  THE   BLIND  GUT 229 

35.  ENTANGLEMENT  OF  THE  SMALL  INTESTINES 239 

36.  CURVED  AND  STRAIGHT  CATHETER 247 

37.  BONES  OF  THE  LEGS 256 

38.  SIMPLE  LEVER 257 

39.  MUSCLES  OF  THE  OUTSIDE  OF  THE  SHOULDER 259 

40.  MUSCLES  OF  THE  INSIDE  OF  THE  SHOULDER  AND  FOREARM...  260 

41.  SECTION  OF  THE  PASTERN 272 

42.  INSIDE  VIEW  OF  THE  BONES  OF  THE  PASTERN 276 

43.  OUTSIDE  VIEW  OF  THE  BONES  OF  THE  PASERN 276 

44.  ATTACHMENTS  OF  THE  MUSCLES  OF  THE  PASTERN 276 

45.  DISEASES  OF  THE  FORE-LEG 277 

46.  INSIDE  MUSCLES  OF  THE  HIND-LEG 281 

47.  OUTSIDE  MUSCLES  OF  THE  HIND-LEG 282 

48.  THE  HAUNCH  AND  HIND-LEGS i 283 

49.  THE  HOCK-JOINT 286 

50.  ANATOMY  OF  THE  FOOT 295 

51.  ANATOMY  OF  THE  BASE  OF  THE  FOOT 295 

.52.  THE  CORONARY  RING 297 

53.  PERCIV ALL'S   SUSPENSATORY   APPARATUS   FOR   THE  CURE   OF 

FRACTURES 323 

54.  THE  CONCAVE-SEATED  SHOE 338 

55.  THE   UNILATERAL 339 

56.  OPERATION  FOR  CORNS 340 

57.  PERCIVALL'S  SANDAL 343 

58.  PERCIVALL'S  SANDAL  FASTENED  TO  THE  FOOT 344 

C8) 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION,  BY  J.  S.  SKINNER. 

The  Horse,  in  England  and  America — as  lie  has  been,  and  as  he  is.  .tage  17 

Lindsey's  Arabian 34 

The  best  Races  in  America 25 

Best  Races— Mile  Heats ^  36 

Best  Races  at  Two-.AIile  Heats 37 

Best  Races  at  Three-x^Iile  Heats 38 

Best  Races  at  Four-mile  Heats 39 

Lengths  of  the  principal  Race-Courses  in  England 41 

Rules  and  Regulations  of  the  New  York  Jockey  Club 42 

The  Hunter 48 

The  American  Trotter 49 

Rules  and  Regulations  of  the  New  Y'ork  Trotting  Club 54 

Trotting  at  Mile  Heats 57 

Trotting  at  Two-Mile  Heats  .  T 57 

Trotting  at  Three-Mile  Heats 57 

Trotting  at  Four-Mile  Heats 57 

Best  Pacing  in  America  on  Record 53 

Miscellaneous  Examples  of  Extraordinary  Performances  of  American 

Trotters 5S 

Extraordinary  Trotting  Match 60 

Trotting  on  the  Beacon  Course 63 

Centreville  (L.  I.)  Trotting  Course 63 

Trotting  on  the  Hunting  Park  Course   64 

Height  of  Trotting  Horses 64 


THE   HORSE, 

HIS  ANATOMY— WITH  HIS  DISEASES  AND  REMEDIES. 

BY  WILLIAM  YOUATT. 

CHAPTER  I. 
The  Zoological  Classification  of  the  Hokse 67 

CHAPTER  II. 
The  Sensorial  function 6< 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  III. 


Injuries  and  Diseases  of  the  Skull — the  Brain — the  Ears — and 

THE  Eyes 93 

Fracture 93 

Exostosis 94 

Caries 94 

Compression  of  the  Brain 94 

Pressure  on  the  Brain 94 

Megrims 94 

Apoplexy 95 

Phrenitis 98 

Rabies,  or  Madness 100 

Tetanus,  or  Locked  Jaw 1 03 

Cramp 106 

Stringhalt    107 

Chorea 109 

Fits,  or  Epilepsy 1 09 

Palsy 109 

Rheumatism 110 

Neurotomy j Ill 

Insanity 115 

Diseases  of  the  Eye 116 

Common  Inflammation  of  the  Eye 117 

Specific  Ophthalmia,  or  Moon-Blindness 117 

Gutta  Serena 121 

Diseases  of  the  Ear 121 

Deafness 122 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  ANAxoJir  and  Diseases  of  the  Nose  and  Mouth 122 

Nasal  Polypus 126 

Nasal  Gleet,  or  Discharge  from  the  Nose 127 

Ozena 128 

Glanders , 12,9 

Farcy  -136 

The  Lips 139 

The  Bones  of  the  Mouth 141 

The  Palate 141 

Lampas 142 

The  Lower  Jaw 142 

Dis(!ases  of  the  Teeth 151 


CONTENTS.  Xl 

The  Tongue 152 

Diseases  of  the  Tongue 152 

The  Salivary  Glands 15;{ 

Strangles 154 

The  Pharynx 156 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Axatomy  and  Diseases  of  the  Neck  a^'d  Neighbouring  Parts  157 

PoU-Evil '. 157 

The  ^luscles  and  proper  form  of  the  Neck 158 

The  Bloodr Vessels  of  the  Neck 161 

The  Veins  of  the  Neck 161 

Inflammation  of  the  Vein 161 

The  Palate 163 

The  Larynx 163 

The  Trachea  or  Windpipe 164 

Tracheotomy   165 

The  Bronchial  Tubes 166 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Chest 167 

The  Spine  and  Back 171 

The  Loins 172 

The  Withers 173 

Muscles  of  the  Back 173 

Fistulous  Withers 174 

Warbles,  Sitfasts,  and  Saddle  Galls 174 

Muscles  of  the  Breast: 175 

Chest-Founder 175 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Co^-TE^'TS  of  the  Chest 175 

The  Thymus  Gland 175 

The  Diaphragm 176 

Rupture  of  the  Diaphragm 177 

The  Pleura 179 

The  Lungs 181 

The  Heart 181 

Diseases  of  the  Heart 182 

The  Arteries 184 

The  Pulse 184 

Inflammation 185 

Fever 187 


xii  CONTENTS. 

The  Veins 1  ^^ 

Bog  and  Blood  Spavin 188 

Bleeding 189 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Membrane  of  the  Nose  .  ^ 191 

Catarrh,  or  Cold 192 

Inflammation  of  the  Larynx 1 93 

Inflammation  of  the  Trachea 194 

Roaring 1 94 

Bronchocele 1 97 

Epidemic  Catarrh 197 

The  Malignant  Epidemic 203 

Bronchitis 205 

Pneumonia — Inflammation  of  the  Lungs 206 

Chronic  Cough 211 

Thick  Wind 212 

Broken  Wind   21S 

Phthisis  Pulmonalis,  or  Consumption .  . '. 215 

Pleurisy 217 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Abdomen  and  its  Contents 221 

The  Stomach 221 

Bots 224 

The  Intestines 227 

The  Liver 230 

The  Pancreas 23] 

The  Spleen 231 

The  Omentum 231 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Diseases  of  the  Intestines 232 

The  Duodenum 232 

Spasmodic  Colic 232 

Flatulent  Colic 234 

Inflammation  of  the  Bowels 235 

Enteritis 235 

Physicking 237 

Calculi,  or  Stones,  in  the  Intestines 239 

Introsusception  of  the  Intestines 238 

Entanglement  of  the  Bowels 239 

Worms 23f' 


,|^ 


CONTENTS.  XllI 

Hernia,  or  Rupture 240 

Diseases  of  the  Liver 241 

Jaundice 242 

The  Kidneys 243 

Inflammation  of  the  Kidneys 244 

Diabetes,  or  Profuse  Staling , 245 

Bloody  Urine — Hsematuria 245 

Albuminous  Urine 245 

The  Bladder 245 

Inflammation  of  the  Bladder 246 

Stone  in  the  Bladder 246 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Breeding,  Castration,  &c 248 

Castration , 254 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Fore  Legs 255 

The  Shoulder 255 

Sprain  of  the  Shoulder 255 

Slanting  direction  of  the  Shoulder 256 

The  Humerus,  or  Lower  Bone  of  the  Shoulder 260 

The  Arm 261 

The  Knee 264 

Broken  Knees 265 

The  Leg , 267 

Splint 268 

Sprain  of  the  Back-Sinews 269 

Wind-Galls 271 

The  Pasterns 272 

Lesions  of  the  Suspensory  Ligament 274 

The  Fetlock 275 

Grogginess 275 

Cutting 275 

Sprain  of  the  Coffin-Joint 277 

Ringbone 277 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Hind  Legs 279 

The  Haunch 279 

The  Thigh 279 

The  Stifle 283 

Thorough-Pin 285 

The  Hock 285 

3 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

Enlargement  of  the  Hock 286 

Curb  287 

Bog  Spavin 287 

Bone  Spavin 288 

Capped  Hock  290 

Mallenders  and  Sallenders 291 

Swelled  Legs 291 

Grease 292 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Foot 295 

The  Crust  or  Wall  of  the  Hoof ■. . . 296 

The  Coronary  Ring 297 

■    The  Bars 297 

The  Horny  Laminae 298 

The  Sole 298 

The  Frog 299 

The  Coffin-Bone 300 

The  Sensible  Sole 300 

The  Sensible  Frog 301 

The  Navicular  Bone 301 

The  Cartilages  of  the  Foot 301 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Diseases  of  the  Foot 302 

Inflammation  of  the  Foot,  or  Acute  Founder 302 

Chronic  Laminitis 304 

Pumiced  Feet 304 

Contraction 305 

The  Navicular-Joint  Disease 309 

Sand-Crack 311 

Tread  and  Over-reach 312 

False  Quarter 313 

Quitter 313 

Prick  or  Wound  in  the  Sole  or  Crust 315 

Corns 317 

Thrush 318 

Canker 320 

Ossification  of  the  Cartilages 321 

Weakness  of  the  Foot 321 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Fkactures 322 


CONTENTS. 


XV 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

On  Shoeing 333 

The  putting  on  the  Shoe 335 

Calkins 336 

Clips 337 

The  hinder  Shoe 337 

Different  kinds  of  Shoes 337 

The  Concave-seated  Shoe 337 

The  Unilateral,  or  one  side  nailed  Shoe 339 

The  Hunting  Shoe 34O 

The  Bar-Shoe 34O 

Tips 341 

The  Expanding  Shoe 34I 

Felt  or  Leather  Soles 34I 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Operations 344 

Bleeding 345 

Blistering 346 

Firing 347 

Setons 349 

Docking 350 

Nicking 35^ 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
The  Vices  and  Disagreeable  or  Dangerous  Habits  of  the  Horse  353 

Restiveness 353 

Backing  or  Gibbing 355 

Biting 357 

Getting  the  Cheek  of  the  Bit  into  the  Mouth 358 

Kicking    ..358 

Unsteadiness  while  being  Mounted 359 

Rearing 359 

Running  Away 359 

Vicious  to  Clean 3g0 

Vicious  to  Shoe 360 

Swallowing  without  Grinding 360 

Crib-Biting 36i 

Wind-Sucking 362 

Cutting 362 

Not  Lying  Down 362 

Overreach 362 

Pawing ........'.'.!!!  363 


XVl  CONTENTS. 

Quidding 363 

Rolling 363 

Shying 363 

Slipping  the  Collar 365 

Tripping 366 

Weaving 366 

CHAPTER  XX. 

The  General  Management  of  the  Horse 366 

Air 366 

Litter 368 

Light 369 

Grooming 370 

Exercise 371 

Food 372 

CHAPTER  XXL 

The  Skin  and  its  Diseases 381 

Hide-bound 383 

Pores  of  the  Skin 385 

Moulting 885 

Colour 386 

Surfeit 387 

Mange 388 

Warts 390 

Vermin 390 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
On  Soundness,  and  the  Purchase  and  Sale  of  Horses 390 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
A  List  of  the  Medicines  used  in  the  Treatment  of  the  Dis- 
eases OF  the  Horse 398 


AN  ESSAY  ON  THE  ASS  AND  MULE,  BY  J.  S.  SKINNER...  419 


THE  HORSE, 


[N   ENGLAND   AND   AMERICA— AS  HE   HAS 
BEEN,   AND   AS   HE   IS. 


Of  all  the  beasts  of  the  field,  which,  as  we  are  to'>d,  the  Lord  formed  out  of  the 
earth,  and  brought  unto  Adam  to  see  what  he  Avould  call  them,  none  has  more 
engaged  the  attention  of  the  historian  and  the  philosopher — none  has  figured  more  in 
poetry  and  romance,  than  the  horse. 

Coeval  with  their  domestication,  and  the  knowledge  of  their  admirable  capacities 
to  minister  to  our  comforts  and  pleasures,  according  to  Plutarch,  the  sentiment  has 
been  common  to  all  good  men,  to  treat  the  horse  and  the  dog  with  especial  kindness, 
and  to  cherish  them  carefully,  even  when  the  infirmities  of  age  and  long  service  have 
rendered  them  useless. 

For  the  volumes  which  have  been  written  on  the  Horse,  whether  more  or  less 
authentic,  as  to  his  original  country,  his  natural  history,  the  time  of  his  subjutmtion 
to  the  use  of  man,  and  the  various  purposes  for  which  he  has  been  employed, — 
whether  in  the  homely  gear  of  field-labour,  or  in  the  gorgeous  trappings  of  the  tour- 
nament or  chariot  of  war  on  all  these  points  of  his  history  and  his  uses,  we  mioht 
refer  the  curious  reader  to  various  works,  some  of  them  elegant,  alike  in  their  embel- 
lishments and  their  literature ;  but  to  quote  and  to  collate  them  here,  would  be  to 
depart  from  the  line  of  practical  utility  prescribed  for  the  execution  of  our  task ; 
hence,  keeping  that  object  constantly  in  view,  we  shall  merely  glance  at  what  has  been 
written  of  his  early  history  and  services,  and  so  come  down  rapidly  to  the  period  in  the 
history  of  the  English  horse  where,  after  successive  importations  of  foreign  stallions, 
and  the  observance  of  judicious  systems  of  breeding,  the  stock  of  the  mother  country, 
from  which  ours  is  derived,  had  attained  about  the  days  of  Flying  Childers,  in  the 
beginning  of  the  last  century,  a  high  degree,  if  not  its  maximum  of  excellence.  It 
was  when  so  improved  that  the  horse  was  imported  into  our  then  British  Colonies; 
and  what,  after  all,  it  may  be  asked,  is  there  economical  and  thrifty  in  our  ao-ricul- 
tural  and  domestic  habits — or  good  in  our  political  and  social  institutions,  the  ele- 
ments and  general  outline  of  which  we  have  not  derived  from  Old  England  ?  Some 
orchardists  contend  that  a  branch  cut  from  an  old  trunk  and  grafted  on  a  young  scion, 
will,  nevertheless,  sympathize  with  the  parent  stock,  and  under  the  laws  of  vegetable 
life,  will  decay  as  the  parent  tree  declines !  Does  the  theory^  sometimes  apply  to 
ountries  and  governments  1  or  shall  we  thrive  nationally,  as  plants  grow  larger  and 
lore  robust  when  transplanted  from  the  seed-bed  into  wider  space  and  freer  circula- 
tion ]     But  these  are  questions  for  the  politician. 

None  of  the  writings  to  which  we  could  point  the  reader  contain  more  frequent 
mention,  or  more  glowing  descriptions  of  the  power  and  beauty  of  the  Horse,  than 
the  great  bonk  .]f  bo-iks !  The  Bible  teaches  us  that  from  whatever  land  this  animal 
may  have  been  originally  brought  into  Egy^pt,  that  country  had  already  become  a  great 
horse  market,  even  before  horses  were  known  in  Arabia ;  the  country  with  which 
we  are  apt  to  associate  all  that  is  most  interesting  in  the  history  of  this  noble  beast. 
Geological  re«5earches,  however,  have  discovered  fossil  remains  of  the  horse  in  almost 
2*  c  ,17) 


^8  THE    HORSE. 

every  part  of  the  world,  "  from  the  tropical  plains  of  India  to  the  frozen  reg-ions  of 
Siberia — from  the  northern  extremities  of  the  new  world  to  the  southern  point  of 
America."  But  amongst  the  Hebrews,  horses  were  rare  previous  to  the  days  of 
Solomon,  who  had  horses  brought  out  of  Egypt  after  his  marriage  with  the  daughter 
of  Pharoah,  and  so  rapidly  did  he  multiply  them  by  purchase  and  by  breeding,  thai 
those  kept  for  his  own  use  required,  as  it  is  written,  "  four  thousand  stables,  and 
forty  thousand  stalls."  Hence,  when  honoured  by  a  visit  from  the  beautiful  Queen 
of  Sheba,  bringing  with  her  "  camels  bearing  spices,"  and  "  very  much  gold  and 
precious  stones,"  it  was  doubtless  in  the  contemplation  of  his  magnificent  stud  of 
horses  and  chariots,  kept  for  the  amusement  of  his  wives  and  concubines,  as  well  as 
of  his  other  vast  displays  of  power  and  magnificence,  that  her  majesty  exclaimed,  in 
•he  fullness  of  her  admiration, — "  Howbeit  I  believed  not  the  words  until  1  came, 
and  mine  eyes  had  seen  it,  and  behold  the  half  was  not  told  me !" 

This  gallant  monarch  appears  to  have  enjoyed  a  large  monopoly  of  the  horse  trade 
W'th  Egypt,  for  which  he  was  probably  indebted  to  his  having  an  Egyptian  Princess 
for  one  of  his  wives.  His  merchants  supplied  horses  in  great  numbers  to  the  Hittite 
Kings  of  Northern  Phoenicia.  The  fixed  price  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  shekels  for 
one  horse,  and  six  hundred  shekels  for  a  set  of  chariot  horses.  Thus  early  was  in 
vogue,  as  it  seems,  the  gentleman-like  fashion  to  drive  four-in-hand,  which  came 
down  to  the  good  old  days  when  in  our  Republican  country  the  Tayloes,  and  the 
Ridgelys,  and  the  Lloyds,  and  Hamptons  still  figured  and  flourished  on  the  race-courses 
at  Annapolis  and  Washington. 

That  there  was  in  the  "  olden  time,"  something  remarkably  luxurious  in  the  style  of 
living  and  equipage  at  the  ancient  metropolis  of  Maryland,  may  be  gathered  from  the  fol- 
lowing remarks  in  "  New  Travels  through  America,"  in  the  year  1781,  by  the  Abb6 
Robin,  chaplain  to  the  French  army. — "  Their  furniture  here  is  constructed  of  the 
most  costly  kind  of  wood,  and  the  most  valuable  marble,  enriched  by  the  elegant 
devices  of  the  artist's  hand.  Their  riding  machines  are  light  and  handsome,  and 
drawn  by  the  Jleetest  coursers,  managed  by  slaves  richly  dressed.  This  opulence  was 
particularly  observable  at  Annapolis.  Female  luxury  here  exceeds  what  is  known  in 
the  provinces  of  France — a  French  hair-dresser  is  a  man  of  importance  among  them  ; 
a  certain  dame  here  hires  one  of  that  craft  at  a  thousand  crowns  a  year  salary." 

Before  the  days  of  Solomon,  their  honours,  the  Judges  and  Princes  of  Israel,  used 
generally  to  ride  on  Jlsses  and  Mules ,-  no  less  patient  and  faithful  servants  of  man  than 
the  horse  ;  and  to  whom  the  editor  will  endeavour  to  render  justice,  in  the  course  of 
this  introduction  to  the  English  work. 

It  is  not,  be  it  said,  with  all  our  partiality  for  the  Horse,  that  he  possesses  any  one 
physical  or  moral  trait,  in  higher  excellence  than  some  other  animals.  In  sagacity,  he 
falls  short  of  the  ponderous  and  drowsy  Elephant ;  in  muscular  development  and 
grace  of  limb,  he  surpasses  not  the  Stag;  in  ardour  and  constancy  of  devotion,  he  can 
scarcely  be  said  to  equal  his  friendly  companion  and  rival  for  his  master's  aflFections, 
the  faithful  Dog  ;  and  his  courage  fails  him  at  sight  of  a  "  Lion  in  the  way," — while 
in  the  humbler  qualities  of  patience  and  availability  to  the  very  last,  even  to  the  hair 
and  the  hoof,  that  unambitious  drudge,  the  Ox,  may  well  assert  his  pretensions  to  com- 
parison, if  not  to  superiority.  It  is  the  admirable  comhinalion  of  the  several  qualifies 
which,  taken  singly,  serve  to  confer  distinction  on  other  quadrupeds,  that  united  in 
him,  fits  the  horse  for  employments  so  various  ;  giving  him  pre-eminence  alike  in  One 
wagon  or  the  plough — the  coach  and  the  battle-field.  While  on  the  one  hand,  with  a 
flight  of  speed,  compared  in  Scripture  to  "  the  swiftness  of  the  Eagle,"  he  submits  his 
neck,  clothed  in  thunder,  to  be  restrained  by  a  silken  rein  in  the  hands  of  a  Di  Vernon, 
his  courage  in  war  is  thus  eloquently  described  by  .lob.  We  give  what  is  esteemed 
the  best  translation  of  a  passage  often  quoted,  no  less  for  its  appesiteness  than  for  its 
sublimity. 

"  Hast  thou  given  mettle  to  the  horse  ? 
And  clothed  his  neck  with  ire  ? 

Dost  thou  command  him  to  spring  like  a  grasshopper  ? 
The  grandeur  of  his  neighing  is  terror  : 
With  his  feet  he  beats  the  ground, 
Rejoicing  in  his  strength ; 
And  goes  forth  to  meet  the  embattled  foe. 


THE   HORSE.  19 

The  fearful  sight  he  scorns,  and  trembles  not, 

Nor  from  the  sword  doth  he  draw  back. 

Above  him  rattle  the  quiver,  the  glittering  spear,  and  arrow, 

Under  him  trembles  the  earth  ;  yet  he  hardly  touches  it. 

He  doubts  if  it  be  the  sound  of  the  trumpet  he  hears, 

But  when  it  becomes  more  distinct,  then  he  exults, 

And  from  afar,  pants  for  the  battle. 

The  word  of  command,  and  the  war-cry." 

And  then  as  to  his  gallantry  ;  -where,  in  all  nature,  does  she  exhibit  such  a  macmifi- 
cent  display  of  that  conservative  passion,  by  which  alone  the  Great  Jehovah  has 
secured  the  perpetuity  of  all  his  creatures,  as  in  the  high-fonned,  pampered  stallion, 
under  the  impulse  of  amatory  anticipations  ! — affording  in  this  resistless  necessity  of 
animal  organization,  proof  that  should  dispel,  even  in  a  land  of  Atheists,  all  doubt  of 
an  overruling  design  or  Providence, 

"  Whose  work  is  without  labour ;  whose  designs 
No  flaw  deforms,  no  difRculty  thwarts  ; 
And  whose  beneficence  no  charge  exhausts." 

It  may  be  the  force  of  early  association,  but  we  apprehend  it  is  almost  indispensable 
to  have  been  born  and  "  raised  in  the  country"  to  estimate  fully  the  attachment  which 
can  there  alone  grow  up  in  all  its  power,  between  a  ii,an  and  his  horse  !  "What  con- 
queror, "  from  Macedonia's  madman  to  the  Swede,"  so  proud  as  the  boy  and  his  horse 
'  Button"  or  "  Bright-Eye,"  that  can  beat  all  competitors  in  a  quarter-race  !  Alex- 
ander was  a  fool,  and  Bucephalus  a  garron,  compared  to  these  two  great  characters,  in 
playtime  at  a  country  school.     "  Haud  experientia  loquor  P^ 

To  the  valetudinarian,  how  delightful  to  escape  from  his  sick  room,  and  once  more 
throw  himself  in  his  saddle,  to  ride  abroad  and  snuff  the  fresh  air  of  the  morning;  or 
no  less  to  one  in  the  manly  vigour  of  health,  to  mount  his  sure-footed,  high-mettled 
steed,  and  go  bounding,  at  three-quarter 


"  Over  the  hills  and  far  away," 
under  the  reckless  excitement  of  the  chase,  or  sometimes  even  solitary  and  alone,  ye* 
most  agreeably  exhilarated  by  that  cheerful  turn  of  thought  educed  by  rapid  horseback 
motion,  in  the  bracing  air  of  the  country !  He,  at  least,  must  have  felt  these  sensa- 
tions, who  described  them  so  happily  and  with  so  much  enthusiasm,  in  the  old  Ameri- 
can Turf  Register  and  Sporting  Magazine ;  a  work  since  much  improved,  and  now 
conducted  with  rare  taste  and  elegance  by  W.  T.  Porter,  of  New  York. 

In  strong  fear  of  reproach  for  departing  from  the  strict  line  of  utility  laid  down  for 
our  observance,  we  cannot  forbear  to  appropriate  space  enough  here  to  multiply  copies 
of  this  beautiful  tribute 

"TO    MY    HORSE." 

WiTJi  a  glancing  eye  and  curving  mane. 
He  neighs  and  cliamps  on  the  bridle-rein  ; 
One  spring,  and  his  saddled  back  I  press, 
And  ours  is  a  common  happiness  ! 
'Tis  the  rapture  of  motion  !  a  hurrying  cloud 
When  the  loosened  winds  are  breathing  loud  :■— 
A  shaft  from  the  painted  Indian's  bow — 
A  bird — in  the  pride  of  speed  we  go. 

Dark  thoughts  that  haunt  me,  where  are  ye  now  ? 
While  the  cleft  air  gratefully  cools  my  brow. 
And  the  dizzy  earth  seems  reehn^  by. 
And  nought  is  at  rest,  but  the  arching  sky  : 
And  the  tramp  of  my  steed,  so  swift  and  strong, 
Is  dearer  than  fame  and  sweeter  than  song  ? 

There  is  life  in  the  breeze  as  we  hasten  on  ; 
With  each  bound  some  care  of  earth  has  gone. 
And  the  languid  pulse  begins  to  play. 
And  the  night  of  my  soul  is  turned  to  day  , 
A  richer  verdure  the  earth  o'erspreads. 
Sparkles  the  streamlet  more  bright  in  the  meads ; 


20  THEKORSE. 

And  its  voice  to  the  flowers  that  bend  above, 

Is  soft  as  the  whisper  of  early  love  ; 

With  fragrance  spring  flowers  have  burdened  the  air, 

And  the  blue-bird  and  robin  are  twittering  clear. 

Lovely  tokens  of  gladness,  I  marked  ye  not, 
When  last  I  roamed  o'er  this  self-same  spot. 
Ah  !  then  the  deep  shadows  of  sorrow's  mien 
Fell,  like  a  blight,  on  the  happy  scene  ; 
And  nature,  with  all  her  love  and  grace. 
In  the  depths  of  the  spirit  could  find  no  place. 

So  the  vexed  breast  of  the  mountain  lake, 
When  wind  and  rain  mad  revelry  make, 
Turbid  and  gloomy,  and  wildly  tost. 
Retains  no  trace  of  the  beauty  lost. 
But  when  through  the  moist  air,  bright  and  warm. 
The  sun  looks  down  with  his  golden  charm, 
And  clouds  have  fled,  and  the  wind  is  lull, 
Oh  !  then  the  changed  lake,  how  beautiful ! 

The  glistening  trees,  in  their  shady  ranks, 

And  the  ewe  with  its  lamb,  along  the  banks. 

And  the  kingfisher  perched  on  the  wither'd  bough, 

And  the  pure  blue  heaven,  all  pictured  below  ! 

Bound  proudly  my  steed,  nor  bound  proudly  in  vain, 

Since  thy  master  is  now  himself  again. 

And  thine  be  the  praise  when  the  leech's*  power 

Is  idle,  to  conquer  the  darkened  hour 

By  the  might  of  the  sounding  hoof,  to  win 

Beauty  without  and  joy  within; 

Beauty  else  to  my  eyes  unseen. 

And  joy,  that  then  had  a  stranger  been. 

We  return  without  further  preliminary  to  trace  the  progressive  iinprovements  which 
have  ended  in  giving  us  the  horse  of  all  v)ork  of  the  present  day,  and  as  now  employed 
for  ordinary  uses.  These  uses  require  hardiness  and  strength  for  economical  and 
laborious  drudgery,  and  activity  and  speed  for  light  harness  and  the  saddle  ;  while 
for  every  purpose  it  is  essential  that  he  should  have  good  wind.  The  work  itself,  to 
which  these  remarks  are  but  introductory, 'it  will  be  remembered  treats  more  par- 
ticularly and  fully,  and  leaves  nothing  more  to  be  learned  about  the  anatomy  and 
diseases  of  the  Horse.  How  the  qualities  designated  above  have  been  gradually  estab- 
lished and  preserved  from  deterioration,  it  would  be  impracticable  to  ascertain  and 
relate  without  going  back  as  we  propose  to  trace  the  outline  at  least  of  the  history  of 
the  English  Horse,  from  which  ours  are  descended  —  and  here,  before  proceeding 
further,  it  is  deemed  proper  the  better  to  indicate  its  importance  to  every  practical 
husbandman,  that  we  lay  it  down  as  a  principle,  that  the  horse,  in  his  domesticated 
condition,  where  his  propagation  is  conducted  arbitrarily  and  without  rule — where  the 
male  and  female  are  brought  together  capriciously,  and  without  care  or  judgment  as 
to  the  qualities  of  each,  constant  and  wide-spread  deterioration  viust  be  the  consequence. 
On  this  point,  upon  which  we  insist  as  of  the  highest  consideration,  we  shall  dwell 
again,  to  show  why  it  is  that  animals  in  a  state  of  nature  will  preserve  a  higher 
standard  than  when  unskilfully  and  carelessly  bred  in  a  state  of  domesti- 
cation. In  the  meantime,  in  sketching  the  history  of  the  English  horse,  it  is  not 
deemed  essential  to  go  back  anterior  to  the  Invasion  of  England  by  Julius  Caesar. 
Even  at  that  period  it  is  clear  that  there  existed  in  that  island  a  good  substratum  Tut 
forming  a  superior  race,  for  that  observant  and  accomplished  warrior  spoke  in  the 
highest  terms  of  the  liorses  he  found  there.  So  well  was  he  convinced  of  their  excel- 
lence, that  he  took  back  with  him  many  of  them  to  Rome,  where  English  horses  soon 
grew  into  great  demand ;  and  thus  early  was  an  inducement  offered  to  the  hardy  ano 
enterprising  Briton,  which  since  then  has  suffered  no  abatement,  to  pay  strict  atten- 
tion to  this  important  source  of  agricultural  wealth. 

*  Leech,  in  old  poetic  dialect,  means  physician. 


THE    HORSE.  21 

Hugh  Capet,  king  of  France,  in  the  ninth  century,  proposing  to  himself  by  inter- 
marriage with  Etheldista,  to  infuse  more  vivacity  into  the  breed  of  these  semi-barba- 
rous islanders,  sent  over  to  her  brother  Prince  Athelstan,  a  supply  of  Gerwa/j  "running 
horses,"  as  they  were  called,  this  being  the  tirst  mention  of  the  race-horse  in  English 
annals.  It  is  to  be  supposed  that  in  all  cases  of  male  horses  thus  spoken  of,  "  entire" 
horses  are  to  be  understood ;  for  then  it  was  not  common,  as  it  is  now,  to  violate 
wantonly  the  Mosaic  Law,  which  says,  "a  beast  that  is  crushed,  bruised,  evulsed,  oi 
excised,  (these  being  the  four  modes  of  castration,)  you  shall  not  bring  unto  Jehovah, 
nor  shall  you  make  it  so  in  your  land,''''  A  practice  as  doubtful,  as  to  its  necessity  or 
utility  in  respect  to  the  horse,  as  it  is  inhuman  wherever  it  is  useless.  In  the  case  of 
edible  animals,  where  emasculation  promotes  size  and  fatness,  and  improves  the 
flavour  for  the  table,  as  with  the  hog  and  the  sheep,  this  execrable  mutilation  is  neces- 
Bar}' ,  and  therefore  more  excusable ;  but  this  is  not  the  case  with  the  horse.  In  France, 
where  he  is  remarkable  for  strength  in  proportion  to  size,  the  post  and  the  farm  horse 
is  rarely,  if  ever,  castrated  ;  and  when  horses  for  the  road  undergo  this  operation,  it  is 
done  in  a  manner  and  with  such  reservations  as  not  to  destroy  the  external  appearance 
of  this  sexual  development;  the  suppression  of  which  is  there  considered  a  striking 
disfigurement.  Descending  next  to  the  epoch  of  William  the  Conqueror,  whose 
charger  was  of  the  Spanish  breed,  and  whose  cavalry  won  for  him  the  victory  at  the 
Battle  of  Hastings — one  of  his  subjects,  Roger  de  Belseme,  justly  obtained  popularity 
as  a  national  benefactor,  by  the  importation  of  Spanish  stallions  into  England.  So 
decidedly  beneficial  was  the  result  of  this  munificent  act  of  an  individual  subject,  that 
it  may  well  be  noted  as  an  era  in  its  way,  for  it  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  these  Spanish 
stallions  partook'  largely  of  the  blood  of  the  Barb,  brought  into  Spain  by  the  Moors, 
as  the  Norman-French  horse  in  Canada  does,  of  the  same  blood,  earned  from  Spain 
and  Palestine  to  Normandy.  To  show  how  largely  this  new  infusion  of  foreign  blood 
must  have  refined  and  thinned  the  wind,  so  to  say,  of  the  English  strain  of  horses,  at 
that  juncture,  it  is  sufficient  that  we  exhibit  a  well-drawn  portrait,  ready  to  our  hand, 
of  the  Barbary  horse,  more  nearly  allied  than  any  other  to  the  Arabian,  and  quite  his 
equal  at  least  in  form,  if  not  in  spirit — of  the  same  stock,  in  fact,  as  Godolphin,  com- 
monly called  the  "  Godolphin  Arabian." 

"  The  fore  hand  of  the  Barb  is  generally  long  and  slender,  and  his  mane  long  and 
rather  scanty.  His  ears  are  small,  beautifully  shaped,  and  placed  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  give  him  great  expression ;  his  shoulders  are  light,  flat,  and  sloping  backwards, 
withers  fine  and  standing  high  ;  loins  short  and  straight ;  flanks  and  ribs  round  and 
full,  without  giving  him  too  large  a  belly  ;  his  haimches  strong  and  elastic  ;  the  croup 
is  sometimes  long  to  a  fault,  the  tail  is  placed  high,  thighs  well  turned  and  rounded, 
legs  clean  and  beautifully  formed,  and  the  hair  thin,  soft,  and  silky ;  the  tendons  are 
detached  from  the  bone,  but  the  pasterns  are  often  too  long  and  bending ;  the  feet 
rather  small,  but  in  general  sound." 

In  this  delineation  of  the  barb,  what  reader  will  fail  to  recognise  most  of  the  genu- 
ine and  well-established  characteristics  of  the  high  form  and  breeding  so  much  prized 
by  all  good  judges  ] 

The  English  Stock,  to  which  a  little  too  much  heaviness  had  already  been  given 
by  the  dash  of  German  blood,  was  now  approaching  that  stage  which  demanded  but 
one  more  dip  of  the  long-winded,  light-footed,  silken-coated  Eastern  courser,  such  as 
it  received  some  centuries  after  with  such  palpable  and  finishing  effect,  from  the 
Darley  Arabian;  and  again  from  Godolphin,  endowing  it  with  both  speed  and 
stoutness  in  a  measure,  to  which  no  addition  has  been  made  by  any  subsequent  sprin- 
kle of  exotic  blood.  When  we  reach  in  the  progress  of  these  remarks  the  point  where 
it  will  be  proper  to  speak  more  particularly  of  this  effective  agency  of  these  two  cele- 
brated stallions  in  elevating  the  character  of  the  English  blood  horse,  we  shall  give 
some  reasons,  drawn  from  the  true  principles  of  breeding,  and  which  we  do  not  recol- 
lect to  have  seen  anywhere  asserted,  why  it  was  that  they  contributed  so  much  to 
ihat  end,  and  how  it  is  that  similar  results  have  not  attended  later  experiments  of  the 
same  kind.  In  the  meantime  it  is  necessary  to  linger  on  the  way  in  our  review,  that 
the  chain  may  not  be  broken  which  connects  the  series  of  particular  importations  and 
other  important  incidents  to  which  we  are  indebted  for  the  advantages  and  delights 
that  spring  from  the  possession  of  the  existing  stock  of  sure-footed,  long-winded 


22  THE  HORSE. 

cattle.     With  your  permission  then,  kind  reader,  to  use  an  expression  familiar  to  the 
votaries  of  the  chase,  let  us  "  try  back.'''' 

While  the  government  of  one  man  would  be  a  dangerous  experiment  until  we  can 
have  "  Angels  in  the  shape  of  men  to  govern  us,"  yet  when  the  monarch  happens  to 
be  enlightened  and  virtuous,  then  tlie  more  absolute  his  power  the  belter,  perhaps,  for 
his  country  Even  bad  ones,  sometimes  by  freak  or  passion,  confer  great  good  on 
particular  interests  or  branches  of  industry.  We  have  already  seen  how,  under  the 
reign  of  William  the  Conqueror,  the  munificence  of  a  subject  gained  him  renown  as  a 
patriot  by  the  introduction  of  Spanish  horses  into  England.  Subsequently,  King  John 
with  all  his  bad  qualities,  established  for  himself  at  least  one  claim  to  honourable 
notoriety,  by  his  various  measures  to  better  the  strain  of  horses  in  use  at  that  time,  and 
especially  by  the  introduction  of  the  Flanders  Horse,  to  give  more  weight  and  sub- 
stance to  the  heavy  coach-horse,  needed  for,  and  adapted  to  the  unwieldy  carriages  and 
bad  roads  then  in  use.  "  To  this  monarch  too,"  says  an  English  Avriter,  "  we  are 
unquestionably  indebted  for  the  foundation  of  our  unrivalled  draught  horses.  Aware 
of  the  superiority  in  bulk  and  strength  of  the  Flemish  breed,  he  imported,  at  one  time, 
an  hundred  of  the  finest  stallions."  Subsequently,  Edward  II,  imported  thirty  war, 
and  tw^elve  heavy  draught  horses,  from  Lombardy  ;  and  these  again  were  well  crossed 
at  a  later  period,  when  Edward  III.  of  warlike  temper,  brought  over  Jifly  Spanish 
horses,  at  a  cost  of  thirteen  pounds  six  shillings,  equivalent,  in  our  day  of  luxury  and 
paper  money,  to  $800  each.  It  is  fairly  to  be  presumed,  that  in  his  great  passion  foi 
the  chase,  His  Royal  Majesty  perceived  the  necessity  of  giving  more  speed  to  the 
hunter,  by  throwing  off  some  of  the  sluggish  blood  and  massiveness  of  the  Flemish 
stock,  which  is  in  general  "  large  in  the  carcass,  pretty  clean  in  the  leg,  and  patient 
and  enduring,  but  slow-.  They  are  good  at  a  dead  pull,  but  very  heavy  in  the  fore- 
hand ;  inclined  to  get  fat,  but  wanting  in  activity.  They  fall  off  in  the  rump,  and  the 
hips  stand  out  too  much  from  the  ribs.  The  most  unsightly  part  is  the  setting-on  of 
the  tail,  which  comes  out  low  and  points  downwards."  Such  are  the  general  charac- 
teristics of  the  Flemish  horse.  "  Flanders  Mare,"  as  every  one  knows,  is  a  common 
tenn  to  express  the  opposite  of  grace  and  delicacy.  They  were  imported  into  Eng- 
land, as  above  stated,  to  give  size  to  coach-horses,  when  roads  were  bad  and  coaches 
of  enormous  weight;  but,  as  cause  and  effect  are  connected,  and  the  one  infallibly  fol- 
lows and  is  controlled  by  the  other,  coaches  have  become  lighter,  and  coach-horses 
quicker  and  more  airy,  as  roads  have  been  improved.  The  policy  of  this  change  from 
heavy  to  lighter  horses,  however,  was  again  necessarily  restrained  and  limited  by  the 
then  still  existing  necessity  for  having  chargers  of  great  stamina  to  carrj',  besidej 
their  rider,  the  heavy  armour  weighing  over  three  hundred  pounds,  as  did  that  in  com 
mon  use  before  the  invention  of  gunpowder ! 

How  often  public  policy,  the  exterior  relations  of  a  country,  and  various  accident? 
and  events  apparently  altogether  extrinsic,  serve  to  establish  historical  facts,  and  to 
influence  the  courses  of  national  industry,  literature,  and  arts  !  Thus,  the  representa- 
tion of  a  man  driving  a  horse  attached  to  a  harrow,  woven  in  a  piece  of  tapestry,  is 
the  evidence  relied  upon  to  prove  that  about  contemporaneously  with  the  Norman  con- 
quest, horses  had  got  to  be  employed  in  that  sort  of  labour ;  and  here  again  we  see,  at 
a  subsequent  period,  a  revolution  in  the  whole  system  of  breeding  horses  in  Britain, 
brought  about  by  the  invention  of  gunpoivder !  While  in  our  own  day,  we  have  beheld 
steam  so  applied  as  to  drive  horse-power  from  all  her  great  thoroughfares,  and  to  do 
in  her  factories  the  labour  of  some  millions  of  men  I  Truly,  these  are  the  days  of 
progress ! 

We  come  now  to  the  period  when  horses  were  first  distinctly  classified  and  disci 
plined  expressly  for  war,  and  the  turf  the  chase,  the  road,  and  the  coach ;  and  here  we 
may  safely  leave  the  subject  as  far  as  relates  to  the  introduction  of  foreign  horses  into 
England,  for  the  most  part  judicious,  and  well  calculated,  as  the  reader  must  have  per- 
ceived, to  pave  the  way  for  what  has  since  been  accomplished  in  the  melioration  of 
this  favourite  animal,  and  in  adapting  his  structure  and  properties,  from  time  to  time, 
to  his  new  and  more  various  employments,  Some  particular  enactments,  however, 
designed  to  accomplish  the  same  objects,  are  well  worthy  of  being  mentioned  ;  and,  il 
might  be  added,  of  being  imitated  —  in  our  own  country  and  time.  In  the  reign  of 
Henry  VIIL,  even  the  size  and  form  of  Stallions  were  prescribed  by  Statute ;  and 


THE   HORSE.  23 

at^vere  penalties  were  inflicted  for  every  deviation  from  the  lawful  standard.  We  havs 
often  tnought,  and  elsewhere  maintained,  that  the  Legislatures  of  the  several  States 
would  do  well  to  impose  a  tax  on  Stallions  ;  and,  moreover,  provide  that  none  should 
j)e  allowed  to  propagate  their  race,  but  under  license  granted  by  judges,  connoisseurs 
of  horses,  who  should  have  power  to  condemn  the  worthless  as  the  Inspector  con- 
demns a  hogsiiead  of  rotten  tobacco  ;  leaving  a  tax  of  fixed  amount  upon  all  such  as 
could  pass  inspection  —  or  the  amount  should  be  light  or  heavy,  in  proportion  to  the 
perfection  or  defectiveness  of  the  animal.  All  thicli,  straight-shouldered,  cat-hammed 
garrans,  and  all  overgrown  beasts  "  sixteen  hands  or  upwards,  under  the  standard," 
should  be  condemned  to  celibacy  !  This  would  go  far,  in  a  few  years,  to  diminish 
the  number  of  ungainly  monsters,  to  be  found  at  every  cross-road,  propagating  their 
own  wretched  deformities,  and  vices  of  shape  and  temper.  That  horses  do  propagate 
hysical  and  moral  defects,  there  can  be  no  doubt — were  it  not  invidious,  living  exam- 
ples might  be  given  of  both  as  to  curbs  and  sulks !  one  of  which  defects  may  have 
endangered,  and  the  other  have  caused  on  a  recent  occasion,  the  loss  of  many  thou- 
sands. 

Without  having,  as  we  hope,  omitted  anything  material  to  show  the  reader  how 
abundant  have  been  the  materials,  and  how  judicious  the  use  of  them,  to  secure  the 
excellence  of  the  English  Horse  up  to  the  period  at  which  we  have  arrived — here  we 
reach  the  epoch  when  we  are  told  that  public  races  were  established,  and  horses  that 
had  given  proof  of  their  superior  swiftness  became  known  and  celebrated  throughout 
the  kingdom.  "  The  breed  was  cultivated,  and  their  pedigree  as  well  as  those  of  their 
posterit)^,  (in  imitation  of  the  Arabian  manner,)  was  preserved  and  recorded  with 
exactness." 

Here  then,  at  last,  as  we  contend,  in  this  establishment  and  patronage  of  the  turf,  as 
an  exact  and  severe  test  of  equestrian  power,  and  in  the  iddtMvX  preservation  of  pedi- 
grees, we  discover  at  once  the  source  and  the  guarantee  for  preserving  all  that  is 
excellent  in  this  noble  animal,  distinguished  as  we  have  said,  in  his  rare  combination 
of  strength,  swiftness,  beauty,  lastingness,  docility,  and  courage.  The  prescription 
of  weight  to  age — the  measurement  of  the  track,  and  the  opening  of  the  Stud-book, 
have  done  for  English  horses,  wiiat  Magna  Charta  did  for  English-men  ! 

As  with  man,  "  'tis  liberty  alone  that  gives  to  life  its  lustre  and  perfume,"  so  there 
would  seem  to  be  something  in  his  aristocratic  blood,  that  inspires  the  thorough-bred 
courser  with  an  indomitable  pride  and  courage.  To  look  at  is  but  to  admire  him  as 
he  walks,  "  rejoicing  in  his  strength !"  but  both  man  and  horse  will  degenerate  in 
character  and  value  when  in  their  government  there  is  provided  no  test  for  their 
capacity — no  stimulus  to  virtue — no  reward  for  their  ambition,  nor  restraint  tipon  its 
vicious  indulgence  ! 

Nothing  is  easier  than  to  declaim  against  the  turf,  on  account  of  the  abuse  which 
too  often  attends  the  use  of  that,  and  other  institutions.  We  might  consent  to  its 
abatement  or  suppression,  if  those  who  desire  it  will  tell  us  how,  except  by  its 
exciting  hazards  and  hopes,  and  its  infallible  test  as  a  measure  of  equestrian  power, 
men  can  be  prevailed  upon  to  breed  systematically,  to  acquire  skill  in  training,  and 
to  encounter  the  expense  and  trouble  of  carefully  testing  the  capacities  of  horses ; — 
dooming  the  most  worthless  to  the  plough,  and  sending,  finally,  the  very  best  only  into 
the  breeding  stud,  to  perpetuate  their  fine  qualities  !  How,  except  by  thus  ascertain- 
ing and  breeding  from  the  most  perfect,  can  he  be  kept  up  to  the  standard  he  has 
reached,  and  finally,  how  but  by  such  authentic  annals,  and  proofs  to  refer  to,  can 
even  the  practical  farmer  employ  any  given  degree  of  the  pure  blood,  some  of  which 
all  admit  to  be  advantageous  and  desirable  for  every  service,  even  the  most  humble 
and  laborious  to  which  the  Horse  can  be  subjected  ■?  In  respect  of  the  reliance  to  be 
placed  on  the  English  Stud-Book  for  pedigrees,  and  the  good  effects  of  sprinkling  the 
horse  (f  all  work  ivith  more  or  less  of  the  warm  blood  of  the  Easier?!  Courser,  we  covet 
for  our  owni  conviction  no  better  support  or  authority  than  the  views  adopted  and 
sanctioned  by  B.  O.  Tavloe,  Esq.  of  Washington,  a  gentleman  and  scholar,  who  has 
done  more  than  any  writer  of  whom  we  have  any  knowledge,  to  throw  light  upon  tlie 
obscure  but  interesting  annals  of  the  American  turf,  consisting  until  then  of  a  con- 
fused mas?  of  scattered  materials — rudis  indigesta  quo  moles — arranging  them  in 


24  THE  HORSE. 

chronolotrical  order,  and  imparting  to  them  all  the  perspicuity  and  weight  of  digested 
and  authentic  history. 

"Additional  attention  was  given  to  blood  during  the  reigns  of  Elizabeth  and 
James.  The  latter  had  his  running  horses,  and  with  great  judgment,  imported  froia 
Arabia.  A  south-eastern  horse  was  brouglit  into  England  and  purchased  by  James 
of  Mr.  Place,  who  was  afterwards  Stud-master  to  Oliver  Cromwell.  This  beautiful 
animal  was  called  Place's  White  Turk.  Shortly  after  appeared  the  Helmsly  Turk, 
imported  by  the  Duke  of  Buckingham.  Charles  I.  ardently  pursued  the  amusements 
of  the  turf,  now  a  favourite  diversion  with  English  gentlemen.  With  but  few  ex 
coptions,  the  oldest  English  pedigrees  end  in  Place's  White  Turk.  At  the  Restoration 
a  new  impulse  was  given  to  breeding  and  running  fine  horses.  The  system  of 
improvement  was  thenceforth  zealously  pursued.  Every  variety  of  Eastern  blood 
was  engrafted  upon  the  English;  and  the  superiority  of  the  produce,  above  the  very 
best  of  the  original  stock,  began  to  be  evident.  Their  beauty  of  form,  speed,  and  stout- 
ness, greatly  surpassed  the  original  breed.  In  the  latter  part  of  Queen  Anne's  reign 
there  was  still  further  improvement  caused  by  the  introduction  of  the  Darby  Jrabtun. 
Having  to  contend  with  prejudice,  it  was  some  time  before  he  attracted  notice.  From 
him  sprung  a  strain  of  unequalled  beauty,  speed,  and  strength.  The  Darby  Arabian 
has  been  properly  termed  the  parent  of  the  racing  stock.  The  present  English 
thorough-bred  horse  is  of  foreign  extraction,  improved  and  perfected  by  the  influence 
of  climate  and  diligent  cultivation. 

"  The  pedigree  of  English  Eclipse  affords  a  singular  illustration  of  the  descent  from 
pure  Eastern  blood,  both  of  himself  and  his  ancestors,  Marske,  Regulus,  Squirt,  and 
Childers.  Tlie  strictest  attention  has  been  paid  to  pedigree.  In  the  descent  of 
almost  every  modern  racer,  not  the  slightest  flaw  can  be  discovered  ;  or  Avhen,  with 
the  splendid  exceptions  of  Sampson,  and  his  son  Bay  Mahon,  one  common  drop  has 
mingled  in  the  pure  stream,  it  has  been  speedily  detected  in  the  degeneracy  cf  their 
progeny.  The  Stud-Book,  which  is  authority  acknowledged  by  every  English  breeder, 
traces  all  the  old  pedigrees  to  some  Eastern  courser,  or  until  they  are  lost  in  the 
uncertainty  of  early  breeding. 

"  The  thorough-bred  horse  enters  into  every  other  breed,  and  adds  or  often  gives  to 
it  its  only  value.  For  a  superior  charger,  hunter,  or  saddle-horse,  three  parts,  or  one- 
half  should  be  of  pure  blood ;  but  for  the  horse  of  all  work,  less  will  answer.  The 
Toad-horse,  according  to  the  work  required  of  him,  should,  like  the  hunter,  possess 
different  degrees  of  blood.  The  best  kind  of  coach-horse  is  derived  from  mares  of 
some  blood,  crossed  with  a  three-fourth  or  thorough-bred  stallion  of  sufficient  size 
and  substance.  Even  the  dray-horse,  and  every  other  class  of  horse,  is  improved  by 
a  partial  mixture  of  the  thorough-bred." 

The  late  John  Randolph,  a  connoisseur  as  well  as  an  amateur  in  all  such  matters, 
used  to  say,  that  the  long,  slouching  walk  of  the  blood  horse  would  tell,  even  in  the 
plough,  in  a  hot  summer's  day. 

A  retrospective  glance  at  the  low  condition  of  the  turf,  and  of  the  blood  horse  in 
this  country,  at  the  date  of  the  establishment  of  the  American  Turf  Register  and 
Sporting  Magazine,  by  Mr.  Skinner,  at  Baltimore,  in  1829,  will  show  how  the  influ- 
ence of  that  official  record  of  blood  and  of  performance,  revived  this  ancient  amuse- 
ment, and,  as  if  by  magic,  retrieved  and  brought  into  demand  again,  the  still  pure  but 
long-neglected  descendants  of  illustrious  ancestors.  Pedigrees  were  thenceforth 
strictly  scrutinized,  the  grain  was  winnowed  from  the  chaff";  and  while  some  bastards, 
ehiiming  high  family  pretensions,  were  exposed  and  repudiated,  the  rust  which,  through 
time  and  carelessness,  had  accumulated  on  the  bright  escutcheon  of  the  real  Simon 
Pure,  was  brushed  away,  and  the  mark  of  legitimacy  indelibly  stamped  upon  his 
brow. 

Prior  to  the  establishment  of  the  Turf  Register,  the  dam  of  Kate  Kearney  and  of 
Sussex,  two  among  the  best  nags  ever  bred  in  the  Old  Dominion,  was  sold  "at  public 
auction,  for  thiiteen  pounds,  tobacco  currency,  and  Avas  afterwards  bought  o>it  of  a 
cart  for  850,  by  Col.  J.  M.  Selden,  a  fair  specimen,  himself,  of  the  good  old  Virginia 
stock  ;  without,  at  tlie  time,  it  is  true,  a  knowledge  of  her  pedigree.  She  Avas  used  as 
a  common  farm  hack,  in  the  heaviest  and  hardest  work,  g-oing  in  the  waoron  and 
breaking  up  heavy  James'  River  bottom-lands  in  the  plough  ;  and,  as  Cof.  S.  has 


THE    HORSE.  25 

assured  us,  was  the  only  horse  on  the  estate,  whereof  there  were  many  much  larger, 
that  never  lost  a  day's  work,  or  required  to  be  turned  out  and  rested  occasionally,  frora 
sickness  or  exliaustion.  Being  informed  of  her  blood,  she  was  rescued  from  the? a 
"ba&e  uses"  and  sent  to  Sir  Archy,  by  whom  she  produced  Kate  Kearney,  and  to  Sir 
Charles,  and  produced  the  renowned,  but  ill-fated  Sussex,  sire  of  Lady  Clifden.  La  iy 
Lio-htfoot  went  out  of  a  commoaliver)--stable  at  S500;  and  old  Eclipse,  not  long  hehie 
his  race  with  Sir  Charles,  was  offered  to  the  writer  of  these  remarks  for  82,500.  At 
an  advanced  age  he  sold  for  §10,000,  and  is  now,  at  twenty-seven  years  old.  in  vigor- 
ous health,  covering  in  Kentucky  at  §100.  One  of  his  get  by  Lady  Lightfoot  was 
sold  to  agentleman  of  Pennsylvania  for  810,000,  and  that  only  on  condition,  as  it  was 
rumoured,  that  the  buyer  would  reciprocate  the  favour,  by  letting  the  gallant  owner 
of  him  have  one  hundred  bottles  of  his  old  Bingham  wine,  for  ten  times  that  number 
of  dollars. 

Sir  Archy  was  in  a  great  measure  indebted  to  his  fame,  if  not  to  his  great  value  as  a 
stallion,  during  his  declining  years,  to  the  establishment  of  the  Turf  Register,  in  which 
were  heralded  the  brilliant  achievements  of  his  renowned  get  and  their  descendants.  He 
had  been  made  but  a  mere  addition  in  the  exchange,  for  but  so-so  high-bred  cattle,  by 
his  breeder,  the  late  Col.  John  Tayloe,  of  Mount  Airy ;  and  thus  passed  into  the  hands 
of  his  nephew,  the  late  Ralph  Wormley,  Esq.,  of  Rosegill,  at  whose  death,  shortly 
thereafter,  he  was  purchased  in  his  three  year  old  form,  after  being  beaten,  by  our  re- 
nowned turfman,  W.  R.  J.,  Esq.,  of  Chesterfield,  Virginia,  who  soon  placed  him  at  the 
head  of  the  turf,  with  the  reputation  of  being  as  good  a  four-miler  as  had  ever  run  in  Ame- 
rica. Such  fame  soon  supplied  his  Harem — and  at  once  he  acquired  a  higher  name  in  the 
Stud  than  any  stallion  that  had  ever  been  in  our  country  ;  and  now,  thanks  to  the  Regis- 
ter, is  very  generally  regarded  as  ourGodolphin  Arabian — the  ancestor  of  Boston,  and 
Fashion,  and  Wagner,  and  Grey  Eagle,  and  J.  Bascom,  and  Postboy,  and  Mingo,  and 
Lady  Clifden,  and  Fanny,  and  Sarah^Washington,  and  Grey  INIedoc,  and  Jim  Bell,  &c. 

It  would  here  be  unjust,  not  to  say  ungrateful,  in  one  who  has  so  often  been  the  hon- 
oured medium  of  his  favours  in  that  way,  not  to  make  acknowledgments  to  the  truly  vene- 
rable Judge  G.  Duvall,  for  the  light  shed  by  him  on  the  earlier  annals  of  the  American 
Turf.  So  wonderful  is  his  memory,  that  he  can  place  each  horse  as  he  saw  them 
come  out  in  remarkable  races  befure  the  revolution !  How  gratifying  to  his  friends  to 
behold  this  old  ^laryland-born  advocate  of  our  revolutionary  claims ;  compatriot  of 
Washington,  and  Tilghman,  and  Howard ;  asserter  of  all  we  have  achieved  that  is 
good  in  political — examplar  of  all  that  is  commendable  in  private  morals ;  approaching 
his  centenary,  and  yet  erect  in  port  and  in  spirit,  like  one  of  our  majestic  old  poplars, 
sparsely  surviving  the  ravages  of  the  axe  and  the  peltings  of  the  pitiless  storm — memo- 
rials of  the  virgin  soil  and  better  days  in  which  its  roots  were  struck. 

When  we  insist  that  the  great  objects  to  be  aimed  at,  action  and  power  of  endurance, 
are  onl}^  to  be  secured  with  certaintj-,  by  exact  trials  of  speed  and  the  preservation  of 
authentic  pedigrees,  we  may  perhaps  be  met  by  the  suggestion  that  this  theory  is  at 
war  with  all  observation  as  to  the  effect  of  indiscriminate  intercourse  among  wild 
horses,  which  are  said  to  display  high  powers  and  excellence,  not  only  on  the  plains 
and  pampas  of  North  and  South  America,  but  yet  more  in  the  deserts  of  Arabia,  where 
this  animal  is  generally  supposed  to  be  found  in  his  highest  finish.  As  to  the  fine 
specimens  of  their  race,  which  are  taken  with  the  lasso,  from  immense  herds  roaming 
at  large  on  the  plains  of  this  continent,  it  is  to  be  borne  in  mind,  that  while  none  but 
the  best  are  thus  selected,  the  basis  of  these  herds  was  originally  brought,  like  that  of 
the  fine  cattle  of  Louisiana,  from  old  Spain ;  being  deeply  imbued  with  the  fine  blood  of 
the  Andalusian  or  Barb  Horse.  That  such  a  race,  running  at  large,  in  a  country 
highly  adapted  to  its  constitution,  should  not  have  degenerated  and  become  worthless 
inlform  and  spirit,  is  not  so  discordant  with  the  principles  of  artistical  breeding,  for 
which  we  contend,  as  may  at  first  si^ht  appear — for  it  is  well  known  that  in  these  wild 
herds,  the  work  of  procreation  is  conceded  not  indiscriminately  to  all,  but  is  fought  for 
and  engrossed  by  the  most  spirited  and  vigorous  stallions  among  them ;  following,  in 
this  case,  the  laws  that  govern  all  animated  nati;re,  where  might  takes  the  place  of 
right,  and  courage  and  strength,  there,  as  elsewhere,  usurp  the  Lion's  share — hence, 
through  in  general  the  size,  too  often  made  a  matter  of  primary  consideration,  may  be 
below  the  medium  standard  of  the  domesticated  Horse,  the  more  estimable  qualities 
3  D 


26  THE    HORSE. 

of  fine  proportion,  activity,  and  game  of  the  sire,  are  transmitted  to  his  get.  It  may 
well  be  supposed,  too,  that  this  monopoly  of  sexual  enjoyment  is  rarely  allowed  to 
continue  more  than  one  or  two  years.  As  the  season  of  love  opens  with  the  budding 
of  the  leaf,  in  the  genial  warmth  of  spring  weather,  this  envied  privilege  becomes 
again  a  prize  for  the  most  desperate  rivalry ;  the  fiercest  conflicts,  often  mortal,  then 
ensue ;  and  the  delights  of  the  harem  are  at  last  yielded  for  a  time  to  the  victor  who 
Droves  himself  the  possessor,  in  a  superior  degree,  of  the  very  qualities — strength, 
spirit,  and  activity — which,  under  the  hest  management,  we  should  desire  to  impart! 
I'his  sufficiently  accounts,  as  we  apprehend,  for  such  excellence  in  several  points,  as 
is  admitted  to  be  often  found  in  the  horse  of  the  desert  and  the  pampas;  pre- 
serving him  from  that  degeneracy,  both  moral  and  physical,  which,  under  the  system 
of  breeding  "  in-and-in''''  too  closely,  is  seen  to  show  itself  in  monstrous  shapes,  in 
King's  evil,  sometimes  in  idiotcy.  Lord  Byron,  himself  a  nobleman,  and  unfortunately 
not  exempt  from  personal  deformity,  could  not  forbear  sarcastic  allusion  to  the  effects 
of  this  in-and-in  system,  which,  prompted  by  reasons  of  state  and  of  family  aggrandize- 
ment, is  sometimes  followed  too  far  in  the  royal  and  noble  families  of  Europe  : 

"  they  breed  in-and-in,  as  might  be  known ; 


Marrying  their  cousins,  nay,  their  aunts  and  nieces, 
Which  always  spoils  the  breed,  if  it  increases." 

The  natural-born  children  of  high-born  sires  are  often  observed  to  be  more 
sprightly  and  energetic  than  those  which  spring  lawfully  from  parents  so  nearly  allied ; 
it  may  be  because  they  are  made  like  the  Frenchman's  incomparable  shoe,  in  a  "  mo- 
ment of  enthusiasm,"  which,  in  more  enterprises  than  one,  is  the  guarantee  of  a  for- 
tunate issue. 

There  has  been,  since  long  before  the  American  Revolution,  on  the  islands  along 
the  sea-board  of  Maryland  and  Virginia,  a  race  of  very  small,  compact,  hardy  horses, 
usually  called  beach-horses,  which,  in  a  sketch  like  this,  deserve  a  passing  notice. 
They  run  wild  throughout  the  year,  and  are  never  fed.  When  the  snow  sometimes 
covers  the  ground  for  a  few  days  in  winter,  they  dig  through  it  in  search  of  food. 
They  are  very  diminutive,  but  many  of  them  are  of  perfect  symmetry  and  extraordinary 
powers  of  action  and  endurance.  The  Hon.  H.  A.  W.  of  Accomac,  has  been  heard  to 
say  that  he  knew  one  of  these  beach-horses,  which  served  as  pony  and  hack  for  the  boys 
of  one  family,  for  several  generations;  and  another  that  could  trot  his  15  miles  within 
the  hour,  and  was  yet  so  small  that  a  tall  man  might  straddle  him,  and  with  his  toes 
touch  the  ground  on  each  side.  He  spoke  of  another  that  he  believes  could  have  trotted 
30  miles  in  two  hours.  As  an  instance  of  their  innate  horror  of  slaveiy,  he  mentions  the 
fact  of  a  herd  of  them  once  breaking  indignantly  from  a  pen  into  which  they  had  been 
trapped,  for  the  purpose  of  being  marked  and  otherwise  cruelly  mutilated  ;  and  rather 
than  submit  to  their  pursuers,  they  swam  off  at  once  into  the  wide  expanse  of  the  ocean, 
preferring  a  watery  grave,  to  a. life  of  ignominious  celibacy  and  subjugation!  Why 
might  not  one  of  these  small  but  symmetrical  stallions,  on  the  principles  which  we  shall 
hereafter  explain,  beget  superior  stock,  if  put  to  large,  well-formed,  high-bred  mares  ? 
Mr.  W.  is  clearly  of  opinion,  from  all  circumstances  and  appearances,  that  these  small 
horses,  smaller  even  than  the  Canada  Stallion,  possessing  such  powers  as  he 
describes,  are  descendants  of  thorough-bred  stock  !  Other  animals  in  a  wild  state,  no 
less  than  the  Horse,  are  doubtless  preserved  from  degeneracy  under  the  same  con- 
servative polity  of  nature.  Thus  we  see  the  graceful  stag  loses  in  the  wilderness 
none  of  his  exquisite  symmetry  of  fonn,  delicacy  and  hardness  of  bone,  and  matchless 
swiftness  of  foot.  When  Autumn  is  first  seen  to  put  on  the  "  sere  and  yellow  leaf," 
the  Doe,  having  then  performed  her  maternal  ofhce,  feels  the  sexual  passion  revive  in  hei 
bosom ;  but  its  indulgence  is  postjioned,  until  the  rival  bucks  have  settled  again  foi 
the  season,  the  question  of  physical  superiority  by  actual,  sometimes  deadly  combat 
So  desperate  are  these  encounters,  that  Stags  have  not  unfrequently  been  found  dead, 
as  related  by  that  scientific  officer.  Col.  Long,  upon  his  own  observation,  with  their 
antlers  inextricably  interlocked,  presenting  striking  and  melancholy  pictures  of  the 
universal  passion  "  strong  in  death."  A  large  pair  of  antlers  thus  entangled  were 
found,  in  &  western  wilderness,  and  sent  to  Nicholas  Biddle,  Esq.,  and  may  be  seen 
over  the  door  of  his  studio  at  Andalusia,  overgrown  with  ivy.     The  same  reason- 


THE    HORSE.  27 

iug  accounts  for  the  great  size  and  beauty  observable  in  cattle  that  roam  at  large,  in 
South  America,  as  indicated  b\  the  hides  we  often  see  on  the  wharves  in  our  large 
seaports — though  at  other  times  the  males  mingle  in  all  kindness  and  social  harmony, 
yet  in  these  atiairs  of  love,  still  more  than  in  trade,  all  nature  proclaims  there  is  "  no 
friendship."  How  much  of  truth  to  nature,  in  the  chaste  and  pious  Thomson's 
description  of  the  effect  of  this  vernal  influence  on  the  temper  of  the  Bull! 

" Through  all  his  lusty  veins 

The  bull,  deep-scorch'd,  the  racing  passion  feels 
Of  pasture  sick,  and  negligent  ot  food  : 
Scarce  seen,  he  wades  among  the  yellow  broom, 
While  o'er  his  ample  side,  the  rambling  sprays 
Luxuriant  shoot ;  and  through  the  mazy  wood 
Dejected  wanders,  nor  the  enticing  bud 
Crops,  though  it  presses  on  his  careless  sense. 
And  oft  in  jealous  maddening  fancy  wrapt 
He  seeks  the  fight,  and  idly  butting  feigns 
His  rival  gored  in  every  knotty  trunk." 

In  these  cases,  where  nature  is  left  without  disturbance  to  preserve  herself  from 
decay.  Providence,  which  never  works  in  vain,  will  take  care  that  all  goes  right ; — 
but  how  different  the  result  when  animals  tamed  and  domesticated  by  the  cunning  of 
man,  are  brought  together  for  reproduction,  arbitrarily,  and,  as  is  generally  done  in 
our  countrv,  perhaps  above  all  others,  in  utter  disregard  of  everj-thing  like  rule  or 
svstem.  and  in  total  ignorance  or  carelessness  of  their  respective  points  and  qualities, 
as  well  as  of  their  adaptation  or  relationship,  the  one  to  the  other !  With  this  igno- 
rance and  carelessness  almost  universal,  there  is  constant  danger,  as  we  have  before 
stated,  of  several  deterioration ;  and  in  introducing  a  work  intended  to  promote  the 
health  and" improvement  of  this  animal,  it  cannot  be  too  strongly  urged  that  this  ever- 
existing  tendency  is  only  to  be  counteracted  by  presenting  those  strong  incentives 
which  alone  can  prompt  a  few  to  devote  the  time  and  the  skill  which  are  indispensa- 
ble to  maintain  the  blood  horse,  sam  tache,  and  in  the  highest  perfection.  Nothing 
can  more  clearly  show  the  wise  and  benevolent  order  of  Providence  that  man  should 
exercise  his  superior  intellect  for  the  improvement  of  all  around  him,  than  the  ease 
and  certainty  with  which  it  is  seen  that,  by  close  attention,  we  can  modify  and 
meliorate  all  organized  existences  in  the  animal  and  vegetable  kingdoms.  Hence 
the  most  acid  and  worthless  grape  is  by  skilful  culture  rendered  sweet  and  luscious ; 
flowers  without  attraction  are  gradually  nurtured  into  beautj'  and  fragrance;  the 
cat  may  be  made  to  present  all  the  rich  colours  of  tortoise-shell,  and  the  pigeon 
may  be  "bred  to  a  feather."  These  remarks  might  appear  foreign  or  super- 
fluous, but  for  their  obvious  design  to  enforce  the  necessity  of  breeding  the  horse 
with  incessant  regard  to  an  ever-existing  susceptibility  of  improvement  on  the 
one  hand,  and  liability  to  degenerate  on  the  other.  Without  some  such  strong 
incentives  as  above  referred  to,  in  a  few  years,  one  might  as  well  look  among 
the  black  Dutch  for  a  dancing-master,  as  to  look  anywhere  for  breeding  horses 
that  will  insure  speed,  and  stoutness,  and  spirit. 

In  regard  to  the  prevalent  impression  that  the  Arabian  horse  runs  wild  in  the  desert, 
breedinsr  promiscuously,  and  that  where  he  has  been  domesticated,  no  attention  is  paid 
to  pedigree,  and  no  recourse  had  to  racing  to  test  their  powers, — all  account.s  go  to  show, 
on  the  contrary,  that  no  people  preserve  their  equestrianyi/w/Vy  treeji  with  more  sedulous 
care.  To  reach  the  root  of  some,  they  go  down  many  centuries.  Although,  according  to 
Strabo.  an  historian  of  hi^h  repute,  who  lived  in  the  time  of  Augustus  and  Tiberius, 
much  about  the  era  of  Christ's  appearance,  Arabia  was  still  without  horses  ;  yet  it  is 
undoubtedly  a  fact  that  they  soon  took  the  most  effectual  methods  to  improve  them  to 
the  utmost,  and  among  these,  says  a  very  learned  commentator  on  the  Mosaic  Code, 
*•  I  am  inclined  to  consider  the  spirit  of  horse-racinsr,  an  exercise  in  which  the  Arabs 
eagerly  sought  for  renown,  as  the  primary  cause  of  that  perfection  which  the  art  of 
horse-breedingf  so  rapidly  attained  among  them ;  but  I  by  no  means  exchule  soil  and 
climat'^  and  food,  as  contributing  causes." — "Wherever,  (says  the  same  wnter,) 
racing  is  established  either  as  a  source  of  fame  or  profit,  good  horses  will  be  sought 
for,  and  thf  breed  improved  in  the  first  instance  by  the  best  foreign  stallions,  and  then 


28  THE    HORSE. 

oy  those  home-bred  ones  which  show  the  best  qualities ;  and  tlius  the  country  will 
by  dejrrees  acquire  an  excellent  breed." 

"That  races  (says  he,)  were  introduced  among  the  Arabs,  very  soon  after  they 
began  to  breed  horses,  appears  from  the  very  names  of  the  coursers.  Ten  horses 
started  together,  and  from  the  victor  to  the  last,  each  has  its  own  proper  name  or 
epithet ;  —  one  of  their  best  scholiasts  enumerates  them  in  the  following  manner  as 
they  came  out  in  the  race : — 

Sahek,  the  foremost — the  inspirer  of  joy  and  banisher  of  care— because  his 

aster  can  behold  the  race  with  delight,  and  without  concern,    .......  1 

Mutgalli — because  he  had  his  head  on  the  back  of  the  winner, 2 

Muisalli — because  he  satisfies  his  owner, 3 

Tali — the  pursuer, 4 

Murlach — the  ardent,  or  mettlesome, 5 

Aiif — the  keen,  or  well  disposed, 6 

Muvaimnal — the  inspirer  of  future  hopes, 7 

Hadi — the  lazy, 8 

Latini — the  belaboured,  because  taken  into  the  stable  with  blows,    ....  9 
Lucait — or  whose  name  is  not  to  be  named,  and  of  whom  nothing  is  said, 

because  the  case  is  too  bad, 10 

The  admitted  excellence  to  which  the  general  stock  of  English  horses  has  been 
brought,  is  then  the  result,  as  has  been  seen,  of  a  good  foundation  to  build  upon;  of 
successive  and  in  most  cases  judicious  crosses,  by  the  use  of  foreign  stallions,  most 
frequently  Barbs  ;  and  of  superal)undant  wealth  employed  in  the  breeding  and  train- 
ing of  stud ;  those  addicted  to  all  the  luxurious  uses  of  the  horse,  having  besides 
other  facilities  a  wide  latitude  before  them,  in  the  various  strains  to  select  and  breed 
from. 

The  reason  why  the  Darley  Arabian,  and  after  him  the  celebrated  Barb,  Godolphin, 
contributed  more  decidedly  than  any  Arabians  have  done  since,  to  the  improvemen. 
of  the  race-horse,  is,  that  they  were  imported  at  the  very  juncture  when  the  British 
stock  was  in  a  condition  to  need  a  cross  that  would  impart  more  muscle  and  harder 
bone,  and  give  better  wind  ;  while  it  diminished  the  size  and  weight  of  the  carcass, 
which  had  been  made  too  heavy  by  repeated  uses  of  the  Flemish  and  German  breed. 
In  our  own  country  we  know,  and  probably  in  all  others,  the  progress  of  improve- 
ment of  domestic  animals  has  been  much  retarded  and  counteracted,  by  the  vulgar 
persuasion  that  the  largest  males  should  be  selected  for  the  purpose  of  procreation. — 
Tlian  this  common  impression  no  error  could  be  more  pernicious.  This  fallacy  is 
the  source  of  the  disappointment  and  mortification  experienced  by  fanners  who  give 
enormous  prices  for  overgrown  bulls  and  rams,  and  who  always  give  the  preference 
to  stallions  that  measure  "full  sixteen  hands  and  upwards  under  the  standard." — On 
this  point  we  cannot  do  better  than  refer  to  an  able  essay  of  Professor  Cline  of  Lon- 
don, on  the  form  of  animals,  published  in  the  third  volume  of  the  American  Farmer. 
With  the  principles  laid  down  in  that  essay,  every  farmer  should  make  himself 
lamiliar.  A  few  passages  may  be  quoted,  no  less  for  their  appositeness  to  the  point 
here  made,  than  for  their  general  applicability  and  value  in  the  study  of  all  animal 
economy. 

"  Muscles. — The  muscles,  and  tendons  which  are  their  appendages,  should  be  large ; 
by  which  an  animal  is  enabled  to  travel  with  greater  facility. 

"  The  bones. — The  strength  of  an  animal  does  not  depend  on  the  size  of  the  bones 
but  on  that  of  the  muscles. — Many  animals  with  large  bones  are  weak,  their  muscles 
being  small.  Animals  that  were  imperfectly  nourished  during  growth,  have  their  bones 
disproportionably  large.  If  such  deficiency  of  nourishment  originated  from  a  consti- 
tutional defect,  which  is  the  most  frequent  cause,  they  remain  weak  during  life 
Large  bones  therefore  generally  indicate  an  imperfection  in  the  organs  of  nulritfon. 

"  On  the  improvement  of  lite  form. — When  the  male  is  much  larger  than  the  female, 
the  offspring  is  generally  of  an  imperfect  form.  If  the  female  be  proportionably  larger, 
the  offspring  is  of  an  improved  form. — For  instance,  if  a  well-formed  large  ram  be 
put  to  ewes  proportionably  smaller,  the  lambs  will  not  be  so  well  shaped  as  theii 


THE    HORSE.  29 

parents ;  but  if  a  small  ram  be  put  to  larger  ewes,  the  lambs  will  be  of  an  unproved 
form. 

'» The  proper  method  of  improving  the  form  of  animals  consists  in  selectinor  a  well 
formed  female,  proportionably  larger  than  the  male.  The  improvement  depends  on 
this  principle ;  that  the  power  of  the  female  to  supply  her  oflspring  with  nourishment 
is  in  proportion  to  her  size,  and  to  the  power  of  nourishing  herself  from  the  excellence 
of  her  own  constitution. 

•'  The  size  of  the  foetus  is  generally  in  proportion  to  that  of  the  male  parent,  and 
therefore  when  the  female  parent  is  disproportionately  small,  the  quantity  of  nourish- 
ment is  deficient,  and  her  otfspring  has  all  the  disproportions  of  a  stars-eling.  But 
when  the  female  from  her  size  and  good  constitution  is  more  than  adequate  to  the 
nourishment  of  a  fcetus  of  a  smaller  male  than  herself,  the  growth  must  be  propor- 
tionably greater.  The  large  female  has  also  a  greater  quantity  of  milk,  and  hei 
oitspring  is  more  than  abundantly  supplied  with  nourishment  after  birth. 

••  To  produce  the  most  perfect  formed  animal,  abundant  nourishment  is  necessary 
from  the  earliest  period  of  its  existence  until  its  growth  is  complete. 

"  The  power  to  prepare  the  greatest  quantity  of  nourishment  from  a  given  quantity 
of  food  depends  principally  upon  the  magnitude  of  the  lungs,  to  which  the  organs  of 
digestion  are  subservient. 

'•  To  obtain  animals  with  large  lungs,  crossing  is  the  most  expeditious  method, 
l)ecause  well  formed  females  may  be  selected  from  a  variety  of  large  size  to  be  put  to 
a  well-formed  male  of  a  variety  that  is  rather  smaller. 

"  Examples  of  the  good  effects  i>f  crossing  the  breeds. — The  great  improvement  of  the 
breed  of  horses  in  England  arose  from  crossing  with  those  diminutive  Stallions,  Barbs, 
and  Arabians ;  and  the  introduction  of  Flanders  mares  into  this  country  was  the 
source  of  improvement  in  the  breed  of  cart-horses. 

"  Examples  of  the  bad  effects  of  crossing  the  breed. — When  it  became  the  fashion  in 
London  to  drive  large  bay  horses,  the  farmers  in  Yorkshire  put  their  mares  to  much 
larger  stallions  than  usual,  and  thus  did  infinite  mischief  to  their  breed,  by  producing 
a  race  of  small-chested,  long-legged,  large-boned,  worthless  animals." 

Such,  we  believe,  was  the  ill  effect  of  the  cross  by  a  large  "  Cleveland  bay"  stal- 
lion, imported  and  sent  to  Carroll's  Manor  in  Frederick  Coimty,  Maryland,  some 
years  since,  by  the  late  Robert  Patterson.  His  younger  brother,  George,  a  gentleman 
of  fortune  by  inheritance,  but  a  farmer  by  choice,  and  of  uncommon  sagacitj'  and 
judgment,  would  have  foreseen  the  result  of  such  a  cross.  Nowhere  so  systematically 
as  on  his  estate,  have  we  ever  seen  so  fully  carried  out  and  completely  illustrated, 
diis  important  principle  in  breeding  as  already  quoted  from  Professor  Cline,  that  "  to 
produce  the  most  perfect  formed  animal,  abundant  nourishment  is  necessarj^  from  the 
earliest  period  of  its  existence  until  its  orowth  is  complete."  So  thoroughly  is  ]\Ir. 
P.  impressed  too  with  the  expediency  of  getting  as  much  blood  as  j'ou  can  into  the 
horse  of  all  work,  consistently  with  the  weight  which  is  indispensable  for  slow  and 
neavy  draught,  that  he  seeks  to  have  as  much  of  it  as  can  be  thrown  into  his  plough 
and  tua^on  horses.  Were  the  question  doubtful,  the  argument  must  preponderate 
which  is  supported  by  the  practice  of  an  agriculturist,  rare  in  all  countries,  who  is 
ready  with  his  reason  for  everything  he  does,  and  "no  mistake  at  that." 

Enough,  it  is  believed,  has  already  been  said  to  show  how  exactly  opportune  was 
the  cross  of  the  Arabian  and  the  Barb,  on  the  English  stock;  nor  does  it  require  any 
further  reasoning  to  sustain  the  position  before  laid  down,  that  these  males  of  exquisite 
form,  but  proportionably  smaller  than  the  females  of  their  da}-  in  England,  having 
accomplished  their  purposes  by  enlarging  the  lungs  and  improving  the  conformation 
of  their  progfenv,  giving  more  muscle  and  less  bone ;  the  same  stallions,  could  they 
rise,  pha?nix-like  "from  their  ashes,  could  probably  not  now  be  employed  with  the 
s'zme  beneficial  effects. 

A  review-  of  his  most  distinguished  perfonnances,  leads  us  to  think  that  in  culti- 
vatingr  the  powers  of  the  horse,  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  success  was  reached  in  the  daya 
of  Flying  Childers,  in  the  beginning  of  the  last  century,  and  was  sustained  with 
unfailing  excellence  to  the  time  of  Highflyer  in  1774  (perhaps  we  might  say  ta 
tlie  present  dav  M — a  period  embracing,  consecutively,  the  wonderful  performance* 


30  THE    HORSE. 

and  progeny  of  others  besides  Matchem,  Marsk,  the  sire  of  Shark  (who  won  in 
matclios°upwards  of  $80,000),  Mirza,  Bay  Malton  (who  in  seven  matclies  won 
^30,000),  King  Herod,  whose  get  in  nineteen  years  won  more  than  a  million  of 
dollars ;  Shark"  liiniself,  afterwards  imported  to  the  U.  States,  who,  besides  a  fup 
of  the  value  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  guineas,  and  eleven  hogsheads  of  claret, 
won  the  vast  amount  of  $77,000.  Eclipse  is  said  to  have  nin  the  four  miles  at  York 
in  1770,  in  eight  minutes,  carrying  one  himdred  and  sixty-eight  pounds,  being  forty- 
two  pounds  over  the  standard  weight — making  the  result  equal  to  four  miles  in  6  m. 
27s.  If,  according  to  the  opinion  of  experienced  sportsmen,  the  correctness  of  which 
is  questionable,  seven  pounds  weight  be  equal  to  a  distance  of  two  himdred  and  forty 
yards  in  a  four-mile  race  ;  and  giving  him  a  right  to  dispute  the  palm  of  superiority 
with  Flying  Childers  himself. 

It  is  to  be  remembered  that  neither  of  these  two  paragons  of  the  English  Turf,  aa 
they  are  generally  esteemed,  were  trained  before  they  were  five  years  old.  Some 
assuming  as  a  fact,  what  we  consider  problematical — a  falling  off,  in  stoutness,  of 
the  English  racer,  since  the  days  of  Highflyer, — have  ascribed  it  to  the  modern  prac- 
tice of  bringing  horses  forward  too  young;  but  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  High- 
flyer himself,  who  won  and  received  little  less  than  $50,000,  and  who  was  never 
beaten,  nor  ever  paid  forfeit,  came  on  the  turf  in  his  three  year  old  form,  carrying 
one  hundred  and  twelve  pounds,  and  ran  his  last  race  on  the  14th  of  September,  1779, 
when,  though  lame  and  out  of  condition,  he  won  easy,  and  retired  to  the  breeding 
stud  at  five  years  old!  But  may  we  not  with  more  reason,  attribute  the  reality,  or 
the  assumption,  as  it  may  be,  of  less  bottom,  or  to  speak  more  distinctly,  less  capacity 
to  carry  weight  and  repeat  long  distances,  in  the  modern  English  courser,  rather  to 
the  modern  fashion  of  training  for  short  racing,  and  to  their  reliance  on  the  foot  of 
the  horse,  and  the  skill  of  the  rider  to  bring  him  out  in  a  brush  at  the  run  home,  than 
to  any  real  degeneracy  of  the  stock  ]  On  these  points  we  find  some  observations  in 
a  journal  which  well  sustains  the  title  of  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Times."  The  remarks 
by  the  Editor  are  regarded  by  us  as  of  such  high  authority,  and  so  apposite,  that  we 
cannot  forbear  giving  them  a  place." 

"  The  superiority  of  the  English  horses  over  the  American,  as  regards  speed,  is 
almost  universally  allowed  by  those  American  turf-men  and  amateurs  who  have 
witnessed  their  performances  at  home.  We  might  name  Captain  Stockton,  Major 
Davie,  Judge  Porter,  Mr.  Corbin,  Mr.  Neil,  the  late  Mr.  Golden,  Mr.  Kirkman, 
and  many  other  gentlemen  with  whom  we  have  conversed  upon  the  subject.  The 
farle  of  the  English  horse  of  the  present  day  is  speed,  beyond  a  doubt ;  and  while 
Americans  give  up  the  point,  as  to  short  distances,  they  think  our /M/r-mile  horses 
can  beat  the  English  in  races  of  heats  at  that  distance.  There  is  no  encouragement 
offered  to  the  English  turf-man  to  breed  a  four-mile  horse,  save  here  and  there  a  plate 
of  100  guineas  value;  all,  or  nearly  all  the  valuable  prizes  are  offered  for  two  and 
three  year  olds,  so  that  the  object  of  the  breeder  is  to  bring  out  a  colt  in  the  fall  of  his 
two  year  old  form,  having  such  strength  and  substance  as  shall  enable  him  to  take 
up  heavy  weights,  and  go  from  half  to  three-quarters  of  a  mile  at  a  flight  of  speed. 
As  colts  that  have  won  frequently,  beating  good  fields,  as  three  year  olds,  are  subse- 
quently very  heavily  handicapped  so  as  to  place  them  upon  an  equality  wdth  indiffer- 
ent performers,  they  almost  invariably  give  way  in  competing  for  the  valuable  ])ublic 
prizes  offered,  such  as  the  cups  at  Goodwood,  Liverpool,  Ascot,  &c.  .-2  very Jinc  four- 
mile  horse  in  England  tvviild  not  command  one-quarter  of  the  price  which  could  he 
obtained  fir  a  tried  two  year  old.  He  would  soon  be  broken  down  by  having  twenty 
or  thirty  poimds  extra  clapped  upon  his  back,  to  place  him  on  a  level  with  an  uritried 
three  year  old  carrying  a  feather." 

"Investigator,"  who  we  cannot  doubt  is  Mr.  B.  0-  T.  of  Washington,  explains 
conclusively,  to  our  minds,  "the  yet  unexplained  difference  between  the  time  of  thfe 
racing  in  the  two  countries,"  when  he  attributes  it,  in  a  great  measure,  to  the  shape 
and  soil  of  the  English  courses,  &c.,  emphatically  called  the  turf. 

In  confirmation  of  this  opinion  of  the  effects  of  soil,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  a 
gentleman  amateur  has  just  remarked  to  us,  that  when  Miss  Foote  lately  won  a  four 
mile  heat  on  the  Melaric  Gourse,  New  Orleans,  in  7m.  35s.,  the  shortest  time  in 
America  until  now  beaten  by  Fashion  antt  Boston  on  Long  Island,  the  course  was 


THE   HORSE.  31 

quite  elastic,  and  that  though  the  surface  was  dry,  water  might  have  been  found 
within  a  few  feet,  if  not  inches,  anywhere  below  it. 

We  apprehend,  however,  that  these  "  verj-  fine  four-mile  King's  plate  horses"  are 
exactly  such  as  ought  to  have  been  selected  for  importation  to  this  couKtrjs  instead 
of  the  fashionable  stock,  bred  to  speed,  under  the  influences  before  mentioned. 

The  question  has  been  raised,  and  may  well  be  entertained  without  implying  any 
narrow  or  nnbecoming  feeling  of  national  jealousy; — whether  the  turf-horse  of  Eng- 
lish stock  does  not  degenerate  in  .imerica  ?  Referring  to  the  controling  influences  of 
cUmate,  soil,  and  food,  there  is  certainly  no  reason  to  infer  that  he  should ;  but,  from 
the  very  nature  of  these,  quite  the  contrary ;  and  why  may  we  not  believe  that  there 
is  in  nature,  a  power  which  will  coerce  animal,  as  we  know  it  will  vegetable  produc- 
tions, to  forego  their  original  peculiarities,  and  partially  conform  themselves,  in  pro- 
cess of  time,  to  the  more  immutable  laws  of  soil  and  climate !  We  recollect  to  have 
heard  ^Ir.  Jeflerson,  in  proof  of  the  influence  of  soil  over  vegetables,  state,  that  he 
knew  a  French  gentleman,  on  his  inheritance  of  a  famous  and  very  profitable  wine 
estate,  impair  at  once  the  quality  of  the  wine,  and  his  own  income,  materially,  by 
employing  some  crude  and  unsuitable  manure  to  fertilize  his  vineyard.  The  vines 
bore  more  abundantly,  but  the  wine  lost  its  flavour,  and  the  vineyard  its  wonted 
repute.  So  it  is  with  other  vegetables.  The  celebrated  white  wheat  will  change 
from  white  to  red,  on  being  transplanted  into  any  other  from  its  natale  solum — the 
eastern  shore  of  Marj'land  and  Virginia ;  and  the  celebrated  Havana  tobacco,  with  change 
of  soil  and  climate,  loses  both  its  fine  texture  and  rich  fragrance.  Thus,  without  any 
violence  of  presumption,  we  may  assert  the  influence  of  both  soil  and  climate  on  the 
constitution  and  temper  of  the  horse.  How  long  would  the  satin-coated,  thin-skinned, 
flint-footed,  hard-boned,  muscular  and  proud-spirited  Arabian,  accustomed  to  a  short 
bite,  and  delighting  in  a  hot  sun,  retain,  after  being  transferred  to  the  rich  and  suc- 
culent pastures  of  the  "  low  countries,"  the  high  and  peculiar  characteristics  which 
have  given  him  pre-eminence  over  all  the  families  of  his  racel 

Exposed  in  rigorous  climates,  the  horse  could  not  long  survive  in  a  state  of  nature, 
but  when  protected  and  well  supplied  with  food,  it  is  difficult  to  determine  how  far 
towards  the  pole  he  might  be  sustained ;  and  we  may  here  quote  from  good  authority, 
"  That  this  animal  existed  before  the  flood,  the  researches  of  geologists  afford 
abundant  proof.  There  is  not  a  portion  of  Europe,  nor  scarcely  any  part  of  the 
globe,  from  the  tropical  plains  of  India,  to  the  frozen  regions  of  Siberia — from  the 
northern  extremities  of  the  new  world  to  the  very  southern  point  of  America,  in 
which  the  fossil  remains  of  the  Horse  have  not  been  found  mingled  with  the 
bones  of  the  Hippopotamus,  the  Elephant,  the  Rhinoceros,  the  Bear,  the  Tiger,  the 
Deer,  and  various  other  animals,  some  of  which,  like  the  IMastodon,  have  passed 
away."  ^ 

In  point  of  fact,  however,  every  other  circumstance  being  nearly  similar,  the  Horse 
thrives  best  in  countries  within  or  near  the  torrid  zone.  In  the  mild  climates  of 
Northwestern  Europe,  this  noble  animal  reaches  a  high  development.  The  wild 
horse  of  this  continent,  brought  from  Texas,  or  the  more  remote  provincial  infernos, 
and  tamed,  we  have  been  told,  though  in  general  unsightly  when  compared  to  the 
high-bred  horse  of  the  United  States,  is  greatl)^  superior  in  hardiness  and  ease  of 
support.  We  may  further  sustain  these  reflections  on  the  influence  of  climate,  with 
the  opinion  of  a  gentleman  of  great  observation  and  knowledge  of  geography  and 
natural  history,  Mr.  Darby,  who  thinks  that  "  in  the  zone  of  North  America,  com- 
prising Western  Louisiana,  Texas,  &c.,  to  the  Gulf  of  California,  this  most  splendid 
auxiliary  of  man,  with  anything  like  equal  care  and  skill,  will  reach  his  utmost  devel- 
opment of  form,  strength,  beauty,  and  aflTectionate  docilitj'." 

In  additional  support  of  our  hypothesis,  that  climate  and  food  have  their  influence 
on  the  form  and  character  of  animals,  and  that  these  influences  in  England  are  less 
auspicious  to  high  perfection  of  the  Horse  than  the  warmer  and  dryer  climates  of  the 
United  States,  we  may  adduce  the  remarks  of  English  writers  of  authoritj'.  The 
effect  indeed  of  climate  and  soil  on  wool-bearing  animals  is  asserted  by  all  natural- 
ists. Ikkewell,  who  bestowed  particular  attention  on  the  subject,  contends  that  the 
softrt^i^f  wool  depends  chiefly  on  the  soil  on  which  the  sheep  are  fed.  Professor 
Cline.  Vfcese.  able  disquisition  we  have  already  freely  quoted,  says  "the  pliancy 


32  THE   HORSE. 

of  the  animal  economy  is  such  as  that  an  animal  will  gradually  accommodate  itself  to 
great  vicissitudes  in  climate  and  alterations  in  food,  and  by  degrees  undergo  grea 
changes  in  constitution.  The  size  of  animals  is  commonly  adapted  to  the  soil  which 
they  inhabit.  Where  produce  is  nutritive  and  abundant,  the  animals  are  large,  having 
grown  proportionably  to  the  quantity  of  food  which  for  generations  they  have  been 
accustomed  to  obtain."  To  these  respectable  authors  it  will  be  sufficient  to  add  tlie 
observations  of  Captain  Thomas  Brown,  in  his  Biographical  Sketches  of  the  Horse, 
that  "  the  degenerating  effects  of  a  British  atmosphere  and  pasturage,  can  only  be  suc- 
cessfully combated,  by  the  occasional  introduction  of  Asiatic  blood.  A  permanently 
excellent  breed  can  never  be  expected  in  this  climate  ,•"  except,  we  would  add,  as  haa 
been  well  and  truly  said  of  Liberty  itself,  by  eternal  vigilance. 

On  the  soundness  of  these  views,  may  not  the  opinion  safely  rest,  that  on  this  con- 
tinent the  Horse  ought  to  reach  and  retain  powers  at  least  equal  to  any  he  has  ever 
attained  in  England  ]  And  were  truth  to  compel  the  admission,  which  is  by  no  means 
certain,  of  any^deficiency  or  falling  off,  might  it  not  be  fairly  ascribed  to  the  w-ant,  in 
this  country,  of  the  vast  means  and  the  leisure,  the  science  and  the  skill,  which 
English  Aristocracy  can  command  and  afford  to  bestow  on  the  turf,  and  all  the  appoint 
ments  and  accommodations,  requisite  for  the  pursuit  and  enjoyment  of  that  and  othei 
field  sports  ;  all  of  which  create  wide  and  constant  demand,  at  high  prices,  for  honest 
and  stout  na^s,  that  can  go  both  the  pace  and  the  distance  ]  If  money  "  makes  the 
mare  go,"  so  will  it  the  horse,  and  by  its  agency,  what  may  not  be  achieved  in  a 
country  where  a  nobleman  finds  amusement  in  spending,  like  the  Duke  of  Richmond, 
at  Goodwood,  ff/y  thousand  dollars  on  his  dog  kennel?  If  the  superiority  claimed  by 
some  for  English  over  American  horses,  cannot  be  the  fruit  of  climate,  neither  can  it  be 
ascriljed  to  any  want  on  our  part  of  their  best  blood.  Our  importations  go  back  more 
than  a  century.  On  this  point  we  are  glad  again  to  borrow  and  adopt  the  views  of  that 
accomplished  amateur,  Mr.  B.  O.  Tayloe,  of  Washington,  by  whom  the  public  has 
been  well  reminded  that  "  at  a  very  early  period  of  its  Colonial  Government,  fine 
horses  were  introduced  into  Virginia  —  encouragement  was  given  by  Legislative 
enactments,  and  speed  was  particularly  attended  to — Bull-Rock,  a  famed  son  of  the 
Darby  Arabian,  and  wholly  of  Eastern  blood,  was  imported  as  far  back  as  1730,  the 
year  that  the  Godolphin  Arabian  (Barb),  w^as  introduced  into  England ;  and  many 
other  English  horses  and  mares  were  imported,  long  before  any  Stud-Book  appeared 
in  England."  Before  and  soon  after  the  Revolutionary  W^ar,  and  again,  since  the 
establishment  of  the  American  Turf  Register,  the  importations  into  New  York,  New 
Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  South  Carolina,  have  embraced  many 
of  the  most  distinguished  families  that  have  adorned  the  English  Turf;  bringing 
streams  pure  and  copious,  from  tlie  great  fountains  oi  Matchem  and  Eclipse,  with  an 
ample  infusion  from  the  loins  oi  Herod  himself;  in  whose  stock,  above  all,  is  united 
"  the  two  essential  qualities  of  speed  and  bottom."  To  go  more  into  detail  in  proof 
of  our  abundant  resources,  if  well  husbanded,  for  sustaining  a  stock  of  horses  equal  ir 
all  desirable  points,  and  for  all  manner  of  work,  to  that  which  any  other  country  can 
exhibit,  would  here  be  out  of  place — else  it  would  be  easy  to  present  a  list  not  much 
short  of  three  hundred  imported  horses,  among  the  very  best  which  in  their  day 
could  be  found  in  the  "  fiist-anchored  isle,"  beginning,  as  before  stated,  near  half 
a  century  before  the  American  Revolution. 

Let  it  suffice  to  name  a  few,  such,  for  example,  as  Shark,  at  the  close  of  the  last 
century,  and  shortly  thereafter  those  Derby  winners,  Saltram,  (one  of  the  best  sons 
of  the  famed  Eclipse,)  Diomed,  Spread-Eagle,  and  Sir  Harry;  the  equally  famed 
race-horses  Gabriel,  Buzzard,  Eagle,  and  Chance;  and  latterly  the  renowned  winners 
of  the  Derby — Priam,  St.  Giles,  and  some  others — and  of  the  St.  Leger,  Rowton, 
Margrave,  and  Barefoot,  that  with  their  close  competitors,  also  imported  to  this 
country,  Sarpedon,Caetus,  Trustee,  and  Emancipation;  together  with  Glencoe,  Rid- 
dleworth,  and  Leviathan;  Chateau-Margaux,  and  perhaps  some  others,  were  race- 
horses of  the  very  highest  repute  in  their  day,  in  England. 

Soon  after  the  last  revival  of  the  turf  in  America,  and  before  tlfere  was  time  to  witness 
its  effects  on  our  existing  stock,  it  was  deemed  expedient  to  import  again,  at  very  great 
cost,  some  of  the  most  fashionable  horses  of  the  "old  country,"  with  a  view  to  the  re- 
generation, as  it  was  supposed,  of  our  native  stock,  but  it  is  questionable  how  far  it  was 


THE   HORSE.  3 

needed ;  for,  as  very  recently  observed  in  the  "  Spirit  of  the  Times," — "  Notwitl. 
standing-  the  immense  chance  they  have  had,  (having  generally  had  the  choice  of 
the  finest  mares,)  but  seven  of  them  have  a  winner  at  four-mile  heats  last  year,  while 
thirteen  of  native  stallions  have  winners  that  won  thirty-two  races." — True,  the 
winner  of  the  race  nf  races,  Fashion,  is  by  imported  Trustee ;  but  how  much  of  her 
sintifness  may  not  have  come  down  to  her  from  her  grand-dam,  0/d  Reality,  of  Medley 
blood — a  blood  illustrated  in  so  many  fields  in  confests  of  four-mile  heats?  Witness 
the  extraordinarj'  achievements  of  his  g.  g.  g.  son,  (through  Duroc,  Amanda,  and 
Grey  Diomed,  son  of  Medley)  American  Eclipse  in  1823,  three  heats  of  four  miles,  in 
23m.  50s.,  and  his  competitor  Henry,  tracing  to  Medley  through  liis  grand-dam  by 
Bellair,  son  of  Medley.  Sir  Hal,  at  Broad  Rock,  winning  the  four  mile  day  fron: 
Cup  Bearer,  in  one  heat,  7m.  40s. — Cup  Bearer  breaking  down.  Oscar,  near  Balti- 
more, in  180G,  beating  First  Consul  in  7m.  40s. — each  "winning  horse,  as  well  as 
Cup  Bearer,  partaking  largely  of  the  jMedley  blood,  though  no  two  were  by  the  same 
horse.  It  is  also  worthy  of  remark  as  warranting  the  assumption  that  Fashion  owes 
her  vast  powers  as  much  to  the  old  English  imported  Medley  blood,  Americanized, 
as  to  her  recently  imported  sire,  that  two  days  after  her  immortal  victor}-,  her  half- 
brother — grandson  of  Old  Reality,  and  by  Shark,  a  son  of  American  Eclipse,  in  a 
second  heat  drove  the  unrivalled  son  of  Timoleon  to  the  winning  post  in  7m.  46s., 
running  the  next  heat  and  ending  aydoubtful  contest  in  7m.  5S^s. 

As  already  stated,  the  object  in  thus  dwelling  on  the  wonderful  capabilities  of  the 
bred  horse,  and  of  endeavouring  to  show  that  with  proper  inducements  and  precau- 
tion to  measure  his  foot  and  to  gauge  his  bottom,  and  to  record  faithfully  his 
genealogy  and  performances,  there  need  not  be,  as  there  has  not  been  any  general 
decay — and  in  insisting  that  without  a  portion  of  his  blood  we  can  reckon  on  no 
general  or  permanent  supply  of  good  nags  for  saddle  or  harness,  is  to  impress  upon 
American  husbandmen  generally,  the  absolute  necessity  of  keeping  these  ulterior  but 
important  objects  always  in  view.  Those  who  are  opposed  to  all  field  sports,  on 
account  of  the  dissipation  and  ^ice  with  which  some  of  them  are  too  often  accom- 

Eanied,  might  yet  learn  to  tolerate  what  they  cannot  enjoy.  The  whole  business  of 
fe  is  mixed  with  good  and  evil,  and  full  of  compromises. — Shall  we  forego  the  use 
of  gunpowder,  because  that  '■  villanous  compound"  sometimes  charges  the  pistol  of 
the  duellist ;  or  throw  up  altogether  the  use  of  steam,  because  human  life  is  occasion- 
ally sacrificed  by  the  careless  use  of  it  1 

But  it  is  not  only  as  a  question  of  individual  comfort,  or  of  agricultural  resource, 
that  this  subject  is  to  be  looked  at.  It  is  worthy,  too,  of  the  serious  regard  of  the 
statesman,  in  the  higher  and  more  important  aspect  it  presents  in  a  military  point  of 
view,  and  as  thus  connected  with  our  national  defences.  In  cavalry,  perhaps  more 
than  in  any  other  weapon,  our  locality  must  always  sfive  us  an  advantag-e  over  any 
invading  force.  An  enemy  cannot  bring  cavalry  with  him.  With  something  like  a 
well  arranged  system  in  breeding  our  horses,  this  advantage  may  be  turned  to  great 
account  in  time  of  war.  With  the  forecast  that  distinguished  his  military  adminis- 
tration. Napoleon  had  the  sagacity  to  establish  Haras,  or  studs,  in  the  several 
departments  of  France,  where  thorough-bred  stallions  were  placed  at  the  service  of 
the  common  farmer,  on  terms  which  barely  paid  the  expense  of  their  keep.  But  to 
come  nearer  home,  while  every  one  at  all  familiar  with  the  incidents  of  our  own  Re- 
volution, knows  how  much  was  effected  in  the  South,  by  Lee's  famous  "  Legion ;' 
few,  comparatively,  may  be  aware  to  what  that  celebrated  corps  chiefly  owed  its 
efficiency — and  yet  it  is  undeniable  that  in  a  great  measure  the  prevalence  nf  blond  in 
his  horses  made  it  at  once  the  scourge  and  the  terror  of  the  enemy.  Wonderful  ii 
their  endurance  of  hunger,  thirst,  and  fatigue;  prompt  to  strike  a  blow  where  it  was 
east  expected,  and,  when  forced,  as  quick  to  retreat;  they  may  be  said  to  have  wel 
earned  the  description  applied  to  the  Parthian  steed : — 

"  Quot  sine  aqua  PartJius  nullia  currat  equus, 
How  many  miles  can  run  the  Parthian  horse, 
Nor  quench  his  thirst  in  the  fatiguing  course  . " 

It  was  not,  h-^wever,  generally  known,  until  the  Repositorj'  offered  by  the  "ToRr 
Register"  for  the  record  of  all  extraordinary  facts  connected  with  these  subjects 

E 


34  THE   HORSE. 

thai  to  the  remarkahly  accidental  importation  of  the  celebrated  Linasey''s  Arabian 
may  he  traced  some  brilliant  exploits  of  the  battle-field,  as  well  as  of  the  turf  in 
America.  The  curious  history  of  that  renowned  Arabian  is  worthy  of  preservation 
here,  as  it  was  thus  related  to  the  editor,  by  a  meritorious  Maryland  officer  of  the 
Revolution,  the  venerable  General  T.  M.  Forman,  a  yet  living  monument  of  the 
"  times  that  tried  men's  souls." 


LINDSEY'S    ARABIAN. 

About  the  year  1777  or  '78,  General  H.  liSe,  of  the  Cavalry,  and  his  officers,  had 
iheir  attention  drawn  to  some  uncommonly  fine  Eastern  horses  employed  in  the  public 
service — horses  of  such  superior  form  and  appearance,  that  the  above  officers  were  led 
to  make  much  inquiry  respecting  their  history ;  and  this  proved  so  extraordinary,  that 
Captain  Lindsey  was  sent  to  examine  and  make  more  particular  inquiry  respecting 
the  fine  cavalry,  which  had  been  so  much  admired,  and  with  instructions,  that  if  the 
sire  answered  the  description  given  of  him,  the  Captain  was  to  purchase  him,  if  to  be 
sold. 

The  Captain  succeeded  in  purchasing  the  horse,  who  was  taken  to  Virginia,  where 
he  covered  at  a  high  price  and  with  considerable  success. 

It  was  not  until  this  fine  horse  became  old  and  feeble  that  the  writer  of  these  recol- 
lections rode  thirty  miles  expressly  to  see  him.  He  was  a  white  horse,  of  the  most 
perfect  form  and  symmetry,  rather  above  fifteen  hands  high,  and  although  old  and 
crippled,  appeared  to  possess  a  high  and  gallant  temper,  which  gave  him  a  lofty  and 
commanding  carriage  and  appearance. 

The  history  of  this  horse,  as  given  to  me  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  by  several 
respectable  persons  from  Connecticut,  at  various  times,  is  : — 

For  some  very  important  service,  rendered  by  the  Commander  of  a  British  frigate, 
to  a  son  of  the  then  Emperor  of  Morocco,  the  Emperor  presented  this  horse  (the  most 
valuable  of  his  stud)  to  the  Captain,  who  shipped  him  on  board  the  frigate,  with  the 
sanguine  expectation  of  obtaining  a  great  price  for  him,  if  safely  landed  in  England. 
Either  in  obedience  to  orders,  or  from  some  other  cause,  the  frigate  called  at  one  of 
tlie  English  West  India  islands,  where  being  obliged  to  remain  some  time,  the  Cap- 
tain, in  compassion  to  the  horse,  landed  him  for  the  purpose  of  exercise.  No  con- 
venient securely  inclosed  place  could  be  found  but  a  large  lumber-yard,  into  which 
the  horse  was  turned  loose ;  but  delighted  and  playful  as  a  kitten,  his  liberty  soon 
proved  nearly  fatal  to  him.  He  ascended  one  of  the  piles,  from  which  and  with  it  he 
fell,  and  broke  three  of  his  legs.  At  this  time  in  the  same  harbour,  the  English  Captain 
met  with  an  old  acquaintance  from  one  of  our  now  Eastern  states.  To  him  he  offered 
the  horse,  as  an  animal  of  inestimable  value  could  he  be  cured.  The  Eastern 
Captain  gladly  accepted  the  horse,  and  knowing  he  must  be  detained  a  considerable 
time  in  the  Island  before  he  could  dispose  of  his  assorted  cargo,  got  the  horse  on 
board  his  vessel,  secured  him  in  slings,  and  very  carefully  set  and  bound  up  his 
broken  legs.  It  matters  not  how  long  he  remained  in  the  harbour,  or  if  quite  cured 
oefore  he  arrived  on  our  shore ;  but  he  did  arrive,  and  he  must  certainly  have  covered 
several  seasons,  before  he  was  noticed  as  first  mentioned. 

When  the  writer  of  these  remarks  went  to  see  the  horse,  his  first  attention  was  to 
examine  his  legs,  respecting  the  reported  fracture,  and  he  was  fully  satisfied,  not 
merely  by  seeing  the  lumps  and  inequalities  on  the  three  legs,  but  by  actually  feeling 
the  irregularities  and  projections  of  broken  bones. 

In  Connecticut  (I  think)  this  horse  was  called  Ranger ;  in  Virginia  (as  it  should 
be)  he  was  called  Lindsey's  Arabian.  He  was  the  sire  of  Tulip  and  many  good 
runners  ;  to  all  his  stock  he  gave  great  perfection  of  form ;  and  his  blood  flows  in 
the  veins  of  some  of  the  best  horses  of  the  present  day.  Make  what  use  you  please 
of  this  statement ;  I  will  stand  corrected  in  my  narrative,  by  any  person  who  can 
produce  better  testimony  respecting  Lindsey's  Arabian. 

Your  obedient  servant,  F. 

SejAemher  10,  1827. 


THEHORSE.  35 

Althougli  this  dissertation  has  been  already  extended  somewhat  beyond  the  limits 
prescribed  by  our  publisher  and  our  own  anticipation,  we  hope  to  render  it  more 
acceptable  as  well  as  more  useful  by  appending  to  it,  in  tabular  form  for  greater  con- 
venience, and  for  comparison  hereafter,  an  account  of  some  of  the  mod  remarkable 
acliieveincnts,  of  comparatively  modern  date,  of  the  turf  horse  in  America  at  all  distances. 
— In  truth,  we  feel  confident  that  every  reflecting  reader  will  regard  but  as  the  natural 
ssquel  to  all  the  observations  which  have  preceded  it,  the  following  synopsis  of 

THE  BEST  RACES  IN  AMERICA. 

It  will  yet  be  necessary  however  to  premise  a  few  obser\^ations,  lest  the  reade 
should  draw  inaccurate  conclusions  from  the  statistics  laid  before  him. 

In  the  United  States,  owing  not  only  to  the  great  territorial  extent  of  the  country, 
but  to  the  natural  obstacles  which  divide  its  remote  sections,  and  the  extreme  differ- 
ences of  climate,  there  never  has  been,  and  probably  never  will  be,  established  central 
race  courses,  where  horses  from  all  parts  of  the  States  may  habitually  meet,  and  test 
their  relative  superiority  by  actual  contest.  We  are  compelled  therefore  to  adopt 
other  criteria  for  the  relative  speed  and  stoutness  of  horses.  But  there  is  one  which 
has  almost  swallowed  up  all  others,  and  is  most  universal  and  most  popular  in  its 
application.  We  allude  to  the  time  in  which  races  are  run.  If  it  be  admitted  that 
this  is  the  best  single  criterion  we  can  have,  it  must  equally  be  admitted  that  it  is 
often  fallacious.  It  is  only  necessary  to  name  the  different  causes  by  which  time  is 
affected  and  modified. 

The  most  obvious  is  the  difference  in  the  soils  of  different  courses.  This  is  so  well 
understood,  that  it  would  not  be  difficult  to  make  a  tolerably  accurate  scale  of  the 
comparative  adaptation  of  our  different  courses  for  speed. — Again,  in  comparing  races 
at  different  periods,  to  arrive  at  accurate  conclusions,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that 
great  improvements  have  been  made  in  the  old  established  courses  within  a  few  years. 
This  improvement  commencing  with  the  Union  Course  on  Long  Island,  which  by 
levelling  it  and  grading  the  turns,  has  been  made  much  faster  than  of  yore,  has  been 
very  generally  introduced  upon  rival  courses. — The  more  obvious  consideration  of  the 
different  condition,  in  which  the  same  course  may  be  on  different  days,  will  present 
itself  to  every  mind.  Great  regard  should  be  paid,  too,  to  the  state  of  the  atmosphere, 
whether  clear,  balmy  and  calm,  or  raw,  damp  and  windy ;  for  this  state  notoriously 
affects  in  a  great  degree  the  speed  of  a  horse.  These  are  several  of  the  considerations 
which  must  be  taken  into  account  in  estimating  the  powers  of  horses  by  a  comparison 
of  the  time,  in  which  they  have  run  different  races ;  indeed  the  test  of  mere  time, 
however  more  popular  and  perhaps  more  unerring  than  any  one  other,  is  not  very 
much  relied  upon  by  a  consummate  judge  of  racing.  And  if  a  horse,  who  performed  a 
given  distance  m  remarkable  time  may  fairly  lay  claim  to  distinction,  it  is  undeniable 
that  there  will  be  other  racers  of  equal  powers  in  the  eyes  of  the  judicious,  whom  the 
nature  of  a  course  upon  the  day  of  a  race  will  prevent  from  making  great  time.  With 
one  other  suggestion  we  will  come  to  the  tables. 

The  reader  must  not  only  note  the  period  of  the  year  in  which  a  race  is  run,  as 
affecting  the  age  of  the  horse,  but  he  will  recollect  that  in  one  portion  of  the  United 
States,  horses  take  their  age  from  the  first  of  January,  and  in  others  from  the  first  of 
May.  In  these  tables,  for  uniformity's  sake,  the  English  and  Northern  rule  has  been 
pursued,  giving  the  ages  from  the  first  of  January.  Another  consideration  must  be 
borne  in  mind — that  the  interval  between  the  heats  has  been  diminished,  of  late  years ; 
and  at  the  present  day,  horses  at  the  South  have  ten  minutes  more  time  for  recovery 
between  four-mile  heats  than  on  Northern  courses. 


36 


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38 


THREE-MILE   HEATS. 


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4C  THE   HORSE. 

T'/om  the  above  tables  have  been  excluded  all  races  made  over  courses  notoriously 
short  of  a  ruile  in  length.  By  adhering  to  this  rule,  very  many  excellent  races  at 
Norfolk  have  been  omitted ; — as  Andrew's,  Betsey  Ransom's,  Polly  Hopkins',  and 
others;  Mercury's  race  in  7m.  40s. — 7m,  42s.,  at  New  Orleans,  is  omitted  for  the 
same  reason. 

Again,  we  have  inserted  in  the  tables  only  the  winners  of  the  different  races  ; 
winners  of  a  single  heat  are  omitted.  But  it  would  be  unjust  not  to  note  one  or  two 
winners  of  single  heats. 

Bee's-wing,  by  imported  Leviathan,  5  years  old,  carrying  97  pounds,  in  March 
1840,  won  a  first  heat  from  Grey  Medoc,  in  7m.  38s.  As  she  pulled  up  lame,  she 
was  drawn.  Kate  Aubrey,  by  Eclipse,  4  years  old,  carrying  83  pounds,  in  March 
1842,  won  a  three-mile  heat  in  5m.  39s.,  but  was  distanced  the  next  heat. 

The  reader  will  note  that  the  great  races  made  at  New  Orleans  have  been  nin 
generally  in  March ;  according  to  their  rule,  their  horses  taking  their  ages  from  May, 
have  run  a  year  under  their  true  age,  and  carried  weight  accordingly.  In  the  above 
tables  their  jsrojoer  age  has  been  given,  and  attention  is  called  to  the  subject  again,  for 
the  purpose  of  pointing  to  Sarah  Bladen's  race,  which  she  lost  with  Jim  Bell — the 
first  heat  by  a  length  and  a  half,  and  the  second  by  but  eighteen  inches  ;  time,  7m 
37s. — 7m.  40s. — The  mare  ran  as  aged,  and  carried  121  pounds — but  two  less  than 
she  would  have  to  carry  at  the  North. 

Again,  the  best  time  ever  made  at  two  and  three  miles,  has  been  in  four-mile  races. 
Thus  Boston  and  Charles  Carter  ran  the  first  and  third  miles  in  3m.  41s.,  and  the 
first  three  miles  of  their  great  race  in  5m.  30^s. ;  Fashion  and  Boston  ran  the  first 
two  miles  in  3m.  43s.,  and  three  miles  in  5ra.  37^s. ;  Wagner  and  Grey  Eagle,  it  is 
said,  ran  the  last  three  miles  of  their  best  heat  in  5m.  35s.  •  Gallatin  is  said  to  have 
run  the  two  middle  miles  of  a  four-mile  heat  in  3m.  43s.,  and  Trifle  the  last  two 
miles  of  a  four-mile  heat  in  the  same  time.  Mingo  and  Post  Boy  are  believed  by  the 
writer  to  have  run  a  mile  of  a  four-mile  heat  at  Trenton,  in  Im.  48s. ;  the  former  and 
Mary  Blunt  ran  their  twelfth  mile  in  Im.  47s.,  and  a  third  four-mile  heat  in  7m.  46s. 
The  higher  estimation  placed  upon  their  great  performances  at  the  longer  distance, 
renders  it  superfluous  to  note  further  the  rate  of  speed  in  the  different  miles. 

Finally,  it  will  not  have  escaped  the  observation  of  attentive  readers,  that  while  the 
horse  may  appear  by  these  tables,  exhibiting  as  they  do,  his  utmost  capacity  for  a 
series  of  years,  to  have  been  brought,  by  careful  attention  to  blood,  and  by  great 
skill  and  nicety  in  training,  up  to  the  probable  maximum  of  his  powers ;  it  is  yet  as 
clear  as  it  is  encouraging  to  see,  that  by  unremitting  recourse  to  the  same  means, 
and  by  that  alone,  he  may  he  kept  up  fully  to  the  standard  of  capacity  which  these 
records  have  established  as  the  measure  of  his  attainable  speed  aiid  stoutness. 

If  with  an  eye  to  the  fact,  that  "/Ae  lasV  is  '■'■  the  first,''''  and  the  fastest  on  the 
record,  (Fashion  and  Boston  at  L.  I.)  the  hope  should  spring  up  in  the  bosom  of  the 
sanguine,  that  the  "  end  is  not  yet,"  and  that  the  thread  may  be  drawn  j^et  a  little 
finer  ;  without  wishing  to  repress  an  iota  of  exertion  to  make  good  that  conclusion, 
it  may  be  well  to  remember,  that  as  before  stated,  according  to  the  opinion  of  some 
whose  judgments  we  are  bound  to  respect,  a  few  of  our  principal  courses  have  been 
improved  at  the  rate  of  more  than  a  second  to  the  inile!  Thus  it  may  be  doubted 
whetlier,  if  we  could  meet  again  in  the  chib-room,  or  at  the  social  board  which  they 
were  wont  to  ornament  and  enliven,  the  Fathers  of  the  American  turf, — the  Sharpes, 
the  Ogles,  the  Taskers,  the  Tayloes,  Hamptons,  Ridgelys,  Lloyds,  Spriggs,  Bowies, 
Ducketts,  Duvalls,  Seldens,  &c.,  they  would  not  remind  us  of  these  our  advan- 
tages, and  be  prompt  to  match  and  freely  back  some  of  their  favourite  old  nags 
against  the  best  on  these  lists  of  more  modern  performers. 

To  some  of  these  ancestors  of  our  present  stock  the  tribute  is  due  that  their  name 
be  here  recorded  as  well  for  their  achievements  as  for  having  transmitted  their  powers 
to  their  descendants,  viz. :  Tasker's  Selima,  by  the  Godolphin  Arabian,  never  beat; 
the  dam  of  Galloway's  Selim,  the  best  Maryland  horse  of  the  last  century ;  Fitzhugh's 
Regulus,  Semmes'  Wildair,  Goode's  Brimmer,  Tayloe's  Virago,  Bell  Air,  Grey  Diomed, 
Black  Maria,  Leviathan,  and  Gallatin;  Hoomes'  Fairy,  sister  to  Gallatin,  Ogle's 
Oscar,  Ridgely's  Post  Boy,  Bond's  First  Consul,  Willis's  Maid  of  the  Oaks,  Edelin's 
Floretta,  Ball's  Florizel,  Sir  Archy ;  these  last  nine  were  at  the  head  of  the  turf  early 


THE    HORSE.  4] 

in  the  piesent  century.  With  these  no  competitor  or  rival  deserves  to  be  named,  until 
the  revival  of  the  best  days  of  the  turf  by  the  get  of  Sir  Archy,  as  exhibited  by  the 
match  of  his  son  Henry  with  Eclipse.  By  eveiy  test  of  comparison  Henry  was 
no  better  race-horse  than  several  of  the  get  of  Sir  Archy,  nor  as  good  a  one  as  Timo- 
leon,  Virginian,  Sir  Charles,  and  Bertrand.  In  those  days,  Hoomes,  Selden,  Tayloe, 
Ridgely,  and  Bond  were  at  the  head  of  the  turf. 

Though  not  strictly  belonging  to  a  work  intended  as  this  is,  not  for  a  particular 
class  but  for  all  owners  of  horses  and  for  every  day's  reference  and  use,  yet  we  have 
said  so  much  of  the  race-horse,  whose  blood  we  consider  it  essential  to  preserve  in 
its  purity  and  to  be  used  as  occasion  may  require,  as  every  good  house-keeper  pre- 
serves and  uses  good  yeast  to  leven  the  mass,  that  we  may  as  well  add  the  lengtlis 
of  the  principal  race-courses  in  England,  and  the  rules  of  the  jockey  club  lately 
established  for  the  Long  Island  race-course.  These  will  occupy  but  little  space  and 
may  prove  acceptable  to  those  of  our  readers  who  take  an  interest  in  the  amusements 
of  the  turf. 

Miles.    Fur.      Yards. 

The  Beacon  Course  is 4  1  138 

The  Round  Course  is 3  4  178 

Last  three  miles  of  Beacon  Course 3  0  45 

Ditch  in 2  0  97 

The  last  mile  and  a  distance  of  Beacon  Course      ...  1  1  156 

Ancaster  mile 1  0  18 

From  the  turn  of  the  lands  in 0  5  184 

Clermont  Course,  from  the  Ditch  to  the  Duke's  Stand  1  5  217 
Audley  End  Course,  from  the  starting-post  of  the  T.Y.C. 

to  the  end  of  the  Beacon  Course 1  6      •      0 

Across  the  flat 1  2  24 

Rowley  mile 1  0  1 

Ditch  mile 0  7  178 

Abingdon  mile 0  7  211 

Two  middle  miles  of  Beacon  Course •     .  1  7  1^5 

Two-years-old  Course  (on  the  flat) 0  5  136 

New  ditto  (part  of  the  Banbury  mile) 0  5  136 

Yearling  Course •     ....  0  2  47 

Banbury  mile 0  7  248 

"  Previously  to  1753  there  were  only  two  meetings  in  the  year  at  Newmarket  foi 
the  purpose  of  running  horses,  one  in  the  Spring  and  another  in  October.  At  present 
there  are  seven.  —  The  Craven,  instituted  in  1771,  in  compliment  to  the  late  Earl 
Craven,  and  commencing  on  Easter  Monday ;  the  First  Spring,  on  the  Monday  fort- 
night foUomng,  and  being  the  original  Spring  ^Meeting;  the  Second  Spring,  a  fortnight 
after  that,  and  instituted  in  1753;  the  Jult/,  commonly  early  in  that  month,  instituted 
also  in  1753 ;  the  First  October,  on  the  first  IMonday  in  that  month,  being  the  original 
October  meeting;  the  Second  October,  on  the  Monday  fortnight  following — instituted 
in  176"2;  and  the  Third  October,  or  Houghton,  a  fortnight  after  that,  and  instituted 
1770.  With  the  last-mentioned  meeting,  which,  weather  permitting,  generally  lasts 
a  week,  and  at  which  there  is  a  great  deal  of  racing,  the  sports  of  the  Turf  close  for 
the  year,  with  the  exception  of  Tarporky,  a  very  old  hunt-meeting  in  Cheshire,  novP 
nearly  abandoned ;  and  a  Worcester  autumn  meeting,  chiefly  for  hunters  and  horses 
f  the  gentlemen  and  farmers  within  the  hunt." — Nimrod — The  Turf,  152. 

ASCOT    HEATH. 

The  two-mile  course  is  a  circular  one,  of  which  the  last  half  is  called  the  old  mile. 
The  new  mile  is  straight  and  up-hill  all  the  way.  The  T.Y.C.  is  five  furlongs  and 
136  yards. 

EPSOM. 
The  old  course,  now  seldom  used  except  for  the  cup,  is  two  miles  of  an  irregular 
circular  form,  the  first  mile  up-hill.     The  new  Derby  course  is  exactly  a  mile  and  a 
Uaif.  and  somewhat  in  the  form  of  a  horst-shoe :  the  first  three-quarters  of  a  mile  may 
4*  F 


42  THE   HORSE. 

oe  considered  as  straight  running,  the  bend  in  the  course  being  very  trifling,  and  the 
width  very  great ;  the  next  quarter  of  a  mile  is  in  a  gradual  turn,  and  the  last  half- 
mile  straight;  the  first  half-mile  is  on  the  ascent,  the  next  third  of  a  mile  level,  and 
the  remainder  is  on  the  descent,  till  within  the  distance,  where  the  ground  again  rises. 

The  new  T.Y.C.  is  six  furlongs ;  the  old  T.Y.C.,  or  Woodcot  course,  is  somewhat 
less  than  four. 

The  Craven  course  is  one  mile  and  a  quarter. 

DONCASTER 

Is  a  circular  and  nearly  flat  course  of  about  one  mile,  seven  furlongs,  and  seventy 
yards. 

The  shorter  courses  are  portions  of  this  circle. 

LIVERPOOL. 

The  new  course,  now  used  for  both  meetings,  is  flat,  a  mile  and  a  half  round,  and 
with  a  straight  run-in  of  nearly  three  quarters  of  a  mile,  and  a  very  gradual  rise. 

MANCHESTER 

Is  one  mile,  rather  oval,  with  a  hill,  and  a  fine  run-in. 

A  Distance  is  the  length  of  two  hundred  and  forty  yards  from  the  winning  post. 
In  the  gallery  of  the  winning  post,  and  in  a  little  gallery  at  the  distance  post,  are 
placed  two  men  holding  crimson  flags.  As  soon  as  the  first  horse  has  passed  the 
winning  post,  the  man  drops  his  flag ;  the  other  at  the  distance  post  drops  his  at  the 
same  moment,  and  the  horse  which  has  not  then  passed  that  post  is  said  to  be  dis- 
tanced, and  cannot  start  again  for  the  same  plate  or  prize. 

A  Feather-weight  is  the  lightest  weight  that  can  be  put  on  the  back  of  a  horse. 

A  Give  and  Take  Plate  is  where  horses  carry  weight  according  to  their  height. 
Fourteen  hands  are  taken  as  the  standard  height,  and  the  horse  must  carry  nine  stone 
(the  horseman's  stone  is  fourteen  pounds).  Seven  pounds  are  taken  from  the  weight 
for  every  inch  below  fourteen  hands,  and  seven  pounds  added  for  every  inch  above 
fourteen  hands.  A  few  pounds  additional  weight  is  so  serious  an  evil,  that  it  is  said, 
seven  pounds  in  a  mile-race  are  equivalent  to  a  distance. 

A  Post  Match  is  for  horses  of  a  certain  age,  and  the  parties  possess  the  privilege 
of  bringing  any  horse  of  that  age  to  the  post. 

A  Produce  Match  is  that  between  the  produce  of  certain  mares  in  foal  at  the 
time  of  the  match,  and  to  be  decided  when  they  arrive  at  a  certain  age  specified. 


Rules  and  regulations  approved  and  adopted  by  the  New  York  Jockey  Club,  on  the 
ISth  September,  1842;  to  continue  in  full  force  and  effect  until  the  close  of  the 
hist  Fall  Meeting  in  the  year  1844,  subject  to  such  alterations  as  may  be  made 
from  time  to  time,  according  to  the  discretion  of  the  Club. 

Rule  1st. — There  shall  be  two  regular  meetings  held  by  the  New  York  Jockey 
Club  at  the  Union  Course,  on  Long  Island,  to  be  called  and  known  as  the  Spring  and 
Fall  Meeting.  The  Spring  Meeting  shall  commence  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  May, 
and  the  Fall  Meeting  shall  commence  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  October,  in  each  year. 

Bu/e  2d. — There  shall  be  a  President,  four  Vice  Presidents,  a  Secretary  and  Trea- 
surer, to  be  appointed  annually  by  ballot. 

Jiule  3d. — It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  President  to  preside  at  all  meetings  of  the 
Club  ;  to  act  as  presiding  Judge  at  each  day's  race;  appoint  his  Assistant  Judges  on 
the  evening  preceding  each  day's  race,  report  and  publish  the  results  of  each  day's 
race,  and  act  as  Judge  in  all  Sweepstakes,  with  such  other  persons  as  the  parties 
may  appoint. 

Piule  'llh. — It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Vice  Presidents  to  attend  all  meetings  of  the 
Club,  and  assist  the  President  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  In  the  absem-e  of  the 
President,  the  first  Vice  President,  and  in  his  absence,  the  2d,  3d,  or  4th  Vice  Presi- 
dent, shall  act  as  President  pro  tern. 


THE   HORSE.  43 

Rule  5th. — It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Secretary  to  attend  at  all  meetiriU;S  of  the 
Club,  also  to  attend  the  Judges  of  each  day's  race,  assist  them  with  his  counsel,  and 
furnish  them  with  all  the  requisite  information  connected  with  each  day's  race ;  keep 
a  book,  in  which  he  shall  record  the  [Members'  names,  the  Rules  and  Orders  of  the 
Club,  and  add  to  them  any  Resolutions  or  Amendments  which  may  change  the  cha- 
racter of  either;  also  record  the  proceedings  at  each  meeting  of  the  Club,  whether  a 
special  or  a  regular  meeting ;  he  shall  also  record  all  the  entries  of  horses.  Matches, 
and  Sweepstakes,  in  which  shall  be  set  forth  the  names  of  the  respective  owners,  the 
colour,  name,  age,  sex,  and  name  of  sire  and  dam  of  each  horse ;  record  an  account 
of  each  day's  race,  including  the  time  of  nmning  each  heat,  and  after  the  races  are 
over  for  a  meeting,  report  the  same  to  the  President  of  the  Club  for  his  othcial  publi- 
cation. He  shall  also  put  up,  and  keep  up  during  every  Meeting,  at  some  convenient 
place,  at  or  near  the  Judges'  Stand,  a  copy  of  the  Rules  and  Regulations  of  the  Club 
then  in  force. 

Rule  Gfh. — ^It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Treasurer  to  collect  all  the  money  due  the 
Club,  whether  from  subscriptions  of  members,  entries  of  horses,  or  from  any  other 
source,  pay  the  same  over  from  time  to  time  upon  the  order  of  the  President  of  the 
Club,  and  in  case  of  his  absence,  upon  the  order  of  the  acting  Vice  President ;  and 
within  thirty  days  after  the  closing  of  every  regular  meeting,  he  shall  furnish  the 
President,  or  in  his  absence,  the  acting  Vice  President,  a  full  statement  of  the  receipts 
and  disbursements  of  the  funds  of  the  Club,  from  the  date  of  the  last  statement  up  to 
the  date  of  that  which  he  then  renders,  showing  the  balance  of  money  in  hand,  sub- 
ject to  the  order  of  the  President,  or  acting  Vice  President,  which  statement  shall  be 
deposited  with  the  Secretary  of  the  Club,  as  one  of  the  records  of  the  Club,  and  so 
be  entered  by  him. 

Rule  lih. — At  each  regular  meeting  there  shall  be  appointed  four  Stewards,  who 
shall  serve  for  one  meeting  succeeding  their  appointment.  They  shall  wear  some 
appropriate  badge  of  distinction,  to  be  determined  upon  by  themselves.  It  shall  be 
the  duty  of  the  Stewards  to  attend  on  the  Course,  to  preserve  order,  clear  the  track, 
keep  it  clear,  keep  off  the  crowd  of  persons  from  the  horses  coming  to  the  stand  after 
the  close  of  each  heat,  and  they  may  employ  in  their  discretion,  at  the  expense  of 
the  Club,  a  sutficient  number  of  able-bodied  men  to  assist  them  in  the  effectual  dis- 
charge of  their  duties. 

Rule  Sth. — There  shall  be  three  Judges  in  the  starting  stand,  consisting  of  the 
President  and  two  Assistant  Judges,  assisted  by  the  Secretary',  and  in  case  of  the 
absence  of  the  President  of  the  Club,  then  the  first  Vice  President,  and  in  his  absence, 
the  second  Vice  President.  The  Judges  shall  keep  the  stand  clear  of  any  intrusion 
during  the  pendency  of  a  heat,  see  that  the  Riders  are  dressed  in  Jockey  style,  weigh 
the  riders  before  starting  in  the  race,  and  after  each  heat,  instruct  the  riders  as  to  their 
duty  under  the  rules  before  starting  in  the  race,  and  proclaim  from  the  stand  the  time 
and  result  of  each  heat,  and  also  the  result  of  the  race. 

Rule  9th. — There  shall  be  two  Distance  Judges,  and  three  Patrol  Judges,  appointed 
by  the  Judges  in  the  starting  stand,  who  shall  repair  to  the  Judges'  stand  imme- 
diately after  each  heat,  and  report  to  the  Judges  the  horses  that  are  distanced,  and 
foul  riding,  if  there  be  any. 

Rule  1  Olh. — All  the  disputes  shall  be  decided  by  the  Judges  of  the  day,  from  whose 
decision  there  shall  be  no  appeal,  unless  at  the  discretion  of  the  Judges,  and  no  evi- 
dence of  foul  riding  shall  be  received  except  from  the  Judges  and  Patrols. 

Rule  nth. — When  in  the  opinion  of  the  majority  of  the  Officers  of  the  Club,  any 
good  cause  may  require  the  postponement  of  a  race,  they  may  postpone  any  Purse 
race,  but  in  case  of  a  postponement  of  a  race,  no  new  entries  shall  be  received  for 
that  race.  A  postponement  of  a  Purse  race  shall  give  no  authority  to  postpone  any 
Sweepstake  or  Match  made  or  advertised  to  be  run  on  that  day ;  and  in  the  event  of 
the  Club  postponing  a  regular  Meeting,  it  shall  give  them  no  power  to  postpone  any 
Matches  or  Sweepstakes  made  to  be  nm  at  that  Meeting. 

Rule  l-2!h. — All  Sweepstakes  and  Matches  advertised  to  be  run  on  the  Course  on 
any  day  of  a  regular  Meetinsf  of  the  Club,  shall  be  under  the  cognizance  and  control 
of  the  Club,  and  no  change  of  entries  once  made  shall  be  allowed  after  closing,  unless 
by  consent  of  all  parties.     Sweepstakes  and  Matches  made  to  be  run  at  a  particulai 


44  THE   HORSE. 

Meeting,  without  the  parties  specifying  the  day,  the  Secretary  must  give  ten  days 
notice  of  what  days  they  will  be  run  during  the  meeting,  in  case  he  is  informed 
of  it  in  time.  And  no  Sweepstake  or  Match  shall  be  run  on  the  Course  during  a 
regular  meeting  without  being  first  reported  to  the  Secretary,  to  bring  it  under  the 
cognizance  and  control  of  the  Club. 

Rule  l3/h. — The  age  of  horses  shall  be  computed  from  the  first  day  of  January 
next,  preceding  their  being  foaled ;  that  is,  a  colt  or  filly  foaled  on  any  day  in  the 
year  1841,  will  be  considered  one  year  old  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1842. 

Eule  lith. — No  person  shall  start  or  enter  a  horse  for  any  purse  offered  by,  or 
under  the  control  of,  the  Club,  other  than  a  Member  of  the  Club,  and  producing,  if 
required,  satisfactory  evidence  or  proof  of  his  horse's  age;  nor  shall  any  Member 
start  a  horse  if  his  entrance  money,  subscription  money,  and  all  forfeits  incurred  on 
the  Union  Course,  are  not  paid  before  starting.  Nor  shall  any  person  start  a  horse, 
during  a  regular  meeting  of  the  Club,  who  is  in  arrears  to  any  member  of  the  Club 
for  a  forfeit  incurred  on  the  Union  Course. 

Bale  lolh. — All  entries  of  horses  for  a  purse  shall  be  made  in  writing  under  seal, 
addressed  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Club,  and  deposited  in  a  box,  kept  for  that  purpose, 
at  the  usual  place  of  Meeting  of  the  Club,  before  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
day  of  the  race,  for  which  the  entry  is  made.  Each  entry  shall  contain  the  entrance 
money,  and  state  the  name,  age,  colour,  sex,  and  pedigree,  of  the  horse  entered,  and 
describe  the  dress  of  the  rider  of  such  horse.  After  five  o'clock  of  the  afternoon  of 
the  day  preceding  a  Purse  Race,  no  other  or  additional  entry  shall  be  allowed  to  be 
made  for  that  race,  and  no  entry  shall  be  received  or  recorded,  that  does  not  contain 
the  entrance  money.  The  entries  so  received,  shall  be  drawn  from  the  box  by  the 
Secretary,  and  declared  at  five  o'clock  of  the  afternoon  of  the  day  preceding  the  day 
of  the  race,  in  the  presence  of  at  least  three  Members  of  the  Club,  and  the  horses  so 
entered  shall  be  entitled  to  the  track  in  the  order  in  which  their  names  are  drawn ;  in 
Sweepstakes  and  Matches,  the  Judges  shall  draw  for  the  track  at  the  stand. 

Rule  ICth. — Any  person  desirous  of  becoming  a  member  only  for  the  purpose  of 
entering  a  horse,  may  do  so,  he  being  approved  by  the  Club,  and  paying  double 
entrance. 

Rule  nth. — ^The  distance  to  be  run  shall  be  Two-mile  heats.  Three-mile  heats,  and 
Four-mile  heats,  and  a  purse  shall  be  put  up  to  be  run  for  during  each  regular  meet- 
ing, for  each  of  the  named  distances.  Not  more  than  five  per  cent,  shall  be  charged 
as  entrance  upon  any  amount  that  may  be  put  up  for  a  purse. 

Rule  I8ih. — Every  horse  shall  carry  weight,  according  to  age,  as  follows : — 

A  horse  Two  years  old, A  Feather. 

"       Three  years  old 90  Pounds. 

"       Four  years  old, 104         " 

"      Five  years  old,        114        " 

"       Six  years  old, 121         " 

"       Seven  years  old  and  upwards, 126         " 

An  allowance  of  three  pounds  to  mares,  fillies,  and  geldings.  The  Judges  shall  see 
that  each  rider  has  his  proper  weight  before  he  starts,  and  that  each  rider  has  within 
one  pound,  after  each  heat. 

Rule  I'Jth. — Catch  weights  are,  where  each  person  appoints  a  rider  without  weigh- 
ing. Feather  weights  signifies  the  same.  A  Post  Slake  is  to  name  at  the  starting 
post.  Handicap  weights  are  weights  according  to  the  supposed  ability  of  the  horses. 
An  Untried  stallion,  or  mare,  is  one  whose  get  or  produce  has  never  run  in  public 
\  maiden  horse  or  mare  is  one  that  never  won. 

Rule  20lh. — No  horse  shall  carry  more  than  five  pounds  over  his  stipulated  weigh! 
without  the  Judges  being  informed  of  it,  which  shall  be  publicly  declared  by  them, 
whereupon  all  bets  shall  be  void,  except  those  made  between  the  parties  who  enter  the 
horses.  Every  rider  shall  declare  to  the  Judges  who  weighs  him,  when  and  how  his 
extra  weights,  if  any,  are  carried.  The  member  of  the  Club  who  enters  the  horse 
shall  be  responsible  for  putting  up,  and  bringing  out  the  proper  weight.  He  shall  be 
bound  to  weigh  the  rider  of  his  horse  in  tlie  presence  of  the  Judges  before  starting, 
and  if  he  refuses  or  neglects  to  do  so,  he  shall  be  prevented  from  starting  his  horse, 

K-  ■ 


THE    HORSE.  45 

Rule  21sf. — When  in  running  a  race,  a  distance  is 

In  one  mile,       45  yards. 

In  two  miles,        70      „ 

In  three  miles, 90      „ 

In  four  miles,        120      „ 

Rule  '2-2d. — In  a  Match  Race  of  heats,  there  shall  be  a  distance,  but  none  in  a 
single  heat. 

Rule  '23d. — The  time  between  heats  shall  be  ' 

For  one  mile  heats, 20  minutes. 

For  two  mile  heats, 25         „ 

For  three  mile  heats, 30         „ 

For  four  mile  heats, 35         „ 

Rule  24/A. — Some  signal  shall  be  given  from  the  starting  stand,  five  minutes  before 
the  period  of  starting,  after  the  lapse  of  which  time,  the  Judges  shall  give  the  word 
start  to  such  riders  as  are  then  ready,  but  should  any  horse  prove  restive  in  being 
brought  up  to  the  stand,  or  in  starting,  the  Judges  may  delay  the  word  a  short  interval, 
at  their  own  discretion. 

Rule  -25111. — Any  horse  winning  a  purse  of  this  Club,  shall  not  be  allowed  to  start 
for  any  other  purse  during  the  same  meeting. 

Rule  2b/A. — If  a  horse  be  entered  without  being  properly  identified,  he  shall  not  be 
allowed  to  start,  but  be  liable  to  forfeit,  or  the  whole,  if  play  or  pay,  and  all  bets  on 
a  horse  so  disqualified,  shall  be  declared  void. 

Rule  ^Ith. — Where  more  than  one  nomination  has  been  made  by  the  same  indivi- 
dual, in  any  Sweepstake  to  be  run  on  the  Union  Course,  and  it  shall  be  made  to 
appear  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Club,  that  all  interest  in  such  nomination  has  been 
bena  fide  disposed  of  before  the  time  of  starting,  and  the  horses  have  not  been  trained 
in  the  same  stable,  all  may  start  although  standing  in  the  same  name  in  the  list  of 
nominations. 

Rule  2S'.h. — No  conditional  nomination  or  entry  shall  be  received. 

Rule  29tli. — Should  any  person  who  has  entered  a  horse  formally,  declare  to  the 
Judges  that  his  horse  is  drawn,  he  shall  not  be  permitted  to  start  his  horse. 

Rule  30lh. — Any  person  entering  a  horse  younger  than  he  really  is  shall  forfeit  his 
entrance  money,  and  if  the  horse  wins  a  heat  or  race,  the  heat  or  race  shall  be  given 
to  the  next  best  horse  if  the  objection  be  made  to  the  age  of  the  horse  after  the  heat 
or  race  is  run.  The  disqualification  must  be  proved  by  the  person  making  the 
objection. 

Rule  3 Is/. — If  an  entered  horse  die,  or  a  subscriber  entering  him,  die,  before  the 
race,  no  forfeit  shall  be  required. 

Rule  32d. — No  compromise  or  agreement  between  any  two  persons  entering  horses, 
or  b)'  their  agents  and  grooms  not  to  oppose  each  other  upon  a  promised  division  of 
the  purse  or  stake,  or  for  any  other  purpose,  shall  be  permitted  or  allowed,  and  no 
persons  shall  run  their  horses  in  conjunction,  that  is  wnth  a  determination  to  oppose 
jointly  any  other  horse  that  may  nm  against  them.  In  either  case  upon  satisfactory 
evidence  produced  before  the  Judges,  the  purse  or  stake  shall  be  awarded  to  the  next 
best  horse — and  the  persons  so  otTending  shall  never  again  be  permitted  to  enter  a 
horse  to  run  on  the  Union  Course. 

Rule  3'Sd. — When  the  tap  of  the  drum  is  once  given  by  the  Starting  Judge,  there 
shall  be  no  calling  back,  unless  the  signal  flag  shall  be  hoisted  for  that  purpose,  and 
when  so  hoisted  it  shall  be  no  start.  To  remedy  the  inconvenience  of  false  starts, 
there  shall  be  a  signal  flag  placed  at  a  point  which  can  be  readily  seen  by  the  riders 
at  from  one  to  three  hundred  yards  from  the  Judges'  stand.  When  a  start  is  given 
and  recalled,  a  flaw  from  the  Judgres'  stand  shall  be  displayed,  and  the  person  having 
m  charge  the  signal  flag  shall  hoist  the  same  as  a  notice  to  pull  up.  It  shall  be  the 
duty  of  the  Starting  Judge  to  give  this  rule  in  charge  to  the  riders. 

Rule  3ith. — No  two  riders  from  the  same  stable  shall  be  allowed  to  ride  in  the 
same  race.  No  two  horses  trained  in  the  same  stable,  or  owned  in  whole  or  in 
part  by  the  same  person,  shall  be  allowed  to  enter  or  start  in  the  same  race :  both  the 
entries  shall  be  void  and  the  entrance  money  forfeited  to  the  Club. 

Rule  35/A. — No  rider  shall  be  permitted  to  ride  unless  well  dressed  i'^  Jockey  style. 


46  THE    HORSE. 

To  -wit,  Jockey  cap,  coloured  jacket,  pantaloons,  and  boots.  Liveries  to  be  recorded 
in  the  Secretary's  Book,  and  not  permitted  to  be  assumed  by  others. 

Rule  3Gt/i. — Every  rider  after  a  heat  is  ended  must  repair  to  the  Judges'  stand,  and 
not  dismount  from  his  horse  until  so  ordered  by  the  Judges,  and  then  themselves 
carry  their  saddles  to  the  scales  to  be  weighed,  nor  shall  any  groom  or  other  person, 
approach  or  touch  any  horse  until  after  his  rider  shall  have  dismounted  and  removed 
his  saddle  from  the  horse  by  order  of  the  Judges.  A  rider  dismounting  without  such 
permission,  or  wanting  more  than  one  pound  of  his  proper  weight,  shall  be  declared 
distanced. 

liule  sulk. — The  horse  who  has  won  a  heat  shall  be  entitled  to  the  track  m  the 
next  heat,  and  the  foremost  be  entitled  to  any  part  of  the  track,  he  leaving  sufficient 
space  for  a  horse  to  pass  him  on  the  outside.  Uut  he  shall  not  when  locked  by  another 
horse  leave  the  track  he  may  be  running  in  to  press  him  to  the  inside  or  outside,  and 
having  selected  his  position  in  a  straight  stretch,  he  shall  not  leave  it  so  as  to  press 
his  adversary  to  either  side,  the  doing  of  either  of  which  shall  be  deemed  foul  riding. 
Should  any  rider  cross,  jostle  or  strike  an  adversary  or  horse,  or  run  on  his  heels 
intentionally,  or  do  anything  else  that  may  impede  the  progress  of  his  adversary,  he 
will  be  deemed  distanced  although  he  may  come  out  ahead,  and  the  race  awarded  to 
the  next  best  horse.  Any  rider  offending  against  this  rule,  shall  never  be  permitted 
to  ride  over  or  attend  any  horse  on  this  Course  again. 

Rule  381k. — Every  horse  that  shall  fail  to  run  outside  of  every  pole,  shall  be  deemed 
distanced,  although  he  may  come  out  ahead,  and  the  race  shall  be  awarded  to  the 
next  best  horse. 

Rule  39th. — If  a  rider  fall  from  his  horse,  and  another  person  of  sufficient  weight 
rides  the  horse  in  to  the  Judges'  stand,  he  shall  be  considered  as  though  the  rider  had 
not  fallen — provided  he  returns  to  the  place  where  the  rider  fell. 

Rule  40th. — A  horse  that  does  not  win  one  heat  out  of  three  heats,  shall  not  be 
allowed  to  start  for  the  fourth  heat,  although  he  may  have  saved  his  distance,  but 
shall  be  considered  better  than  a  horse  that  is  distanced  in  the  third  heat. 

Rule  41s/. — A  distanced  horse  in  a  dead  heat  shall  not  be  allowed  to  start  again  in 
the  race. 

Rule  42d. — When  a  dead  heat  is  made,  all  the  horses  not  distanced  in  the  dead 
heat,  may  start  again,  unless  the  dead  heat  be  made  by  two  horses,  that,  if  either  had 
been  winner  of  the  heat  the  race  would  have  been  decided ;  in  which  case  the  two 
only  must  start  to  decide  which  shall  be  entitled  to  the  purse  or  stake.  Such  horses 
as  are  prevented  from  starting  by  this  Rule  shall  be  considered  drawn,  and  all  bets 
made  on  them  against  each  other  shall  be  drawn,  excepting  those  that  are  distanced. 

Rule  i3d. — A  horse  receiving  forfeit,  or  walking  over,  shall  not  be  deemed  a 
winner. 

Rule  4-ith. — A  bet  made  after  the  heat  is  over,  if  the  horse  betted  on  does  not  start 
again,  is  no  bet. 

Rule  '15th. — A  confirmed  bet  cannot  be  off  without  mutual  consent. 

Rule  AGlh. — If  either  party  be  absent  on  the  day  of  a  race,  and  the  money  be  not 
staked,  the  party  present  may  declare  the  bet  void  in  the  presence  of  the  Judges, 
before  the  race  commences ;  but  if  any  person  present  offer  to  stake  for  an  absentee, 
it  is  a  confirmed  bet. 

Rule  47th. — A  bet  made  on  a  heat  to  come,  is  no  bet,  unless  all  the  horses  qualified 
to  start  shall  nm,  and  unless  the  bet  be  between  such  named  horses  as  do  start. 

Rule  4<S//j. — The  person  who  bets  the  odds  may  choose  the  horse  or  the  field  :  when 
he  has  chosen  his  horse,  the  field  is  what  starts  against  him,  but  there  is  no  field 
unless  one  starts  against  him. 

Rule  49lk. — If  odds  are  bet  without  naming  the  horses  before  the  race  is  over,  it 
must  be  determined  as  the  odds  were  at  the  time  of  naming  it. 

Rule  50///. — Bets  made  in  running,  are  not  determined  till  the  purse  is  won,  if  the 
heat  is  not  specified  at  the  time  of  betting. 

Rule  51s/. — Bets  made  on  particular  horses  are  void,  if  neither  of  them  be.  tlie 
winner  of  the  race,  unless  specified  to  the  contrary.  ,  ' 

Rule  52d. — Horses  that  forfeit  are  beaten  horses,  where  it  is  play  or  pay,  *nd  no' 
otherwises  .^? 


THE    HORSE.  47 

Rule  53d. — All  bets,  matches,  and  engagements  are  void  on  the  decease  of  eithei 
party  before  determined. 

Rule  bUh. — Horses  drawn  before  the  purse  is  won  are  distanced. 

Rule  oolh. — A  bet  made  on  a  horse  is  void  if  the  horse  betted  on  does  not  start. 

Rule  o6lk. — When  a  bet  is  made  on  a  heat,  the  liorse  that  comes  first  to  the  ending 
post  is  best,  provided  no  circumstance  shall  cause  him  to  be  deemed  distanced. 

Rule  blth. — All  bets  are  understood  to  relate  to  the  purse  or  stake,  if  nothing  is 
said  to  the  contrary. 

Rule  58lh. — When  a  bet  is  made  upon  two  horses  against  each  other  for  the  purse, 
if  each  win  a  heat,  and  neither  are  distanced,  they  are  equal — if  neither  win  a  heat, 
and  neither  distanced,  they  are  equal.  But  if  one  wins  a  heat,  and  the  other  does  not, 
the  winner  of  the  heat  is  best  unless  he  shall  be  distanced,  in  which  case  the  other, 
if  he  saves  his  distance,  shall  be  considered  best.  If  a  horse  wins  a  heat  and  is 
distanced,  he  shall  be  better  than  a  horse  that  does  not  win  a  heat  and  is  distanced; 
so  too  if  one  be  distanced  the  second  heat,  he  shall  be  better  than  one  distanced  the 
first  heat. 

Rule  59lh. — ^The  words  "  absolutely,"  or  "play  or  pay,"  are  necessary  to  be  used 
to  make  a  bet  play  or  pay.  "Done"  and  "Done"'  are  also  necessary  to  confirm  a 
bet.  If  a  bet  be  made,  using  the  expression  "  play  or  pay,"  and  the  horse  die,  the 
bet  shall  stand.  But  if  the  person  entering  the  horse,  or  making  the  engagement  on 
him,  dies,  then  the  bet  is  void. 

Rule  GOth. — All  members,  and  such  of  their  families  as  reside  with  them,  shall 
pass  the  gates  free ;  and  the  members  themselves  shall  have  free  admission  to  the 
members'  stand. 

Rule  Gist. — New  members  can  only  be  admitted  on  recommendation.  Any  person 
wishing  to  become  a  member,  must  be  so  for  the  unexpired  term  of  the  Club,  and 
must  be  balloted  for.  Three  black  balls  shall  reject.  A  non-resident  of  New  York 
introduced  by  a  member,  can  have  the  privilege  of  the  inclosed  space  and  members' 
stand,  by  paying^ye  dollars  for  the  meeting. 

Rule  6-2d. — Ten  members  of  the  Club  shall  be  deemed  a  quorum  for  the  transac- 
tion of  ordinary  business  and  admission  of  members,  but  not  less  than  twenty  to  alter 
a  fundamental  rule,  unless  public  notice  shall  have  been  given  ten  days  of  such  con- 
templated meeting.  The  President  or  Secretary  may  call  a  meeting,  and  the  Presi- 
dent and  Vice  President  failing  to  attend,  a  Chairman  may  be  selected.  Members 
of  the  Club  privileged  to  invite  their  friends  to  the  Jockey  Club  Dinners,  by  paying 
for  the  same.  No  ladies  admitted  to  the  Ladies'  Pavilion  unless  introduced  by  a 
member.  No  citizen  of  the  State  of  New  York  can  be  admitted  to  the  privileges  of 
the  inclosed  space.  Members'  Stand,  or  Ladies'  Pavilion,  unless  he  be  a  member. 

Rule  63d. — No  person  shall  be  permitted  to  pass  into  the  inclosed  space,  on  the 
Union  Course,  without  showing  his  ticket  at  the  gate,  nor  shall  any  person  be  per- 
mitted to  remain  within  the  inclosure,  or  Members'  Stand,  unless  he  wears  a  badge, 
that  the  officers  on  duty  may  be  enabled  to  distinguish  those  privileged.  Officers 
who  shall  permit  the  infraction  of  this  rule  shall  forfeit  all  claim  to  compensation,  and 
must  be  employed  on  this  express  condition. 

Rule  Gitk. — Membership  of  the  New  York  Jockey  Club,  shall  be  for  three  years, 
commencing  Spring  1842 — subscription  Ten  Dollars  per  annum,  payable  each  Spring 
— subscription  to  be  paid  whether  present  or  absent.  Members  joining  at  any  time. 
whether  by  original  signature,  or  on  nomination,  will  be  bound  for  the  unexpired  terir 
of  the  Club  from  the  period  of  joining. 

The  following  gentlemen  comprised  the  Executive  Officers  of  the  New  York 
Jockey  Club,  at  the  period  (Sept.  13th,  1842,)  when  the  foregoing  Rulefs  and  Regu 
iations  were  adopted  : — 

J.  Prescott  Hall,  Esq.,  President. 

John  C.  Stevens,  Esq.,       1st  Vice  President. 

John  A.  King,  Esq.,  2d      „  „ 

J.  Hamilton  Wilkes,  Esq.,  3d      „  „ 

Gerard  H.  Coster,   Esq.,  4th     „  „ 

Henry  K    Toler,  Esq.,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 


4f5  THE    HORSE. 

Having  now  with  some  care  and,  as  we  trust,  with  accuracy  noted  how  the  stoct 
■ii  Eno-lish  horses  has  been  modified  from  time  to  time,  being  made  heavier  or  lighter, 
vhh  more  or  less  of  bone  and  muscle;  according  to  the  nature  of  their  vehicles  and 
roajri,  the  implements  and  modes  of  warfare  in  use,  their  national  amusements  and 
other  uses  to  which  the  horse  was  applied  ;  we  come  now  to  speak  of  him  verj-  briefly 
'n  one  of  his  finest  and  most  finished  forms,  and  one  in  which,  from  influences  to 
which  we  have  before  referred,  England  certainly  does  and  must  ever  excel  all  rival 
— we  allude  to 

THE    HUNTER, 

which  is  but  a  combination  of  the  race-horse  thorough-bred,  with  one  of  less  blood 
possessing  however  more  strength  and  substance  with  less  length  of  body.  His  jaw 
should  be  clear  and  wide,  nostrils  large,  broad  thin  shoulders,  thighs  long,  strong  and 
muscular,  deep  chest,  affording  free  play  for  the  lungs ;  back  short,  ribs  large  and  wide, 
iaro-e  and  strono",  but  hard  and  clean  bone  and  sinew,  tail  coming  out  high  and  stiflf, 
gaskins  well  spread,  and  hind-quarters  lean  and  hard.  The  right  sort  of  hunter,  it 
has  been  further  and  more  sententiously  observed,  should  have  as  far  as  possible 
strength  without  weight,  courage  without  fire  or  flashiness,  speed  without  labour,  a 
free  breath,  a  strong  Malk,  a  nimble,  light  but  large  gallop,  and  a  swift  trot,  to  give 
change  and  ease  to  the  speedy  muscles. 

"Firm  let  him  tread,  and  just,  and  move  along 
Upon  a  well-grown  hoof,  compact  and  strong; 
Proud  of  the  sport,  with  too  much  fire  to  yicM, — 
Such  be  the  horse  to  bear  me  to  the  field." 

And  such  an  one  the  writer  of  this  had  once  the  pleasure  to  ow^n — bred  in  Prince 
George's  Countj^  Maryland  ;  a  noble  son  of  Ogle's  Oscar,  and  the  best  saddle-horse 
we  ever  backed.     Alas,  old  Rasper,  we  ne'er  shall  look  upon  your  like  again. 

"  Pride  of  ihy  race  !  with  worth  far  less  than  thine, 
Full  many  human  leaders  daily  shine  !" 

As  in  all  things  supply  follows  demand,  it  may  here  be  noted  that  the  high  perfec- 
tion of  the  English  Hunter,  his  great  speed,  stoutness  and  power  of  leaping,  has  been 
brought  about  in  a  great  degree,  by  a  change  in  the  character  of  the  English  fnx-huund. 
The  "old-fashioned,  slow,  big-headed,  southern  or  Talbot  hound,  as  described  by 
Shakspeare, 

' '  With  ears  that  sweep  away  the  morning  dew," 

has  given  way  to  a  dog  so  fleet,  that  he  who  is  not  mounted  on  one  among  the  fleetest 
and  the  strongest,  dare  not  hope  for  the  honour  and  delight  of  being  "  in  at  the  death  !" 
'I'he  chase  in  modern  style  is  in  fact  but  a  burst,  sometimes  running  with  the  game  in 
view  to  the  death,  and  for  which  they  have  bred  a  hound  with  a  light  ear,  a  squealing 
note  and  a  power  of  speed,  to  which  the  ancient  hound  bears  no  more  resemblance 
than  a  cow  to  a  courser.  The  reader  may  judge  what  sort  of  a  nag  is  necessary  to 
keep  way  with  the  fine-spun  descendants  of  such  a  bitch  as  Mtrkm,  property  of  the  cele- 
brated Col.  Thornton,  who  challenged  to  run  her  against  any  hound  of  her  year,  five 
miles  ov^'  New  Market,  giving  220  yards,  for  $50,000 !  This  famous  bitch  is  said 
to  tiave  run  a  trial  of  four  miles  in  seven  minutes  and  a  half  second !  Under  the 
influence  of  this  change  in  the  face  of  the  countrj',  and  in  the  qualities  of  the  ancient 
fox-hound,  and  in  the  character  of  this  most  noble  and  splendid  diversion,  a  corres- 
ponding modification  has  ensued  in  the  hunter,  and  so  the  price  for  the  best  has 
advanced  from  forty,  to  three  hundred  guineas  !  nor  is  it  easy  to  imagine  any  show  of 
animals  like  that  of  a  stable  of  English  hunters  led  out  for  "  the  mount,"  either  for 
the  fox  or  the  St.  Albans  Steeple-chase ;  every  nag  perfectly  well  conditioned  and 
dressed  off  a.s  nicely  as  a  wedding  party  coming  up  to  the  altar. 


THE   HORSE. 


THE    AMERICAN    TROTTER. 

Having',  as  it  is  believed,  described  and  accounted  for  the  successive  modifications 
and  general  improvement  of  the  English  horse,  from  many  of  the  best  of  which  ours 
have  been  bred — and  for  the  excellence  especially  of  their  high-bred  courser  and 
hunter;  and  having  adverted  incidentally  to  the  high  national  importance  to  be 
attached  to  maintaining  the  horse  in  all  his  capabilities,  as  giving  elasticity  and 
vigour  to  one  great  arm  of  national  defence — cavalry — the  use  of  which  has  sometimes 
decided  the  issue  of  battles  and  the  fate  of  empires, — we  pass  now  to  contemplate 
this  interesting  animal  in  a  form  in  which  Ximrod  (Mr.  Apperly)  himself,  one  of  the 
most  voluminous  and  authentic  writers  on  these  subjects,  and  one  not  prone  to  make 
admissions  of  English  inferiority  in  anything,  does  admit  that  we  excel,  to  wit,  in 
our  Trotting  Horses. 

Instances  which  will  hereafter  be  given  of  the  performance  of  American  trotters, 
such  as  have  been  trained  to  that  pace  and  timed  with  exactness,  in  trials  instituted 
for  that  purpose  by  numerous  trotting  clubs,  will  leave  no  doubt  of  our  haA-ing  well 
established  our  claim  for  the  excellence  conceded  to  us  in  that  class  of  horses — and 
as  speed  in  that  gait,  combined  with  lastingness,  is  a  desideratum  in  public  stages, 
and  for  all  kinds  of  light  harness  and  quick  travelling,  it  becomes  an  interesting 
inquii  y,  and  is  deemed  to  be  well  worthy  of  the  space  here  assigned  it — whence  has 
resulted  the  superiority  illustrated  by  these  examples?  Is  it  that  we  possess  a  particular 
strain  of  horses  not  to  be  found  in  other  countries,  not  thorough-bred,  but  yet  of  a 
specific  breed,  which  has  been  found  or  made  in  America,  and  which  may  be  kept 
separate  and  distinct  from  all  others,  the  root  whereof  is  not  necessarily  to  be  looked 
for,  like  that  of  our  thorough-bred  stock,  in  the  English  Slud-Book,  or  in  the  blood  of 
some  Eastern  ancestor — a  breed  to  which,  in  a  word,  recourse  may  be  had  as  a  stock 
of  horses  sui  generis,  and  one  that  may  be  relied  upon  to  supply  fast  goers  in  this 
pace  ]  Or  is  it  that  we  owe  the  number  that  can  go  their  mile  under  2.30,  to 
the  higher  estimate  which  is  placed  on  excellence  in  that  wa}',  in  this  country ;  and 
to  the  greater  pains  taken  and  skill  exercised  in  educating  and  training  horses  to  go 
ahead  in  the  trot  ?  We  confess  that  retlection  and  all  the  lights  we  possess,  lead  as 
to  the  adoption  of  this  latter  theorj'. 

There  are  various  reasons  why  this  property  in  the  horse  should  be  more  attended 
to  in  this,  than  perhaps  any  other  countrj'.  ^lay  it  not  be  referred  in  some  measure, 
to  our  political  institutions,  as  we  have  already  seen,  in  the  review  which  has  been 
taken  of  the  progressive  improvement  of  horses  in  England,  how  their  qualities  have, 
from  time  to  time,  been  influenced  and  modified  by  their  field-sports,  the  state  of  their 
roads,  the  form  of  their  coaches,  and  changes  in  their  warlike  and  agricultural  habits 
and  implements.  Under  the  effect  of  our  political  institutions,  which  create  fre- 
quent division  of  estates,  it  is  next  to  impossible  that  there  should  exist  in  America 
a  class  of  men  with  sufficient  and  extended  wealth,  either  hereditary  or  acquired, 
to  maintain  the  costly  and  magnificent  arrangements  for  the  sports  of  the  turf  and  the 
chase  —  such  as  have  for  centuries  existed  in  England.  Yet  men  must  have  amuse- 
ments, and  those  which  are  found  a-field  are  at  once  the  most  attractive  and  salutary. 
If  one  may  be  allowed  to  quote  himself,  we  may  repeat  from  the  introduction  to  the 
Sporting  Magazine,  the  ideas  there  expressed  that  "  the  knowledge  of  mankind  so 
essential  in  every  practical  pursuit,  nay  the  yet  more  essential  knowfedge  of  ourselves, 
s  not  to  be  found  alone  in  solitary  labour,  nor  in  solitary  meditation ;  neither  is  it  in  a 
state  of  isolation  from  society  that  the  heart  most  quickly  learns  to  answer  to  the  calls 
of  benevolence ; — sympathy  springs  from  habits  of  association,  and  a  sense  of  mu- 
tual dependence  on  each  other ;  3nd  the  true  estimate  of  character,  and  friendly  and 
generous  dispositions,  are  under  no  circumstances  more  certainly  acquired,  nor  more 
assuredly  improved  and  quickened,  than  by  often  meeting  each  other  in  the  friendly 
contentions  and  rivalries  that  characterize  field-sports." 

Recurring  to  the  influence  of  political  institutions  and  national  amusements,  it  may 
fie  very  safely  affirmed,  that  while  there  can  exist  in  this  country  no  permanent  class 
31*  men  possessmg  the  wealth  which  aff"ords  the  time,  and  cherishes  the  taste,  for  the 
5  6 


fyQ  THE   HORSE. 

more  expensive  diversions  of  the  Turf  and  the  Chase;  it  must  yet  alwzys  abound  tai 
beyond  all  other  countries,  under  their  existing  governments,  in  citizens  of  middling, 
and  yet  easy  circumstances,  with  means  enough  to  indulge  in  other  sports  involving 
moderate  outlay,  including  the  ownership  of  a  good  old  squirrel  gun;  and  the  luxury 
of  a  good  horse ;  and  hence  the  use  of  both  is  as  familiar  to  the  great  mass  of  American 
people,  from  ^heir  childhood,  as  it  is  strange  to  the  common  people  of  any  other 
country ;  except  as  to  the  employment  of  the  horse,  in  his  lowest  offices  of  neld-labour 
and  common  drudgery.  No  southern  boy  at  least,  just  entering  his  teens,  desires 
oetter  fun  than  to  be  allowed  to  catch  and  mount  any  horse  in  the  most  distant  pas- 
ture, and  ride  him  home  at  the  top  of  his  speed,  without  saddle  or  bridle — and  as  to 
the  use  of  fire-arms,  it  was  remarked  to  the  writer  during  the  late  war  with  England, 
both  by  General  Ross  and  Admiral  Cockburn,  that  in  no  country  had  they  ever  wit- 
nessed any  fire  so  deadly  as  that  of  the  American  militia,  as  long  as  they  would  stand! 
In  the  towns,  there  is  not  a  sober  and  industrious  tradesman,  who  cannot  manage  to 
keep  his  hackney  ;  and  these  considerations  sufficiently  account  for  the  number  of 
regularly  constituted  Trotting  Clubs  of  easy  access,  with  courses  that  serve  as  so 
many  nurseries,  where  the  horse  is  educated  exclusively  for  the  trot,  and  his  highest 
physical  capacities  drawn  out  in  that  fonn.  These  associations  are  composed,  for 
the  most  part,  of  respectable  and  independent  mechanics,  and  others,  especially 
victuallers,  among  whom  in  all  times  there  has  existed  a  sort  of  esprit  de  corps,  or 
monomania  on  this  subject,  which  leads  them  to  spare  neither  pains  nor  expense  to 
srain  a  reputation  for  owning  a  crack  goer.  This  sort  of  emulation  so  infects  the  class, 
as  to  have  given  rise  to  a  common  saying  that  "  a  butcher  always  rides  a  trotter.''^ 

According  to  the  theory  here  maintained,  the  great  number  of  trotters  in  America 
that  can  go  as  before  said,  their  mile  under  3  minutes,  and  the  many  that  do  it  under 
2m.  40s.  and  even  in  some  cases  under  2m.  30s. — as  for  instance  in  the  case  of 
Ripton  and  Confidence,  whose  performances  have  given  so  much  gratification  to 
sportsmen,  is  to  be  explained  in  the  same  way  that  we  account  for  the  great  number 
of  superb  hunters  that  are  admitted  to  abound  in  England  above  all  countries,  not 
excepting  our  own.  There,  in  every  county  in  the  Kingdom,  there  are  organized 
'■'■  Hunts,''''  with  their  whippers-in,  and  huntsmen,  and  earth-stoppers,  and  costly 
appointments  of  every  kind  to  accommodate  some  fil\y  or  an  hundred  couple  of  high- 
bred hounds,  whose  pedigrees  are  as  well  preserved  as  those  of  Priam  or  LongAvaist ; 
and  a  wide  district  of  country  is  reserved  and  assigned  exclusively  to  each  hunt. 
Fox-hunting  is  there  termed  par  excellence,  a  princely  amusement,  and  gentlemen  of 
the  most  exalted  rank  and  largest  fortune,  take  pride  in  the  office  of  "  Master  of  the 
hounds,''''  and  assuredly  in  all  the  wide  field  of  manly  exercises,  none  can  compare 
with  an  English  fox  or  steeple-chase,  for  union  of  athletic  vigour  and  daring  skill, 
and  magnificence  of  equitation ;  unless  perhaps  it  were  some  splendid  charge  de  cavalrie, 
like  those  we  used  to  read  of,  made  by  the  gallant  Murat  at  a  critical  moment  of  the 
battle,  when  he  was  wont  in  his  gorgeous  uniform  and  towering  plumes  to  fall  with  his 
cavalry  like  an  avalanche  upon  his  adversar}%  confounding  and  crushing  him  at  a 
blow  !  Truly,  it  would  well  be  worth  a  trip  across  the  Atlantic,  to  see  a  single  "turn 
out"  of  an  English  hunt,  all  in  their  fair  tops,  buckskin  smalls,  and  scarlet  coats, 
mounted  on  hunters  that  under  Tattersall's  hammer  would  command  from  one  to  two 
hundred  guineas!  Imagine  such  a  field  with  thirty  couple  of  staunch  hounds,  heads 
np  and  stems  dow-n,  all  in  full  cry,  and  well  away  with  their  fox ! ! 


-Now,  my  brave  youths, 


Flourish  the  wliip  nor  spare  the  galling  spur; 
But  in  the  madness  of  delight,  forget 
Your  fears.     Far  o'er  the  rocky  hills  we  range, 
And  dangerous  our  course  ;  but  in  the  brave 
True  courage  never  fails." 

To  indicate  more  strongly  the  prevalence  of  this  partiality  for  trotting-horses,  and 
emulation  to  o\^  the  fastest  goer,  and  the  number  and  extent  of  associations  and 
arrangements  for  this  sort  of  trial  and  amusement,  it  need  only  be  mentioned  that  the 
"Spirit  of  the  Times,"  published  in  New  York,  contains  lists  of  hundreds  of  matches 
and  purses,  and  of  thousands  on  thousands  of  dollars  in  sirtill  purses,  won  and  lost 
on  these  performances  on  trotting-courses !    A  number  of  these  performances  will  be 


THE  HORSE.  51 

selected,  enough  to  chow  that  the  excellence  which  is  conceded  to  American  ti otters, 
s  not  founded  on  a  solitary  achievement  or  very  rare  cases,  nor  to  be  ascribed  to  the 
possession  of  any  distinct  and  peculiar  breed  of  horses ;  but  is  the  natural  and  common 
fruit  ot  thai  union  of  blood  and  bone,  which  forms  proverbially  the  desideratum  in  a 
good  hunter,  with  the  superaddition  of  skilful  training,  much  practice,  and  artful 
jockeying  for  the  trotting  course.  Who  can  doubt  that  if  Hiram  Woodruff  were  to 
go  to  England,  having  the  run  of  their  hunting-stables,  he  might  select  nags  enoucrh 
which  could  soon  be  made  under  his  training  and  consummate  jockeyship,  to  go  along 
with  Edwin  Forrest  and  Lady  Suffolk,  Ripton,  Rattler,  Confidence,  and  the  Dutch- 
man ]  On  this  point  the  following  may  be  aptly  extracted  from  the  highest  authority 
— our  Bell's  Life  in  London — To  wit:  Porter's  Spirit  of  the  Times. 

"  Nirarod,  in  '  admitting  the  superiority  of  our  Trotting-Horses  to  the  '  English,' 
claims  that  the  English  '  approach  very  near  to  the  Americans,'  even  in  this  breed 
of  cattle.  Possibly  the  characteristic  national  vanity  would  not  allow  him  to  make 
a  farther  concession.  But  there  is  no  comparison  whatever,  between  the  Trottintr- 
Horses  of  the  two  countries.  jNIr.  Wheelax,  who  took  Rattler  to  England  last  season, 
and  doubly  distanced  with  ease  every  horse  that  ventured  to  start  against  him,  as  the 
record  shows,  informs  us  that  there  are  twenty  or  more  roadsters  in  common  use  in 
this  city,  that  could  compete  successfully  with  the  fastest  trotters  on  the  English 
Turt".  They  neither  understand  the  art  of  training,  driving  or  riding,  there.  For 
example :  some  few  years  since,  Alexander  was  purchased  by  Messrs.  C.  &  B.  of  tliis 
city,  for  a  friend  or  acquaintance,  in  England.  Alexander  was  a  well-knovrn  roadster 
here,  and  was  purchased  to  order,  at  a  low  rate.  The  horse  was  sent  out  and  trials 
made  of  him ;  but  so  unsuccessful  were  they,  that  the  English  importers  considered 
him  an  imposition.  Thus  the  matter  stood  for  a  year  or  more.  When  Wheelan 
arrived  in  England,  he  recognised  the  horse,  and  learned  the  particulars  of  his 
purchase  and  subsequent  trials  there.  By  his  advice  the  horse  was  nominated  in  a 
Stake  at  Manchester  (we  believe)  with  four  or  five  of  the  best  trotters  in  England, 
he  (Wheelan)  engaging  to  train  and  ride  him.  When  the  horses  came  upon  the 
ground,  the  odds  were  4  and  5  to  1  against  Alexander,  who  won  by  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  mile !  Wheelan  says  he  took  the  track  at  starting,  and  widened  the  gap  at  his 
ease — that  near  the  finish,  being  surprised  that  no  horse  was  anywhere  near  him,  as 
his  own  had  not  yet  made  a  stroke,  he  got  frightened,  thinking  some  one  might  out- 
brush  him — that  he  put  Alexander  up  to  his  work,  and  finally  won  by  an  immense 
wa}',  no  horse,  literally,  getting  to  the  head  of  the  quarter  stretch,  as  he  came  out  at 
the  winning  stand  !  The  importers  of  Alexander,  at  any  rate,  were  so  surprised  and 
delighted  at  his  performance,  that  they  presented  Wheelan  with  a  magnificent  gold 
timing-watch,  and  other  valuable  presents,  and  sent  Messrs.  C.  &  B.  a  superb  service 
of  plate,  which  may  be  seen  at  any  time  at  their  establishment  in  Maiden  Lane." 

Here  it  is  clearly  shown  that  the  comparative  speed  of  American  horses  is  to  he 
attributed  not  to  breed,  but  to  management,  on  which  we  the  rather  insist,  as  it  is  to 
be  desired  that  American  agriculturists  and  all  breeders  and  trainers  of  horses,  should 
understand  and  practise  upon  some  fixed  and  rational  principles,  rather  than  rely  for 
success  on  some  imaginarj^  strain  of  horses,  of  no  certain  origin  or  established 
blood.  After  all,  we  have  accounts  of  perfonnances  in  trotting,  by  English  horses, 
that  may  be  considered  as  extraordinary  as  those  of  our  own,  when  allowance  is 
made  for  the  greater  value  placed,  and  the  more  attention  and  skill  bestowed,  upon 
trotters  in  this  country  than  in  that. 

The  celebrated  English  trotter  Archer,  descended  from  old  Shields,  a  remarkable 
strong  horse  and  master  of  fifteen  stone  (two  hundred  and  ten  pounds),  trotted  his 
sixteen  miles  in  a  very  severe  frost  in  less  than  fifty -five  minutes.  In  1791,  a  brown 
mare,  trotted  in  England  on  the  Essex  road,  sixteen  miles  in  fifty-eight  minutes  and 
some  seconds,  being  then  18  years  old — and  while  we  are  writing  we  learn  from  an 
official  report  that  Lady  Hampton  on  the  2d  of  May,  1842,  in  England,  trotted  seven- 
teen miles  in  5Sm.  37s.  in  harness.  She  was  driven  by  Burke,  of  great  English 
trotting  celebrity.  On  the  13th  of  October,  1799,  a  trotting  match  was  decided  over 
Sunbury  Common  between  Mr.  Dixon's  brown  geldiuCT  and  Air.  Bishop's  grey 
gelding',  carrjing  twelve  stone  (one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  pounds)  each,  which 


52  THE    HORSE. 

was  won  by  the  former  in  twenty-seven  minutes  and  ten  seconds. — A  Mr.  Stevens 
made  a  bet  which  was  decided  5th  October,  1796,  that  he  would  produce  a  pair  of 
horses,  his  own  property,  that  should  trot  in  tandem  from  Windsor  to  Hampton 
Court,  a  distance  of  sixteen  miles,  within  the  liour ;  notwithstanding  the  cross  coun- 
try road,  and  great  number  of  turnings,  they  j)erformcd  it  with  ease  in  fifty-seven 
miimtes  and  thirteen  seconds.  Phenomena  trotted  nineteen  miles  in  an  hour. — These 
examples  are  adduced  to  show  the  fallacy  of  that  impression  which  would  lead  the 

Eublic  to  look  to  any  but  the  true  and  rational  sources  of  superiority — for  mankind 
as  ever  been  prone  to  the  marvellous,  preferring  to  look  for  all  that  does  not  lie  on 
the  surface,  to  some  mysterious  influence,  unconnected  with  known  and  rational 
causes.  The  trotter,  according  to  the  distance  prescribed  as  the  measure  of  his 
capacity,  needs  the  combination  of  form  and  blood — of  bone  and  of  muscle,  which 
give  distinction  to  the  hunter ;  and  the  reason,  if  it  be  asked,  why  the  thorough-bred 
cannot  be  relied  upon  for  a  hard  run  over  a  rough  country,  is,  that  he  rarely  combiius 
these  requisites,  and  is  moreover  put  to  his  work  when  too  young  ,■  but  does  any  one 
doubt  that  Sir  Archy,  or  Timoleon,  or  Eclipse,  or  imported  Tranby,  or  Leviathan 
would  have  made  first-rate  hunters  or  trotters,  if,  before  they  were  put  to  hard  work, 
their  frames  had  been  left  to  ripen,  and  their  bones  and  joints  and  muscles  to  get  firm 
and  solid,  and  at  the  same  time  pliant  and  supple  by  gentle  and  moderately  increasing 
exercise  until  five  or  six  years  old — for  here  it  is  to  be  noted,  that  as  to  the  age  at 
which  the  trotter  should  be  put  in  training,  and  that  at  which  he  reaches  his  maximum 
of  power,  though  there  would  seem  to  be  some  difference  of  opinion,  all  agTee  that 
the  trotter  is  not  in  his  prime  until  he  is  eight  or  nine  years  old.  The  Abdallahs, 
great-grandsons  of  old  Messenger,  trot  much  younger ;  Hiram  Woodruff,  and  there 
can  be  no  better  authority,  would  commence  a  horse's  training  for  the  trot  at  five  or 
six  years  of  age,  giving  him  light  work  however,  but  going  on  increasing  his  work 
from  year  to  year,  and  expecting  increasing  excellence  up  to  nine  or  ten  years,  and 
with  kind  usage  he  might  continue  up  to  this  mark  for  three  or  four  years  longer,  and 
they  often  last  to  perform  admirably  until  after  twenty — for  example,  Columbus,  Paut 
Fry,  Topgallant,  &c. 

The  stoutest  horses,  of  whatever  kind  or  degree  of  blood,  might  be  expected  to 
give  way  if  put  at  three  or  four,  as  the  race-horse  is,  into  severe  training  under  heavy 
weights,  for  trotting  stakes  or  the  chase ;  but  on  the  other  hand,  without  blood  to  give 
him  wind  and  courage,  what  would  avail  his  "  bag  of  bones,"  in  a  trial  to  trot  his 
hundred  miles  in  ten  hours'?  Johnson,  author  of  the  Sportsman's  Cyclopedia,  justly 
esteemed  high  authority  on  such  subjects,  remarks  that  "  thorough-bred  horses,  and 
particularly  those  of  the  best  blood,  are  seldom  possessed  of  sufficient  bone  to  render 
them  pre-eminently  calculated  for  the  chase;  yet  I  am  free  to  confess  that  the  very 
best  hunters  that  have  fallen  under  my  observation  have  been  remarkably  well  and 
very  highly  bred,  but  yet  not  absolutely  thorough-bred."  The  same  remark  it  is  not 
doubted  might  be  made  as  generally  applicable  to  our  first-rate  trotters,  at  long  dis- 
tances. The  case  of  Abdallah  and  Messenger  have  been  instanced  to  show,  that 
great  trotters  not  thorough-bred,  may  and  do  beget  trotters,  and  hence  some  would 
argue  that  a  distinct  race  of  horses  may  or  does  exist.  But  it  is  to  be  remembered 
that  both  Abdallah  and  Messenger  are  sons  of  Mambrino,  son  of  old  Messenger,  and 
of  Messenger  mares,  though  not  thorough-bred  ;  and  nothing  is  better  known  by  all 
who  have  been  in  the  habit  of  attending  to  these  subjects,  than  that  the  Blessenger 
family  is  distinguished  for  making  first-rate  coach-horses — quick  in  light  harness,  and 
remarkable  for  endurance  and  long  life.  That  Abdallah,  therefore,  himself  deep  in 
the  Messenger  blood,  should  be  himself  a  trotter  and  a  getter  of  trotters,  only  proves 
that  like  begets  like,  and  that  of  a  distinct  breed,  like  the  thorough-bred  horse,  cha- 
racterized by  the  possession  of  general  properties  belonging  only  to  and  constituting 
that  breed,  there  may  be  particular  families,  distinguished  for  some  peculiar  qualities 
not  possessed  in  the  same  degree  by  other  families  of  the  saijie  breed.  Thus  we 
have  the  three  classes  of  the  English  thorough-bred  stock,  to  wit:  the  Herod,  the 
Matchem,  and  the  Eclipse,  that  have  served  as  crosses  for  each  other.  In  like  manner, 
it  may  be  said  of  the  improved  short-horn  cattle — their  general  characteristic  is  early 
maturity  and  propensity  to  fat,  without  being  generally  remarkable  as  deep  milkers, 
(hough  there  are  families  of  the  short-horns  esteemed   for  that  quality;  —  a  dash 


THE    HORSE.  53 

ot  the  hijod  of  old  ^lessenger  imparts  high  form  and  action  for  the  state  roach,  and 
the  eye  ol  the  connoisseur  can  detect  the  signs  in  a  horse  in  whose  veins  flow  even 
cue-eighth  of  his  blood  ;  so  the  fact  is  generally  known  to  old  gentlemen  in  the  South, 
and  especially  avouched  by  the  Sporting  and  Agricultural  Society  in  South  Carolina, 
that  the  stock  of  old  Janus  (there  called  Genius,)  was  so  remarkable  as  road  and 
saddle  horses,  as  to  have  gotten  to  be  considered  a  distinct  breed ;  so  the  Topgal- 
lant stock  made  line  saddle-horses,  excelling  in  the  canter.  The  blood  horse,  too, 
is  remarkable  for  longe\-ity — the  Messenger  stock  particularly  so.  If  the  truth  could 
be  known,  it  is  probable  it  flowed  in  larger  or  smaller  streams  in  each  of  the  four 
thorough-breds  which  the  late  General  Hampton,  (sire  of  that  paragon  of  sportsmen 
and  gentlemen,  Col.  Wade  Hampton,)  drove  in  his  coach  all  together  for  sixteen 
years. 

Here  may  be  aptly  introduced  some  extracts  from  a  familiar  letter  received  by  the  editor 
from  Col.  N.  Goldsborough,  of  Talbot,  Maryland,  who  has  an  eye  for  the  fine  points 
of  a  horse,  as  quick  as  a  hawk's  for  a  fish — one  vrho  has  thought  much  and  with  etfect 
on  all  matters  that  give  dignity  and  attraction  to  rural  life — himself  of  the  pure  old 
stock  in  fashion  when  it  meant  something  to  be  called  a  "  Marj'land"  or  "  Virginia 
gentleman.'^''  He,  in  confirmation  of  our  hypothesis,  says,  speaking  of  Tom  Thumb — 
'•  But  whence  came  his  lastingness,  his  powers  of  endurance,  as  well  as  speed  ?  I 
have  been  in  the  habit  of  thinking,  that  no  horse  could  long  continue  exertion,  espe- 
cially at  a  rapid  pace,  without  a  good  tincture  of  the  hloud.  At  about  the  same  time 
there  went  to  England  a  horse  called  Rattler,  of  great  speed  as  a  trotter — he  was 
represented  as  the  cross  of  a  full-bred  horse  on  the  Canadian  mare.  What  a  magni- 
ficent picture  '•  Whalebone"  makes  in  his  trotting  action,  and  how  different  from  the 
abovenamed  horses  !  When  a  boy,  I  have  seen  Phil  Hemsly  mounted  on  his  trotting 
mare,  bred  on  the  borders  of  Queen  Anne's  County.  She  was  much  in  the  st\le  of 
the  famous  Phenomena  Mare  of  England — about  fourteen  and  a  half  hands  high.^ 
He  could  keep  up  with  a  pack  of  hounds  all  day  in  a  trot — and  she  could  pass  over 
the  largest  oak  bodies  lying  in  a  wood,  without  breaJcing  up.  I  was  informed  two 
years  ago  in  Philadelphia  by  Mr.  Allen,  son-in-law  of  Badger  of  the  ^Marshall  House 
— that  some  of  the  best  trotters  then  in  New  Jersey,  were  the  offspring  of  Monmouth 
Eclipse — the  Messenger  blood  you  see  !  I  know  of  no  other  family  of  the  pure  blood 
horse  which  may  be  said  emphatically  to  produce  trotters — the  exception  confirms  the 
rule.  Col.  Lloyd's  Yingtun  and  old  Topgallant  got  fine  rackins;  nnd  cantering 
horses.  Is"  there  more  than  one  out  of  twenty  thorough-breds,  that  makes  really  a 
racer?  And  are  there  not  as  many  trotters  at  the  North,  and  more,  than  there  are 
racers  at  the  South,  &c.,  where  the  most  systematic  efforts  have  been  persevered  in  for 
years,  exclusively  for  the  production  of  racers  ]  I  have  often  wondered  where  they 
of  the  North  derived  their  horses — from  what  I  have  seen  and  heard,  they  have  a 
peculiar  family,  different  in  appearance,  in  form  strikingly  from  ours.  They  of  the 
North  have  had  some  method  in  this  matter — as  well  as  the  breeders  of  short-horns, 
Leicester  sheep,  &c.  About  the  lakes  they  have  a  horse  of  great  speed  and  power, 
as  I  am  informed,  called  the  '  Frenchcr.'  The  English  officers  bring  over  from  the 
mother  countr)%  fine  blooded  stallions  for  troopers  and  parade.  //  is  the  cross  of  these 
and  the  Canadian  mares,  which  produces  the  '  Frencher,' — blood  is  indispensable. 
But  what  is  the  Canadian?  unde  venit  ?  They  are  descended  from  the  horses  of 
Normandy  carried  over  by  the  French  settlers.  Napoleon's  coach  when  captured 
was  being  drawn  by  four  Norman  horses,  and  I  guess  the  Emperor  was  not  fond  of 
sitting  behind  slow  cattle.  When  the  Spaniards  were  in  possession  of  the  Low 
Countries,  they  carried  with  them  their  Andalusian  horses — these  were  crossed  on 
tlie  Normans,  which  produced  great  improvement.  When  the  Spaniards  were  ex- 
pelled, the  breeding  in-and-in  from  this  stock  must  have  produced  a  distinct  family, 
as  Bakewe.l  produced  with  other  races  of  quadrupeds.  Climate  necessarily  produced 
a  change  in  the  Norman  horse,  when  transferred  to  the  rigour  of  Canadian  winters — 
hence  the  thick  coat  of  hair,  &:c.  Tlie  Andalusian,  you  know,  is  of  Arabian  descent 
So  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  learn,  Vermont  is  indebted  to  Canada  for  her  distin- 
guished race  of  roadsters,  as  well  as  the  neighbouring  States.  They  have  one  dis- 
tinct family,  the  '  Morgan,'  descended  from  a  little  Canadian,  famous  too  for  running 
quarter  races.  This  family  has  been  cherished  for  years,  and  is  as  distinguished 
5* 


54  THE    HORSE. 

among  them  as  old  Archy  was  in  Virginia.  I  have  some  indistinct  recollection  to 
have  seen,  years  ago,  an  account  of  a  horse  among  them  got  by,  or  out  of  a  mare  by, 
Cock  of  the  Rock — Messenger  blood  again." 

It  is  now  in  proof  that  this  Morgan  breed  is  descended  from  a  horse  that  was  stolen 
"rom  General  de  Lancey,  importer  of  Wildair,  and  there  is  every  reason  to  believe 
that  though  he  may  not  have  been  thorough-bred,  he  was  well  steeped  in  the  best 
blood  of  the  Anglo-American  turf-horse. 

While  it  has  been  found  impracticable  to  obtain  any  precise  information  as  to  the 
pedigTee  of  some  of  our  very  best  trotters,  in  other  cases  where  more  is  known,  they 
are  found  to  be  deep  in  the  blood. — Awful,  whose  performances  will  be  seen  in  the 
tables  annexed,  is  known  to  have  been  gotten  by  a  thorough-bred  "  American  boy." 
Lady  Suffolk  is  by  Engineer,  but  what  Engineer  not  known.  Abdallah,  as  before 
me^ioned,  is  by  Mambrino,  and  he  again,  a  great  trotter,  by  Messenger ;  but  Dutch- 
^m,  one  of  our  best  trotters,  has  no  known  pedigree,  though  we  have  some  reason 
to  think  he  was  by  Young  Oscar,  then  at  Carlisle.  He  was  taken  out  of  a  clay-yard, 
and  was  transferred  to  the  trotting-turf  from  a  Pennsylvania  wagon-team. — W  ood- 
Tuff  thinks  blood  does  not  give  them  length,  or  the  povi-er  to  go  the  long  distances ; 
but  in  this  it  is  believed  he  must  be  mistaken.  These  Canadian  or  Norman-French 
stallions,  small  and  compact,  which  on  well-formed  large  mares  give  such  fine  har- 
ness horses,  and  trotters,  are,  as  before  said,  deeply  imbued  with  the  blood  of  the 
barb  taken  from  Spain  into  Normandy.  We  have  been  told  lately  by  an  intelligent 
Englishman,  that  the  infusion  of  blood  into  their  coach-horses  has  enabled  them  to 
lengthen  their  stages,  and  in  very  observable  proportion  to  the  degree  of  blood. 
Finally,  as  where  the  blood  of  the  trotter  when  known,  is  seen  to  flow  in  so  many 
instances  from  a  spring  of  pure  blood,  is  it  not  fair  to  infer  a  similar  origin  in  cases 
where  the  blood  cannot  be  traced  1  especially  as  the  universal  experience  of  all  times 
proves  that  in  other  paces,  the  cases  have  been  extremely  rare,  in  which  a  horse  of 
impure  blood  has  been  known  to  keep  up  a  great  flight  of  speed?  A  horse  of  mixed 
blood  may  be  a  great  trotter  at  a  long  distance,  because  his  speed  at  his  best  is 
greatly  behind  that  of  the  best  speed  on  the  turf;  but  it  would,  according  to  all  prin- 
ciples of  reasoning,  be  unreasonable  to  expect  great  excellence  even  as  a  trotter,  in 
horses  altogether  free  from  the  blood  which  gives  foot  and  wind  to  the  Eastern 
courser.  Though  we  may  not  be  able  to  trace  it,  and  though  in  solitary  cases  a 
horse  without  it,  may  possess  gieat  speed  and  lastingness  in  the  trot,  from  excellent 
accidental  conformation,  we  repeat  that  the  possession  of  the  two,  warrants  the  pre- 
sumption of  the  third,  however  obscure  the  traces,  or  remote  the  origin ; — this  is  our 
theory  !  But  the  action  to  be  cultivated  in  the  racer  and  the  trotter  is  of  itself  suffi- 
cient to  explain  why  a  racer  should  not  succeed  at  once  on  the  turf  and  on  the  trotting, 
course.  All  reflecting  and  observant  men  will  admit  that  "  as  there  is  no  royal  way 
to  mathematics,"  so  there  is  but  one  way  for  a  horse  to  excell  in  his  business ;  and 
with  rare  exceptions  there  is  but  one  in  which  any  individual  horse  can  excel. — 
Whatever  that  business  may  be,  to  be  perfect  in  it  he  should  be  educated  and  kept  to 
it — and  to  it  only.     A  trotting-horse  should  do  nothing  but  trot. 

As  what  has  been  said  may  promote  a  disposition  to  form  clubs  in  order  to  culti- 
vate more  generally  and  certainly  the  powers  of  the  trotting  horse,  with  the  view  of 
practical  utility  in  the  business  of  life,  it  is  deemed  well  to  submit  at  tliis  point,  the 
Rules  of  the  Trotting  Club  at  New  York.  The  rules  which  prevail  elsewhere  are 
essentially  the  same,  or  so  little  variant  that  the  difference  is  not  deemed  worthy  of 
notice. 


Rules  and  Regulations  adopted  by  the  New  York  Trotting  Club  for  the  Beacon  ana 
Centreville  Courses. — September  1st,  1841. 

1. — All  Matches  or  Sweepstakes  which  shall  come  off  over  a  Course,  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  this  Club,  will  be  governed  by  these  Rules,  unless  the  contrary  is 
mutually  agreed  upon  by  the  parties  making  such  match  or  stake. 

2. — All  Purses,  ]\Iatches,  or  Sweepstakes  to  which  the  Club  or  Proprietors  contri- 
bute, they  shall  have  the  power  to  postpone,  should  the  weather  prove  unfavourable 
on  the  day  previously  named  for  the  trotting  of  the  same. 


THE    HORSE.  55 

3. — None  but  Members  shall  be  allowed  to  trot  a  horse  for  any  lunited  Purse  wiven 
_by  this  Association. 

4. — Horses  trained  in  the  same  stable  or  owned  in  part  by  the  same  person,  shall 
not  start  for  a  Purse ;  and  horses  so  entered  shall  forfeit  their  entrance.  A  horse 
starting  alone  shall  receive  but  one-half  the  Purse.  Horses  deemed  by  the  Judges 
not  fair  trotting  horses,  shall  be  ruled  oti'  previous  to,  or  distanced  at  the  termination 
of  a  heat. 

5. — All  entries  shall  be  made  under  a  seal,  inclosing  the  entrance  money,  (ten  per 
cent,  on  the  Purse,)  and  addressed  to  the  Secretary,  at  such  time  and  place  as  may 
have  been  previously  designated  by  advertisement. 

6. — Every  Trotting  horse  starting  for  Match,  Purse,  or  Stake,  shall  carry  145lbs. — 
if  in  harness,  the  weight  of  the  vehicle  not  to  be  considered.  Pacing  horses  to  be 
allowed  5lbs. ;  Wagons  to  weigh  2501bs, 

7. — A  distance  for  mile  heats,  best  three  in  five,  shall  be  one  hundred  yards  ;  for 
one-mile  heats,  eighty  yards,  and  for  every  additional  mile  an  additional  eighty 
yards. 

8. — ^The  time  between  heats  shall  be — for  one  mile,  twenty  minutes,  and  for  every 
additional  mile,  an  additional  five  minutes. 

9. — There  shall  be  chosen  by  the  Proprietors  of  the  Course,  or  Stewards,  Three 
Judges,  to  preside  over  a  race  for  Purses,  and  by  them  two  additional  Judges  shall  be 
appointed  for  the  distance  stand  ;  they  may  also,  during,  or  previous  to  a  race,  appoint 
Inspectors  at  any  part  of  the  Course,  whose  report  shall  be  received  of  any  foul  riding 
or  driving. 

10. — Should  a  difference  of  opinion  exist  between  the  Judges  in  the  starting  stand, 
on  any  question,  a  majority  shall  govern. 

11. — ^The  Judges  shall  order  the  horses  saddled  or  harnessed,  five  minutes  previous 
to  the  time  appointed  for  starting,  or  at  the  expiration  of  the  time  allowed  between 
heats.  Any  rider  or  driver  causing  undue  detention,  after  being  called  up,  by  making 
false  starts  or  otherwise,  the  Judges  may  give  the  word  to  start,  without  reference  to 
the  situation  of  the  horse  so  offending,  unless  convinced  such  delay  is  unavoidable  on 
the  part  of  the  rider  or  driver ;  in  which  case  not  more  than  thirty  minutes  shall  be 
consumed  in  attempts  to  start. 

12. — The  Pole  shall  be  drawn  for  by  the  Judges.  The  horse  winning  a  heat,  shall, 
for  the  succeeding  heat,  be  entitled  to  a  choice  of  the  track.  On  coming  out  on  the 
last  stretch,  each  horse  shall  retain  the  track  first  selected ;  any  horse  deviating  shall 
be  distanced. 

13. — In  all  cases  of  dispute,  and  not  provided  for  by  these  Rules,  the  Judges  for  the 
day  will  decide  finally.  In  case  of  a  race  or  match  being  proved  to  their  satisfaction 
to  have  been  made  or  conducted  improperly  and  dishonestly,  on  the  part  of  the  prin- 
cipals, they  shall  have  the  power  to  declare  all  bets  void.  They  shall  also  have 
the  power  to  mitigate  the  penalty  of  a  rider  or  driver's  disobeying  these  rules,  by 
giving  the  next  best  horse  a  heat,  instead  of  distancing  the  person  so  offending,  should 
circumstances  justify  them  in  such  mitigation. 

14. — Riders  and  drivers  shall  not  be  permitted  to  start  unless  dressed  in  Jockey 
style. 

15. — Riders  and  Drivers  shall  weigh  in  the  presence  of  one  or  more  Judges,  pre. 
vious  to  starting  ;  and  after  a  heat,  are  to  come  up  to  the  starting  stand,  and  not  to 
dismount  until  so  ordered  by  the  Judges.  Any  rider  or  driver  disobeying,  shall,  on 
•weighing,  be  precluded  from  the  benefit  of  the  weight  of  his  saddle  and  whip — and 
if  not  full  weight,  shall  be  distanced. 

16. — A  rider  or  driver  committing  any  act  which  the  Judges  may  deem  foul  riding 
or  driving,  shall  be  distanced. 

17. — Should  any  horse  break  from  his  trot  or  pace,  and  gain  by  such  break,  twice 
the  distance  so  gained  shall  be  taken  from  him  on  coming  out.  A  horse  breaking  on 
the  score  shall  not  lose  the  heat  by  so  doing. 

18. — A  horse  must  win  two  heats  to  be  entitled  to  the  Purse — unless  he  distance 
all  other  horses  in  one  heat. — A  distanced  horse  in  a  dead  heat  shall  not  start  again. 

19. — A  horse  not  winning  one  heat  in  three,  shall  not  start  for  a  fourth  heat,  unless 
such  horse  shall  have  made  a  dead  heat.  "When  a  dead  heat  is  made  between  two 
horses,  and  if  either  had  won  the  heat,  the  race  would  have  been  decided,  they  Twe 


56  THE    HORSE. 

,niy  shall  start  again.  Such  horses  as  are  prevented  from  starting  by  this  Rule,  snail 
be  considered  drawn  and  not  distanced. 

20. If  two  horses  each  win  a  heat,  and  neither  are  distanced  in  the  race,  they  arc 

equal ;  if  neitlier  win  a  heat,  and  neither  distanced,  they  are  equal ;  but  if  one  wins 
a  heat,  and  the  other  does  not,  the  winner  of  a  heat  is  best,  unless  he  shall  be  dis- 
tanced subsequently,  in  which  case  the  other,  if  not  distanced,  shall  be  the  best.  A 
horse  that  wins  a  heat  and  is  distanced,  is  better  than  one  not  making  a  heat  and 
oeing  distanced.  A  horse  distanced  the  second  heat,  than  one  distanced  the  firs 
beat,  &c. 

21. — Horses  drawn  before  the  conclusion  of  a  race,  shall  be  considered  distanced 

22. — Horses  that  forfeit,  are  the  beaten  horses,  when  it  is  pay  or  play. 

23. — All  bets  are  understood  to  relate  to  the  Purse,  Match,  or  Stake,  if  nothing  i 
said  to  the  contrary. 

24. — A  confirmed  bet  cannot  be  let  off  without  mutual  consent.  If  either  party  be 
absent  at  the  time  of  trotting,  and  the  money  be  not  staked,  the  party  present  may 
declare  the  bet  void,  in  the  presence  of  the  Judges,  unless  some  party  will  stake  the 
money  betted  for  the  absentee. 

25. — A  bet  made  on  a  heat  to  come,  is  no  bet,  if  all  the  horses  qualified  to  start  do 
not ;  unless  the  bet  be  between  such  horses  as  do  start.  A  bet  made  after  the  heat 
is  over,  is  void,  if  the  horse  bet  upon  does  not  start. 

26. — The  person  who  bets  the  odds,  has  a  right  to  choose  the  horse  or  the  field. 
When  he  has  chosen  his  horse,  the  field  is  what  starts  against  him  ;  but  there  is  no 
field  unless  one  starts  wdth  him.  If  odds  are  bet  without  naming  the  horses  before  the 
trot  is  over,  it  must  be  determined  as  the  odds  were  at  the  time  of  making  it.  Bets 
made  in  trotting  are  not  determined  till  the  Purse  is  won,  if  the  heat  is  not  specified 
at  the  time  of  betting.  Bets  made  between  particular  horses  are  void,  if  neither  of 
them  be  winner,  unless  specified  to  the  contrary. 

27. — All  bets  made  on  horses  precluded  from  starting,  by  (Rule  No.  19,)  being 
distanced  in  the  race ;  or  on  such  horses  against  each  other,  shall  be  drawn. 

28. — All  engagements  are  void  upon  the  decease  of  either  party,  before  being  de- 
termined. 

Under  the  preceding  Rules,  the  following  performances  have  been  achieved, 
according  to  the  official  record — the  New  York  Spirit  of  the  Times. 

It  may  be  proper,  however,  for  the  due  appreciation  of  the  performances  included 
in  these  tables,  to  make  some  preliminary  remarks  upon  weighls  carried  by  trotting 
horses,  and  on  their  comparative  speed  in  harness  and  under  the  saddle,  &c.  The 
weight  carried  on  the  Northern  courses,  where  a  majority  of  our  trotting  takes  place, 
is  145  pounds,  without  any  distinction  for  age  or  sex  ;  and  the  same  weight  has  to 
be  carried  by  the  driver,  exclusive  of  the  weights  of  his  sulky  or  match-cart,  as  by 
the  same  jockey  in  the  saddle.  These  match-carts  are  of  the  neatest  construction, 
and  weigh  generally  nearly  ninety  pounds,  though  they  often  weigh  twenty  pounds 
less,  and  there  are  one  or  two  which  weigh  but  fifty-three  pounds  !  But  the  mere 
weight  to  be  carried  or  drawn  by  a  Irolter,  is  much  less  regarded  by  the  sportsman 
than  in  the  case  of  the  race-horse.  On  the  Hunting  Park  Course,  near  Philadelphia, 
the  weight  was  formerly  147  pounds  in  the  saddle,  and  in  harness  catch-weights,  but 
they  have  row  adopted  the  New  York  scale.  But  in  far  the  greater  number  of  the 
cases  below,  unless  the  weight  be  expressly  named,  it  may  be  presumed  to  be  from 
145  to  155  pounds.  Hiram  Woodruff  weighs  without  his  saddle  160  pounds.  On 
the  Beacon  and  Centreville  Courses,  pacers  are  allowed  five  pounds,  and  wagons,  in 
distinction  from  sulkeys  or  match-carts,  must  weigh  250  pounds. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  from  the  difference  of  weights  carried  along  by  him,  Ihe 
trotter  generally  makes  better  time  under  the  saddle  than  in  harness,  thouoh  tlicre 
are  some  exceptions  to  this  rule.  Another  consideration  has  great  influence  upon 
this  difference  in  time.  Under  the  saddle,  the  jockey  can  hug  the  pole  of  our  oval- 
shaped  courses  more  closely  than  in  harness,  and  thus  he  actually  goes  over  less 
ground.  And  for  an  obvious  reason  the  speed  of  a  horse  in  going  "  round  the  turns' 
is  more  retarded  in  a  sulkcy  than  under  the  saddle.  As  before  stated,  no  allowance 
of  weights  is  made  for  age,  and  in  consequence  no  note  is  taken  of  the  age  of  trotter? 
n  official  reports  of  their  performances. 


TROTTING    TABLES. 


67 


TROTTING  AT   MILE    HEATS. 


N.me. 

Colour 

E.lwin  Forrest 

bl.g.. 

Edwin  Forrest   

bl.  g.. 

Burster 

gr-g-- 

Dutchman 

1).  g. . . 

Dut.liuiari 

b.g... 

Norman  Leslie 

bl.  g.. 

ConluieiiKO 

b.g... 

Locomotive 

ch.g.. 

Brooklyn  Maid 

cli.  m. 

Pallv  Millsr 

b.  m.. 

Cliurlotto  U'emplo  .  . 

gr.  m. 

saddle. . 

•2.31- 

saddle. . 

i.>.H7- 

saddle.. 

ii.:« 

harness. 

'j;«- 

saddle.. 

2.»i- 

saddle. . 

'->.:«- 

harness. 

'2.35 

saddle.. 

2.38- 

saddle.. 

'2.42- 

-2.32-2.35 

-2.35—2.33—2.33—2.40 

-2.36i— 2.38— 2.39— 2.3i 

-2.37-2. 

-2.36—2. 

-2.41-2. 


36 

37 

40— 2.40i— 2.40 


!.40— 2.42— 2.44 
39—2.40 


Course. 


jale. 


Contreville,  L.  L. 
Trenton,  N.  J.... 
Hunting  Park,  Pa. 
Beacon  Course,  N.  J. 

Trenton,  N.J 

Do. 
Beacon  Course,  N.  J 
Centreville,  L.  I.. 


Do. 

Hunting  Park,  Pa 

Do. 


TROTTING    AT    TWO-MILE    HEATS. 


Lady  Suffolk 

LadvSutiolk 

Lady  Sutiolk 

Edwin  Forrest 

Edwin  Forrest 

D.  D.  Tompkins. . . . 

Ripton  

Kipton  

Dutchman 

Dutchman 

Contidonce 

Washington 

Dutchess 

Rattler 

Rattler 

Don  Juan 

Modesty 

Greenwich  Maid  . . . 

Awful 

Henry 

Topgallant 

Ripton  

Americus    

Confidence 


saddle.. 

saddle. . 

g.  in.. 

harness. 

bl.  g.. 

saddle.. 

bl.g.. 

harness. 

saddle.. 

hr.  g. . 

harness. 

br.  g.. 

harness. 

b.g... 

saddle.. 

b.  g... 

harness. 

b.  g..  . 

harness. 

gf.  S-- 

harness. 

br.  in. 

harness. 

b.  g... 

saddle. . 

b.g... 

saddle. . 

ch.  g.. 

saddle.. 

gr.  in.. 

saddle.. 

b.  m.. 

harness. 

b.  g... 

saddle.. 

ch.  g.. 

harness. 

b.  g... 

saddle.. 

hr.'ff.. 

harness. 

b.  g... 

harness. 

b.g... 

harness. 

4.59— 5.03i 

5.05 

5.10-5.15 

5.05—5.06 

5  17-5.13-5.17 

5.16^-5.11  

5.10i-5.]2t 

5.07—5.15 

5.16-5.09 

5.11—5.10 

5.]6i— 5.1Ci-5.16--5.18-5.25 

5.18i-5.I7— 5.26 

.5.18-5.20 

5.17— 5.13i 

5.29-5.17-5.40 

5  17—5.14 

5.25-5.19—5.21 

5.20—5.22 

5.28-5.2Ii 

5.20-5.28 

5.27—5.19—5  23 

5.07!— 5.15— 5.17! 

5.14-5.20 

5  14i-5.27-5.37 


I  Centreville,  L.  I 

Beacon  Course,  N.  J. 

i  Centreville,  L.  I 

Hunting  Park,  Pa..    . 

Do. 

Centreville,  L.  f 

Beacon  Course,  N.  J. 

Hu'iting  Park,  Pa 

Bea(on  Course,  N.J. 

Do. 
Centieville,  L.  I 

Do 

Do 

Beacon  Course,  N.  J. 

Do. 
Centreville,  L.  I 

Do 

Beacon  Course,  N.  J. 

Do.            ..   .. 
Centreville,  L.  I 

Do 

Hunting  Park,  Pa.... 
Beacon  Course,  N.  J. 
Centreville,  L.  I 


May,  1834 
Spring,  1834. 
Fall,  1830. 
July,  1839. 
Sept.  1836. 
June,  18:16 
June,  1841 
Oct.  1837. 

May,  1841. 
Nov.  1833. 
Nov.  1834. 


Sept.  1840. 
Julv,  1641. 
May,  1642. 
Mav,  1840. 
Oct.  1838. 
Oct.  ]«37. 
May,  1842. 
Mav,  1842. 
April,  1839. 
Oct.  1839. 
Mav,  1841. 
Sept.  1840. 
May,  1841. 
Oct.  1838. 
July,  1838. 
Oct.  1839. 
Sept.  1835. 
June,  1838. 
Oct.  18;}8. 
Oct.  1839. 
Oct.  1831. 
Mav,  1842. 
Sept.  1842. 
July,  1842. 


But  the  most  extraordinary  performance  is  yet  to  be  recorded.  We  should  have  omitted  it,  as  being 
perhaps  apochryphal,  had  it  not  been  well  avouched  to  us  by  a  respectable  looker-on,  who  may  be 
believed— as  follows  :  D.  Bryan's  Lady  Suffolk  and  Rifle— double-harness— Uunling  Park- 31st  May,  1843, 
two  miles  in  5.19  !  1 


TROTTING    AT    THREE-MILE    HEATS. 


Dutchman 

Dutchman 

Dutchman 

Dutchman 

Lady  Suffolk 

Columbus 

Aaron  Burr 

Rattler 

Screwdriver 

D.  D.  Tompkins 

Lady  Warrington. . 

Columbus 

Lady  Victory 

Screwdriver 

Topgallant 

Sir  Peter 

Sir  Fetor 

Whalebone 

Shakspeare 

Betsy  Baker 

Caio 

Ripton 

Ripton 


b.  g... 

saddle  . 

b.g... 

harness. 

b.g... 

saddle.. 

b.  e... 

saddle. . 

gr.  m.. 

sadd'e.. 

b.g... 

saddle.. 

b.  g... 

harness. 

b.  g... 

saddle.. 

b.g... 

saddle.. 

ch.  g. . 

saddle. . 

ch.  m.. 

saddle.. 

b.  g... 

saddle. . 

ch.m.. 

harness. 

ch.  g. . 

hfvness. 

b.g... 

saddle.. 

b.  g... 

harness. 

b.  g..- 

harness. 

harness. 

b.  g.. 

saddle. . 

br.  m.. 

saddle.. 

bl.  h.. 

harness. 

br.g... 

harness. 

br.g.. 

harness.  | 

.54i— 7.50-8.02— 8.24i  . 

.51-7.51 

.40i— 7.56 

.02-8.05 

.02^-8.03—6.08-8.16  . 

.11—8.17 

.02-8.10 

.07 

05—8.17—8.19 

.58—8.07 


,18-8.38 

23—8.06-8.17 . 

.32—8.19 

17—8.13 

18 


8.16 

8.02-8.18  . 
8.00— 7.56i. 
8.03—8.04  . 


Beacon  Course,  N. 

Do. 

Do. 
Hunting  Park,  Pa.. 

Do. 
Centreville,  L.L... 
Beacon  Course,  N. 
Philadelphia,  Pa.. . 
Hunting  Park,  Pa.. 

Do. 

Trenton,  N.  J 

Huntimr  Park,  Pa.. 
Centreville,  L.I... . 
Hunting  Park,  Pa.. 

Centreville,  L.  I 

Do. 
Do. 


Centreville,  L.I... . 

Beacon  Course,  N. 

Do. 


Aug.  1839. 
July,  1839. 
Oct.  ]8.m 
May,  1840. 
May,  1841. 
May,  1834. 
June,  1841.  . 
Oct.  1838. 
About  1827. 
May,  1838. 
Nov.  183C. 
June,  1834. 
June,  183J 
Oct.  183-2. 
Oct.  1829. 
Oct.  1828. 
Oct.  182:j. 


May,  1831 

Aug.  1842. 

i  Oct.  1842. 


TROTTING  AT   FOUR-MILE    HEATS. 


Dutchman 

Ladv  Suffidk 

LadV  Suffolk 

Sir  Peter 

Ellen  Thompson  . . 


b.  g.. .  I  saddle. . 
gr.  m..  I  saddle. . 
gr.  in.,    saddle. . 


11.19-10.51 I  Centreville.  L.I i  May,  1830 

11.15—11.58 Do.  June,  184a 

11.22-11.34 Cambridfje,  Mass Nov.  1839. 

11.23—11.27 Hunting  Park,  Pa....    Oct.  1829 

11.55—11.33 [Beacon  Course,  N.  J.  |  May,  184S   • 


58 


THE    HORSE, 


BEST    PACING    IN    AMERICA    ON    RECORD. 


Drover 

Top  Sawyer 

Oneida  Chief.  .. 

Volcano 

Billy 

Oneida  Chief... 
Oneida  Chief. .. 
Oneida  Chief. .. 

Bonny  Boy 

Stranger 


Saddle  or 
H.irnes. 

Distance. 

saddlf^. . 

1  mile. 

saddle.. 

1  do. 

saddle  : 

1  do. 

saddle.. 

1  do. 

saddle.. 

1  do. 

saddle.. 

2  miles 

saddle  . 

3  do. 

harness. 

3  do. 

saddle. . 

2  do. 

saddle.. 

2  do. 

Tin 


2.30—2.31—2.28 

2.31 

2.:f4— 2.33— 2.31 

2.39— 2.31i— 2.34i— 2.3ej  . 

2.32 

5.14-509i 

7.50—8.04 

8.17—8.201 

5.06— 5.07i 

5.10—5.16 


Course. 


Beacon  Course,  N.  J. 

Centreville,  L.I 

Harlaem,  N   Y 

Beacon  Course,  N.  J. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 
Centreville,  L.I 

Do 


Dale. 


Oct.  1839 
Oct.  1835. 
Oct.  1835. 
June,  1841 
July,  1841. 
June,  1838 
Nov.  1841. 
June,  1840. 
Sept.  1829. 
Oct.  1829. 


MISCELLANEOUS     EXAMPLES     OF    EXTRAORDINARY    PERFORISI- 
ANCES   OF  AMERICAN  TROTTERS. 

On  the  21st  of  October,  1841,  a  match  came  ofF  on  the  Centreville  Course,  L.  I., 
for  $5500,  five-mile  heats,  between  Jimericus,  a  bay  gelding,  and  Lady  Suifolk,  so 
often  named  in  the  preceding  tables.  Americas  vron  in  two  heats,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing time,  believed  to  be  the  best  on  record : 

SECOND    HEAT. 

Time  of  first  mile 


FIRST    HEAT. 

Time  of  first  mile 2.54i 

"      "  second  " 2.50^ 

"      "  third     " 2.46 

"      "  fourth   " 2.421 

"      "  fifth       " 2.441 


Time  of  first  heat 13.58 


"  second 
"  third 
"  fourth 
"  fifth 


.2.51 
.2.50 
.2.46 
,2.47 
.2.44A 


Time  of  s 


3ondheat 13.58| 

See 


Tup  gallant,  by  Hambletonian,  trotted  in  harness  12  miles  in  38  minutes. 
Turf  Register,  vol.  1.  p.  124. 

Ten  miles  have  been  repeatedly  trotted  in  America  within  two  or  three  seconds  of 
thirty  minutes. 

A  roan  mare  called  Yankee.  Sal  trotted,  as  has  been  stated  without  contradiction,  in 
a  match  against  time,  on  the  Course  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  which  was  at  the  time 
heavy  and" deep,  fifteen  miles  and  a  half  in  48m.,  43s.  —  a  rate  of  speed  so  pro- 
digious under  ilie  circumstances,X\\-aX  we  have  often  suspected  there  may  have  been  an 
error  as  to  the  time. 

Lady  Kate,  a  bay  mare,  15  hands  high,  trotted  on  the  Canton  Course  near  Balti- 
more 16  miles  in  56m.  13s.,  and  the  reporter  adds  "she  could  have  done  seve^iteen 
with  easey 

In  October,  1831,  Jerry  performed  17  miles  on  the  Centreville  Course,  L.  I.,  in  58 
minutes  under  the  saddle. 

In  September,  1839,  Tom  Thumb,  an  American  horse,  was  driven  in  England  16^ 
miles  in  56m.  45s.  We  shall  have  more  to  say  of  this  phenomenon,  when  we  come 
to  his  performance  of  100  miles. 

In  1836,  the  grey  gelding  Mount  Holly  was  backed  at  $1000  to  $500,  to  trot  twenty 
miles  within  the  hour.  The  attempt  was  made  on  the  10th  of  October,  on  tlie  Hunt- 
ing Park  Course,  Pa.,  but  failed.  He  performed  17  miles  in  53m.  18s.,  without  the 
least  distress.  He  was  miserably  jockeyed  for  the  first  five  miles,  doing  no  one  of 
them  in  less  than  five  minutes. 

Pelham,  a  large  bay  gelding,  in  a  match  to  go  16  miles  within  the  hour,  performed 
that  distance  without  any  training  in  58m.  28s.  He  went  in  harness  seven  miles  in 
26m.  2f)s.,  when,  the  sulkey  being  badly  constructed,  he  was  taken  out  and  saddled, 
and  mounted  by  Wallace  (riding  i60lbs.  without  his  saddle)  and  won  his  match. 

Paul  Pry,  a  bay  gelding,  was  backed  to  perform  17^^  miles  within  the  hour,  under 
the  saddle.  On  the  9th  of  November,  1833,  on  the  Union  Course,  L.  I.,  he  won  the 
match,  performing  18  miles  in  58m.  52s.  Hiram  Woodruff,  weighing  then  138lbs.. 
jockeyed  him.  Paul  Pry  was  nine  years  old,  bred  on  Long  Island,  and  got  bj 
Mount  Holly,  dam  by  Hambletonian. 


THE    HORSE.  59 

In  1831,  Chancellor,  a  grey  gelding,  ridden  by  a  small  boy,  perform*,d  32  miles  on 
the  Hunting  Park  Course,  Pa.,  in  1  hour,  58m.  31s.  The  last  mile,  to  save  a  bet, 
was  trotted  in  3m.  7s. 

In  October  of  the  same  year,  George  Woodruff  drove  Whalebone  on  the  same 
Course,  the  same  distance  in  1  hour,  53m.  5s.  He  commenced  the  match  in  a  light 
sulkey,  which  broke  down  on  the  14th  mile,  and  was  replaced  by  one  much  heavier. 
This  Course  is  fifty  feet  more  than  a  mile  in  the  saddle  track,  and  much  more  than 
that  in  the  harness  track. 

On  the  11th  of  September,  1839,  Mr.  McMann's  bay  mare.  Empress,  on  the  Beacon 
Course,  in  a  match  against  time,  $600  a  side,  performed  in  harness  33  miles  in  1 
hour,  58m.  55s. 

The  American  horse  Rattler  was  ridden  by  Mr.  Osbaldistone  in  England,  in  a 
match  against  Driver,  34  miles  in  2  hours,  18m.  56s.  —  Mr.  Osbaldistone  rode  125 
lbs. ;  Rattler  was  15^  hands  high. 

In  July,  1835,  Black  Juke  was  driven  in  a  match  against  time,  on  the  Course  at 
Providence,  R.  I.,  50  miles  in  3  hours,  57s. 

A  gray  roadster  is  reported  to  have  performed  the  same  distance  on  the  Hunt'ng 
Park  Course,  Pa.,  in  3  hours,  40m.     It  was  a  private  match. 

A  grey  mare,  Mischief,  by  Mount  Holly,  out  of  a  Messenger  mare,  8  years  old,  in 
Julj^  1837,  performed  about  84^  miles  in  8  hours,  30m.  in  harness,  on  the  road  from 
Jersey  City  to  Philadelphia.  The  owner  would  not  allow  a  whip  to  be  \xs&\.  The 
day  was  excessively  warm,  and  the  mare  lost  her  match  (to  perform  90  miles  in  10 
hours)  through  the  stupidity  of  a  groom  who  dashed  a  pail  of  water  over  her  with  a 
view  of  cooling  her. 

Tom  Thumb,  before  mentioned,  performed  on  2d  February,  1829,  on  Sunbury 
Common,  England,  100  miles  in  10  hours,  7m.  in  harness.  He  was  driven  by 
"William  Haggerty  (weighing  over  140  lbs.)  in  a  match-cart  weighing  108  lbs.  This 
performance,  so  extraordinary,  demands  more  than  a  passing  notice,  and  we  accord- 
ingly abridge  from  an  English  paper  the  following  description: 

Tom  Thumb  was  brought  from  beyond  the  Missouri,  and  is  reported  to  have  been 
an  Indian  pony,  caught  wild  and  tamed.  Others  again,  allowing  him  to  have  been  thus 
domesticated,  think  him  to  have  been  not  the  full-bred  wild  horse  of  the  Western 
prairies,  but  to  have  had  some  cross  of  higher  and  purer  blood.  But  too  little  is 
known  of  his  breeding,  savinjr  his  western  origin,  to  justify  any  satisfactory  specu- 
lation. 

His  height  was  14i  hands,  and  his  appearance,  when  standing  still,  rough  and 
uncouth.  From  his  birth,  he  had  never  been  shorn  of  a  hair.  He  was  an  animal  of 
remarkable  hardihood,  a  hearty  feeder,  and  though  accustomed  to  rough  usage,  was 
free  from  vice,  playful  and  good-tempered.  He  was  eleven  years  old  when  he  per- 
formed his  match,  and  had  never  had  a  day's  illness.  At  full  speed  his  action  was 
particularly  beautiful — he  threw  his  fore-legs  well  out,  and  brought  up  his  quarters 
in  good  style ;  he  trotted  square,  though  rather  wide  behind,  and  low.  He  was  driven 
without  a  bearing  rein,  which  is  going  out  of  use  in  England,  and  simply  with  a 
snaffle-bit  and  martingale.  He  pulled  extremely  hard — his  head  being,  in  conse- 
quence, well  up  and  close  to  his  neck,  and  his  mouth  wide  open.  He  did  his  work 
with  great  ease  to  himself,  and  at  1 1  miles  the  hour,  seemed  to  be  only  playing, 
while  horses  accompanying  laboured  hard. 

The  whole  time  allowed  for  refreshments  during  his  great  performance,  amounted  to 
but  37  minutes,  including  taking  out  and  putting  to  the  cart,  taking  off  and  putting  on 
the  harness,  feeding,  rubbing  down  and  stalling.  The  day  before  and  the  day  after  the 
match,  he  walked  full  twenty  miles.  His  jockey  provided  himself  with  a  whip,  but 
made  no  use  of  it  in  driving  him ;  a  slight  kick  on  the  hind-quarters  was  quite  suffi- 
cient to  increase  his  speed  when  necessary. 

In  February,  1828,  a  pair  of  horses  trotted  against  time  100  miles  on  the  Jamaica 
turnpike,  on  Long  Island,  and  won  in  11  hours,  54m. 

But  in  June,  1834,  a  pair  of  horses  belonoing  to  Mr.  Theal,  trotted  that  distance  in 

harness  on  the  Centreville  Course,  within  10  hours,  and  immediately  after  Mr.  B 

offered  to  bet  S5500  that  he  would  produce  a  pair  of  horses  that  could  trot  110  miles 
in  harness  within  the  same  time ! — The  bet  was  taken,  but  afterwards  abandoned  by 


60  THE  HORSE, 

the  backers  of  time,  who  paid  forfeit. — Another  gentleman  offered  to  produce  for  a 
wager  a  pair  of  horses  that  should  trot  100  miles  in  nine  hours  in  harness,  but  no 
Oi.e  would  back  time  against  the  performance.  • 

Having  thus  gone  through  with  these  numerous  details,  let  us  dwell  for  a  moment 
upon  some  of  the  most  extraordinary  performances  noted  in  the  tables.  Probably  the 
most  remarkable  trotting  performance  on  record  is  Dutchman's  match  against  time. 
But  we  will  first  give  the  report  of  his  match  with  Rattler,  which  we  compile  from 
the  "  Spirit  of  the  Times." 

EXTRAORDINARY   TROTTING  MATCH. 

A  TROTTING  MATCH,  for  $1000  a-side,  Three  mile  heats,  under  the  saddle,  came  off 
on  Saturday,Oct.  6, 1838,  at  4  o'clock,  over  the  Beacon  Course,  opposite  this  city.  The 
annals  of  the  turf  furnish  no  parallel  to  it;  every  foot  of  the  ground  was  severely  con- 
tested, and  the  time  made  is  by  far  the  best  on  record. 

Dutchman  and  Rattler  were  the  contending  horses;  the  first  is  a  handsome  bay 
gelding,  of  great  size  and  substance,  about  16  hands  high;  he  is  what  is  termed  "  a 
meaty  horse,"  and  looks,  when  in  fine  condition,  like  an  ordinary  roadster  in  "good 
order."  He  was  trained  for  the  match  and  ridden  by  Hiram  Woodruff.  Rattier  is 
a  brown  gelding,  of  about  lo|  hands,  and  "  a  rum  'un  to  look  at;"  he  was  drawn  very 
fine,  though  one  of  those  that  seldom  carry  an  ounce  of  superfluous  flesh  ;  we  hear  that 
his  feed  of  late  has  seldom  exceeded  six  quarts  per  day,  while  Dutchman's  has  been 
between  twelve  and  sixteen.  Rattler  was  trained  and  ridden  by  William  Wheelan. 
His  style  of  going  is  superior  to  Dutchman's;  he  spreads  himself  well,  and  strikes  out 
clear  and  even.  Dutchman  does  not  appear  to  have  perfect  command  of  his  hind  legs : 
instead  of  throwing  them  forward,  he  raises  them  so  high  as  to  throw  up  his  rump,  and 
consequently  falls  short  in  his  stride.  The  main  dependence  of  his  backers  was  based 
upon  his  game  ;  and  a  gentleman  who  "put  on  the  pot"  to  a  heavy  amount  on  Rattler, 
offered  2  to  1  on  Dutchman  before  the  start,  provided  the  heats  were  broken. 

The  odds  before  the  horses  came  upon  the  track  were  5  to  4  on  Dutchman  ;  after  the 
riders  were  up,  5  to  3  was  current,  and  at  length  2  to  1.  As  they  were  ridden  up  and 
down  in  front  of  the  stand  previous  to  starting,  both  appeared  to  be  in  superb  condition, 
and  to  have  their  action  perfectly.  The  track  was  so  hard  and  smooth  that  the  nails 
in  the  shoes  of  the  horses  could  be  seen  every  step  they  made.  A  great  many  bets 
were  made  on  time;  even  bets  were  made  that  it  would  be  better  than  any  on  record. 
To  determine  what  the  best  time  on  record  was,  it  was  shown  that  in  1833,  Columbus 
trotted  a  three  mile  heat,  under  the  saddle,  over  the  Hunting  Park  Course,  Philadel- 
phia, in  7:57^, — but  to  prevent  any  dispute  about  the  fractions  of  a  second,  7:58  was 
declared  to  be  the  best  time  made.  On  the  10th  of  October,  1837,  Daniel  D.  Tomp- 
kins, in  a  match,  literally  vs.  the  world,  beat  Rattler,  over  the  Centreville  Course,  in 
7:59 — 8:09,  three  mile  heats,  under  the  saddle.  Both  Dutchman  and  Rattler  are 
owned  by  gentlemen  of  this  city;  the  latter  was  ridden  without  a  spur. 

The  Race. — Rattler  drew  the  track,  but  resigned  it  to  Dutchman  on  the  first 
quarter;  he  came  in  fronton  the  backside,  and  at  the  half-mile  post  led  by  two  lengths; 
he  soon  after  broke  up,  when  Dutchman  headed  him  and  led  past  the  stand  (2:42) 
round  to  the  straight  stretch  on  the  backside,  where  the  ground  being  descending,  and 
more  favourable  to  him,  Rattler  passed.  Dutchman  waited  upon  him,  close  up,  tc 
near  the  three-quarter  mile  post,  where  Rattler  shook  him  ofl;  and  led  past  the  stand 
(2:38)  by  four  lengths;  keeping  up  his  rate,  he  led  down  the  backside  and  round  th 
turn  to  the  straight  stretch  in  front,  where  Hiram  caught  Dutchman  by  the  head,  and 
laid  in  the  spurs  up  to  the  gaffs;  the  brush  home  was  "tremendous,  but  Rattler  won  by 
nearly  a  lenErth,  trotting  the  3d  mile  in  2:34^,  and  the  heat  in  7:54|. 

Second  heat. — Dutchman  broke  at  starting,  and  2  to  1  was  offered  against  him. 
Down  the  backside  the  horses  were  lapped  all  the  way;  on  the  ascending  ground, 
within  about  ten  rods  of  the  half-mile  post,  Dutchman  gained  a  little,  and  came  first  to 
the  stand  (2:37).  He  drew  out  two  lengths  ahead  round  the  1st  turn  on  the  2d  mile, 
but  Rattler  gallantly  challenged  him  down  the  backside  and  lapped  him;  at  the  half- 
mile  post  Dutchman  was  again  clear,  but  by  a  desperate  effort  Rattler  lapped  him 
when  they  got  into  straight  work  in  front,  and  thus  they  came  to  the  stand  (2:33). 
On  the  backside  Rattler,  as  usual,  drew  out  clear,  but  for  an  instant  only ;  the  spurs 


THE    HORSE.  61 

were  well  laid  into  D.,and  the  struggle  was  desperate ;  Dutchman  hung  upon  Rattler'g 
quarter,  and  gradually  gained  to  the  half-mile  post,  when  they  were  locked  as  perfectly 
as  if  in  double  harness.  The  contest  was  almost  too  much  for  Rattler,  who  skipped 
several  times,  and  was  only  prevented  from  breaking  by  Bill's  holding  him  up.  They 
came  up  the  quarter  stretch  at  an  immense  pace,  but  opposite  the  four  mile  distance 
stand,  Rattier  unfoctunately  broke  up,  when  nearly  a  lengm  ahead,  and  Dutchman 
won  the  heat  by  six  or  eight  lengths.  When  Rattler  skipped,  Wheelan  should  have 
taken  him  in  hand,  but  he  was  so  much  ahead,  and  so  near  home,  (within  180  "ards,) 
that  under  the  intense  excitement  of  the  moment,  he  neglected  doing  so;  had  he  done 
so,  however,  at  the  rate  Dutchman  was  going  he  would  probably  have  won  by  a  few 
feet,  for  Rattler  could  not  have  made  up  any  lee-way,  caused  by  pulling  him  up; 
nothing  but  his  breaking  lost  him  the  heat.  The  instant  Rattler  broke,  Hiram  pulled 
up  Dutchman,  and  he  would  have  walked  out  had  not  the  people  in  the  stand  called 
out  to  him  to  "  come  on."  The  last  mile  was  performed  in  2:40,  and  the  heat  in  7:50; 
had  Dutchman  kept  up  his  stroke,  the  time  of  the  heat  would  have  been  7:4S. 

Third  heat. — Dutchman  went  off  with  a  fine  stride  (2  to  1  offered  on  him)  and  led 
about  half-way  down  the  backside,  when  Rattier  caught  him;  at  the  half  mile  post 
they  were  locked,  and  thus  they  can^^  lo  the  stand  (in  2:4'2);  they  made  the  turn  in 
the  same  position,  and  nothing  but  repeated  injunctions  from  the  Judges  to  keep  silent, 
prevented  cheers  from  the  stands  that. would  have  made  the  welkin  ring;  it  was  a 
beautiful  sight ;  both  were  going,  D.  under  the  spur,  at  a  flight  of  speed,  neck  and 
neck  ;  half-way  down  the  backside.  Rattler  got  almost  clear,  but  Dutchman  soon  after 
lapped,  and  when  they  came  to  the  stand  (2:3S.')  was  half  a  length  ahead.  When 
they  got  into  straight  work  on  the  backside.  Rattler  again  collared  him,  and  they  went 
locked  to  near  the  half  mile  post,  when  Dutchman  once  more  got  in  front,  Wheelan 
having  taken  Rattler  in  hand  for  a  brush  up  the  straight  side.  This  he  made  soon 
after;  they  were  lapped  as  they  swung  round  the  turn,  and  the  struggle  that  ensued 
revived  recollections  o^  Bascombe  and  Post-Boy.  Profound  silence  was  preserved  on 
the  stand,  that  neither  horse  might  be  excited  or  frightened  into  a  break,  and  the 
interest  of  the  scene  was  so  great,  that  each  of  the  spectators  seemed  to  hold  his  breath 
as  the  horses  neared  the  stand ;  it  was  a  brush  to  the  end,  Dutchman  coming  out  a 
throatlatch  in  front,  caused  by  Hiram's  giving  up  his  pull,  and  giving  him  a  push  d  la 
Chifney,  which  made  him  clearly  the  winner  by  a  foot.  The  excited  feelings  of  the 
crowd  in  tlie  stand  could  no  longer  be  repressed,  but  burst  out  in  a  tumultuous  cheer 
that  might  have  been  heard  three  miles  off.  The  last  mile  was  done  in  2:414,  and 
the  heat  in  8:02.     The  Judges,  after  some  discussion,  pronounced  it  a  dead  heat. 

Great  odds  were  now  offered  on  Dutchman,  though  he  exhibited  more  "signals  of 
distress"  than  Rattler;  his  trainer,  however,  informed  us  that  he  "hung  out"  these 
after  taking  his  ordinary  exercise ;  "  it  was  a  way  he  had,"  rather  than  any  severe 
exertion  which  produced  them.  Both  sweated  freely,  and  came  to  the  post  a  fourth 
time  "about  as  good  as  new."  The  performance  of  the  match  commenced  at  4 
o'clock;  it  was  six,  and  almost  dark,  when  they  started  on  the 

Fourth  heat. — Dutchman  led  off  from  the  score  to  half-way  down  the  backside,  by 
three  lengths;  Rattler,  however,  lapped  him  at  the  half  mile  post,  but  Dutchman 
soon  after  drew  out  in  front  again ;  Hiram  kept  him  at  his  work  from  this  point  to  the 
finish,  and  Rattler  never  got  up  to  him  afterwards,  that  we  could  see,  for  it  was  now 
so  dark,  neither  horse  nor  rider  conld  be  distinguished  ;  Rattler  subsequently  fell  off  in 
his  stride,  and  was  finally  beaten  handily  by  six  lengths,  after  as  game  and  honest  a 
race  as  we  ever  saw,  and  by  far  the  best,  in  point  of  time,  on  record. 

As  a  matter  of  reference,  we  give  the  time  of  each  mile  of  this  great  performance: 
Saturday,  Oct.  6,  1838.  —  Beacon  Course,  N.  J.  —  Match,  81000  a  side,  under  the 
Saddle  ;  weight  145  lbs.  on  each.     Three  mile  heats. 

Mr.  E.  M.'sbr.  g.  Dutchman Hiram  Woodruff.     2     10     1 

Messrs.  V.  &  M.'s  b.  g.  Rattler Wm.   Wheelan.  ..1202 

1st  mile 2:42  .Tlstmile 2:.37.  .1st  mile 2:42  ..1st  mile...    .2:53 

2d  mile 2:38  ..2d  mile 2:33.. 2d  mile 2:381. 2d  mile...    .2:43 

3d  mile 2:34^.. 3d  mile 2:40.. 3d  mile 2:4l|..3d  mile....  2:48^ 

First  heat 7:54^. .  Second  heat  .  .7:50. .  Third  heat  .  .8:02  .  .Fourth  heat   .8:24J 

6 


(J2  THE    HORSE. 

From  th&  sbove  it  will  be  seen  that  the  average  time  of  the  2d  heat  was  2:36  and 
two-thirds  of  a  second  per  mile,  and  that  of  the  four  heats  2:40  and  five-sixths  of  a 
second. 

A  great  number  of  people  were  assembled  to  witness  the  match,  and  we  were  struck 
with  the  number  of  gentlemen  in  attendance.  Every  one  seemed  delighted,  and  as 
they  will  no  doubt  be  induced  to  turn  out  on  any  similar  occasion,  the  match  cannot 
fail  to  exercise  a  salutary  and  beneficial  influence  upon  our  "Associations  for  the 
Improvement  of  Road  Horses."  In  closing  our  account,  we  must  not  omit  to  speak 
of  the  admirable  condition  in  which  Woodruff"  and  Wheelan  brought  their  horses  to 
the  post;  they  jockeyed  them,  too,  "like  a  knife,"  displaying  the  most  consummate 
skill  and  judgment;  a  superior  exhibition  of  horsemanship  has  not  been  seen  here 
since  the  day  Purdy  stripped  to  throw  a  leg  over  the  saddle  of  old  Eclipse. 

From  the  same  paper  we  compile  a  report  of  the  match  against  time  which  came 
otFin  the  following  year,  1839. 

This  match,  for  .$1000  a  side,  vs.  time,  was  made  on  the  11th  July,  on  the  evening 
of  the  day  on  which  Dutchman  beat  Awful,  three-mile  heats,  in  harness,  in  a  match 
of  .§.5000  vs.  §;2500.  The  backers  of  time  staked  their  money  against  Dutchman's 
trotting  three  miles  in  7:49.  He  was  allowed  to  perform  the  match  in  harness  or 
under  the  saddle — to  make  two  trials  if  necessary,  and  to  have  two  hours  intermission 
between  them  ;  the  match  was  appointed  to  come  off"  on  the  1st  day  of  August,  pro- 
vided the  weather  and  track  were  unexceptionable  ;  weight  according  to  the  rules  of 
the  course,  or  145  lbs. 

Fortunately  the  track  was  in  pretty  good  order,  though  dusty;  the  weather  all  day 
had  been  excessively  warm,  but  as  the  match  came  oft'  late  in  the  afternoon,  the  air 
was  cooler  and  more  bracing.  After  being  walked  for  some  time  up  and  down  in 
front  of  the  stand  in  his  match  cart,  with  his  hood  and  sheet  on,  he  was  taken  out  of 
harness  and  groomed;  at  a  quarter  to  seven  o'clock,  was  led  to  the  judges'  stand; 
and  Hiram  Woodruff,  coming  out  of  the  weighing-room,  threw  his  leg  over  the 
saddle.  A  fine  thorough-bred  grey  mare  was  also  mounted  at  the  same  time  by  Isaac 
Woodruff"  to  keep  him  company,  and  at  a  steady  racing  pace.  The  Judge  and  the 
two  official  Timers  now  selected  a  third,  who  having  taken  his  place  in  their  stand,  the 
horses  were  called  up.     Dutchman  was  the  favourite  at  odds. 

The  race. — At  precisely  10  minutes  to  7  o'clock  the  signal  was  given,  and  Dutch- 
man went  off'  with  a  long,  clean  stroke,  that  kept  the  mare  up  to  three  parts  racing 
speed;  Dutchman  went  to  the  quarter  mile  post  in  40  seconds,  and  did  the  1st  halt 
mile  in  1:17^ ;  the  mare  was  not  allowed  to  pass  him,  but  was  kept  well  up ;  in  com- 
ing down  the  quarter-stretch  Dutchman  pulled  to  the  mare,  doing  the  1st  mile  in  2:34^, 
At  the  stand  Hiram  told  her  rider  to  ''go  along,^^  and  as  she  locked  him,  old  Dutch- 
man, like  a  trump  as  he  is,  made  a  tremendous  burst,  doing  the  1st  quarter  of  the  2d 
mile  in  38  seconds,  and  the  half  mile  in  1:15.  Going  down  the  backside  Hiram  bade 
Isaac  ^'let  the  mare  out,"  and  so  immense  was  Dutchman's  rate  for  a  few  hundred 
yards,  that  it  seemed  as  if  the  mare  could  not  have  passed  had  she  tried.  From  the 
half  mile  post  to  the  stand  there  was  no  faltering,  and  but  little  falling  off"  in  the  pace, 
the  mile  being  done  in  2:28 — the  best  time  on  record.  Dutchman  was  kept  at  his 
work  from  the  stand,  and  came  to  the  quarter  mile  post  on  the  3d  mile  in  39  seconds, 
and  to  the  half  mile  post  in  1:16,  which  showed  a  falling  off"  but  of  a  second  from  the 
time  of  the  previous  1st  quarter  and  1st  half  mile.  Hiram  feeling  confident  now  that 
ne  had  won  the  match,  and  all  bets  against  time,  came  home  at  an  easier  pace,  finish- 
ing the  third  and  last  mile  in  2:30,  having  performed  the  last  two  miles  in  4:58,  and 
the  heat  in  7:32^ — being  sixteen  and  a  half  seconds  inside  of  his  time. 

Dutchman,  in  this  match,  has  made  the  best  time  on  record,  at  one,  two,  and  three 
miles.  He  was  in  superb  condition,  and  never  broke  up  from  the  start  to  the  end, 
we  need  hardly  add,  he  was  jockeyed  most  admirably.  We  add,  for  convenience  of 
reference,  a  summary  of  this  wonderful  performance  : — 

Thursday,  Aug.  1,  1839  — Match,  $1000  a  side,  Dutchman  vs.  Time  — Three  miles 
in  7:49,  in  harness  or  under  the  saddle ;  weight  145  lbs. 

Won  by  INIessrs. 's  b.  g.  Dutchman. . .  .ridden  by  Hiram  Woodruff",  as  follows.'— 

First  mile,  2:34i— Second,  2:28— Third,  2:30— Time  of  the  three  miles,  7:32-J. 


THE    HORSE.  63 

We  will  conclude  the  details  of  fast  trotting  with  the  performance?  of  the  extra 
ordinary  animals  in  the  current  year.  They  are,  it  will  be  seen,  the  best  on  record 
at  the  distance  of  two  miles  in  harness. 

TROTTING  ON  THE  BEACON  COURSE. 

Saturday,  jNIay  7. — Purse  $300,  of  which  $50  to  go  to  the  second  best  horse  in  the 
race.     Two-mile  heats,  in  harness. 

Hiram  Woodruff's  br.  g.  Ripton II.  Woodruff  1     1 

D.  Bryan's  gr.  m.  Lady  Suffolk 2     2 

Wra.  Wheelan's  b.  g.  Conjldence 3     3 

Time,  5:10i— 5:12^. 

This  was  the  great  event.  As  they  were  driven  up  and  down  in  front  of  the  stand 
previous  to  starting,  they  all  appeared  to  be  in  superb  condition,  and  to  have  their 
action  perfectly.  Confidence  had  the  call  in  betting.  Ripton  drew  the  track.  Confi- 
dence second,  and  the  Lady  outside.  After  two  or  three  false  starts  they  got  off 
■well  together,  but  on  making  the  first  turn  Confidence  broke.  Ripton  drew  out  two 
lengths  ahead  around  the  first  turn,  the  Lady  close  up.  Confidence  soon  got  into  his 
work  again,  made  up  his  lost  ground,  and  taking  the  inside  down  the  back  stretch,  he 
soon  drew  out  in  front.  They  all  swung  into  the  straight  side  well  together,  coming 
up  the  quarter  stretch  at  an  immense  pace.  Confidence  passing  the  Judges'  stand  a 
little  ahead,  Ripton  close  upon  his  wheel,  making  the  first  mile  in  3:34.  As  they 
swung  around  the  turn,  into  the  back  stretch  in  the  second  mile,  Ripton  gallantly 
challenged  him  down  the  backside  at  a  flight  of  speed,  neck  and  neck ;  at  the  half 
mile  post  Ripton  drew  out  a  length  in  front.  Confidence  subsequently  fell  off  in  his 
stride,  but  the  Lady  taking  up  the  running  the  remaining  part  of  the  heat,  made  Rip- 
ton come  home  in  2:36^. 

ScconikHeaf. — They  all  came  up  to  the  scratch  for  mischief.  Confidence  broke 
again  on  the  turn,  Ripton  taking  the  lead  for  the  first  quarter,  and  then  resigning  it  to 
the  Lady,  who  kept  it,  passing  the  Judges'  stand  about  a  length  ahead,  Ripton  well 
up,  and  Confidence  considerably  in  the  rear.  As  they  entered  the  back  stretch,  Hiram 
made  play  for  the  lead,  and  the  Lady  having  broke,  he  soon  took  it,  closely  followed 
by  the  mare.  Oji  making  the  turn  for  the  straight  side  home,  Ripton  made  a  skip,  and 
lost  about  two  lengths  ;  the  mare  came  up  and  took  the  track  on  the  inside,  and  got 
about  a  length  ahead,  but  Hiram  soon  got  Ripton  into  his  work  again,  and  caught  the 
mare  near  the  draw  gate,  passed  her,  and  won  the  heat  in  5:12^  ! 

CENTREVILLE  (L.  I.)  TROTTING  COURSE. 

Tuesday,  May  10,  1842. — Purse  $300.     Two-mile  heats,  in  harness. 

D.  Bryan's  gr.  m.  Ladi/  Suffolk Owner  1     1 

H.  Woodruff's  br.  g.  Ripton 2     2 

Time,  5:10—5:15. 

Wonders  will  never  cease — ^the  grey  mare  has  proved  the  better  horse,  and  no  mis- 
take, No  longer  ago  than  last  Saturday,  Ripton  popt  it  to  the  mare  and  Confidence 
over  the  Beacon  Course  in  the  quick  time  of  5:10| — 5:12|. 

On  the  present  occasion  Ripton  was  the  favourite  at  100  to  70.  At  the  start  they 
went  off  well  together  at  the  top  of  their  rate,  making  play  from  the  score  ;  on  reach- 
ing the  first  turn  Ripton  broke,  and  the  mare  took  the  lead  by  several  lengths,  going 
finely.  Hiram  made  several  efforts  to  make  up  his  loss,  but  all  was  of  no  avail,  the 
mare  kept  snugly  to  her  work,  and  led  throughout  the  heat,  making  the  quick  time  of 
5:10. 

Second  Heat. — They  both  cooled  off  well,  and  came  up  ripe  for  mischief.  They  got 
off  well  together  at  a  flight  of  speed;  Ripton  broke,  as  usual,  on  the  first  turn,  and 
lost  several  lengths,  the  mare  taking  the  lead.  Hiram  got  Ripton  snugly  to  his  work 
again,  and  caught  the  mare  in  the  last  quarter  of  the  first  mile,  both  coming  down  thf 


64  THE   HORSE. 

straight  side  at  a  tremendous  flight  of  speed  ;  on  making  the  turn  Ripton  broke,  and 
lost  about  fifty  yards,  and  before  the  mare  got  out  Hiram  made  up  his  lost  ground, 
lapt  the  mare  coming  down  the  quarter  stretch,  but  was  unable  to  win  the  heat,  for 
Hiram  had  taken  the  kink  out  of  his  horse  to  make  up  the  lost  ground.  Ripton  was 
very  restless,  and  broke  several  times  during  each  heat. 

Same  Day. — Sweepstakes  of  $50  each.     Mile  heats,  in  harness. 

Henry  Jones'  gr.  g.  Grey  Eagle H.  Jones  1     1 

Mi.  Bennett's  b.  g.  Game  Chicken 2     3 

Time,  2:56—2:56. 

Thursday,  May  12. — Purse  $ .     Mile  heats,  best  3  in  5,  under  the  saddle. 

Hiram  Woodruff's  hi.  g.  Brandywine //.  Woodruff  1     1 

Wm.  Wheelan's  gr.  g.  Fourth  (f  July dist 

N.  Carroll's  gr.  m.  Hantz dist. 

Mr.  Carll's  b.  m.  Betsey  Baker dist 

Time,  2:36. 
Fourth  of  July  was  the  favourite  at  2  to  1  at  the  start.     Brandywine  took  the  lead 
and  distanced  the  field  the  first  heat. 

Friday,  May  13.  —  Match  for  $200,  to  which  the  proprietor  will  add  a  purse  of  $50. 
Two-mile  heats,  under  the  saddle. 

.  Wm.  Wheelan's  ch.  m.  Brooklyn  Maid Owner  1     1 

A.  Conklin's  b.  g.  Homer 2     2 

Time,  5.16—5:22. 
Brooklyn  Maid  won  both  heats  with  ease. 

Same  Day. — Purse  $ — >.     Mile  heats,  best  3  in  5,  in  harness. 

C.  Carll's  Pocahontas 1     1     1 

J.  M.  McMann's  John  Anderson 2     2     2 

Time,  2:501—2:49—2:50^. 
It  is  not  a  little  singular,  that  within  three  weeks  after  the  last  mentioned  perform- 
ance, the  same  paper  should  have  to  report  another  trial  between  these  horses,  more 
extraordinary  than  either  of  the  previous  ones,  and  which  restores  to  Ripton  his  su- 
premacy. ^ 

TROTTING  ON  THE  HUNTING  PARK  COURSE. 

On  Tuesday  last  a  splendid  trot  came  off  over  the  Hunting  Park  Course,  two-mile 
heats,  between  Ripton  and  Lady  Suffolk,  in  which  they  made  the  best  time  on  record 
at  this  distance,  in  harness.  Hiram  Woodruff  on  Ripton  won  the  last  heat  by  six 
inches  only ! 

Hiram  Woodruff's  br.  g.  Bipton , Owner  12     1 

David  Bryan's  gr.  m.  Lady  Suffolk    2     1     2 

Time,  5:07—5:15—5:17. 

The  following  table  has  been  made  with  care,  and  we  should  despair  of  command- 
ing the  attention  of  the  reader  to  the  general  subject,  who  will  not  consider  it  worthy 
of 'insertion.  It  will  be  seen  that  while  in  this  list  of  about  thirty  great  performers, 
not  one  is  over  16  hands,  only  two  are  under  15. 

HEIGHT  OF   TROTTING   HORSES. 

The  annexed  list  gives  the  height  of  many  celebrated  horses,  estimated  only,  but  by 
two  most  experienced  men,  one  of  whom  had  groomed  or  ridden  almost  every  one 
named,  and  the  other  is  an  old  amateur,  who  has  the  quickest  eye  for  a  horse,  and 
who  rode  after  most  of  those  named,  and  has  seen  them  all  repeatedly.  Of  the 
thirty  in  the  list,  they  differed  only  about  eight,  and  of  these  only  by  one  inch,  save 
in  a  single  case.  In  the  eijht  cases  we  have  given  the  estimate  of  the  jockey  who 
had  ^'dden  or  driven  them,  and  have  great  faith  in  its  accuracy. 


THE   HORSE, 


65 


Names. 


Dutchman 15 

Lady  Suffolk .J  15 

Columbus 16 

Aaron  Burr 15 

Rattler  (the  latest) j  15 

Screwdriver  (old) .......  j   16 

Do.         (latest) 15 

D.  D.  Tompkins 15 

Lady  Warrington 15 

Lady  Victory |  15 

Toporallant |   15 

Sir  Peter 15 

Whalebone 15 

Shakspeare '   15 

Betsv  Baker . . .:   15 


Names. 

Cato 

Edwin  Forrest  . . . 

Burster 

Norman  Leslie  . . . 
Confidence  (latest) 

Locomotive 

Sally  Miller 

Charlotte  Temple. 

Washington 

Modesty 

Greenwich  Maid . . 

Awful 

Henry 

Paul  Pry 


The  acknowledged  superiority  of  the  performances  of  the  American  over  English 
trotters,  or  to  speak  with  more  precise  accuracy,  extraordinary  performances  in  a 
greater  number  of  cases,  has  been  already  attributed  to  superior  skill  in  trnining,  but 
on  that  we  must  not  be  understood  as  laying  so  much  stress,  as  upou  superior  juckey- 
ship  in  this  particular  department ;  for  the  training  nf  the  trotting  horse,  so  far  as  Ave 
can  learn,  requires  no  considerable  skill,  save  as  it  is  connected  with  the  skill  of  the 
jockey  who  usuall}^  acts  in  both  capacities.  For  training,  the  whole  code  is  said  to 
consist  of  three  words — air,  exercise,  and  food.  The  work  given  him  in  training  is 
severe  according  to  his  constitution,  and  consists  in  walking  him  from  twelve  to 
twenty  miles  daily,  and  giving  him  "  sharp  work"  three  or  four  times  a  week.  This 
"  sharp  work"  is  usually  a  distance  of  two  miles,  or  sometimes  three.  The  horse  is 
not  put  to  his  speed  this  entire  distance,  but  taught  to  rouse  himself  at  intervals,  at 
the  call  of  his  jockey,  who  encourages  him  and  brings  out  his  utmost  capacity  by  hia 
voice,  not  less  scarcely  than  by  the  usual  persuasion  of  whip  and  spur.  This  feature 
of  trotting  jockey  ship  is  peculiar  and  not  a  little  amusing.  The  jockey  is  continually 
talking  or  rather  growling  to  his  horse,  and  at  times  he  bursts  out  into  shouts  and 
yells,  that  would  be  terrific  if  not  so  ludicrous.  The  object  would  appear  to  be  two- 
fold— first,  to  encourage  his  horse  to  the  utmost  possible  exertion  of  his  powers  when 
called  upon,  and  again,  so  to  accustom  him  to  this  harsh  shouting,  that  he  may  not 
break  up  when  he  hears  it  from  the  opposing  jockey — for  it  is  deemed  not  unsports- 
manlike for  one  jockey  to  break  up  the  pace  of  another's  nag  by  thus  actually  fright- 
ening him.  Many  a  victory  has  Hiram  Woodmtf  won  by  thus  rousing  his  own  horse 
and  breaking  up  his  opponent's  on  the  last  quarter.  These  two-mile  drives  are  not 
repeated  as  is  usual  in  training  the  race-horse.  Nor  is  the  work  of  the  trotter  given 
at  intervals  so  regular  as  in  the  case  of  the  other,  nor  is  he  kept  in  such  habitual 
quiet ;  the  trainer  consults  his  own  convenience  to  a  great  degree  as  to  the  time  when 
he  will  give  his  nag  exercise,  and  he  never  hesitates  about  taking  him  out  and  show- 
ing him  at  any  hour. 

In  other  respects  too,  the  treatment  of  the  trotting-horse  differs  from  that  of  the 
more  high-bred  racer.  Less  delicate  in  constitution  and  form,  he  is  less  delicately 
fed  and  sfroomed.  Allowed  to  eat  when  and  what  they  please,  trotting  horses  are 
groomed  with  much  the  same  care  as  well-kept  town  coach-horses,  or  perhaps  the 
English  hunter.  In  the  two  grand  points  of  keeping  them  in  robust  health  and  giving 
them  hard  work  enough,  the  training  of  the  trotter  and  the  racer  is  identical.  But  for 
the  trotter  from  six  to  eight  weeks'  training  is  deemed  sufficient.  W'e  are  inclined  to 
believe  that  very  much  of  the  superiority  of  the  American  trotter  and  roadster  is 
attributable  to  the  skill  of  the  jockey.  Our  mode  of  driving  them  differs  essentially 
fiom  the  English,  and  though  neither  easy  nor  elegant,  it  succeeds  admirably  in  de- 
veloping the  capabilities  of  a  horse  at  this  pace.  The  case  already  cited  of  Wheelan 
and  the  horse  Alexander  in  England,  is  in  point,  and  it  is  practically  illustrated  every 
6*  I 


QQ  THE   HORSE. 

day  in  New  York,  many  English  residents  of  which  city  are  trjtting  amateurs;  ihey 
one  and  all,  after  a  little  experience,  adopt  the  Yankee  mode  of  driving. 

It  has  long  been  a  question  exciting  much  interest,  whether  twenty  miles  has  been, 
or  can  be,  trotted  in  one  hour.  There  is  no  record  of  any  such  performance,  although 
there  h-we  been  many  attempts  to  do  it.  But  men  of  great  judgment  and  long  ex- 
perience, are  so  fully  confident  of  the  ability  of  our  horses  to  go  that  distance  at  the 
required  rate,  that  large  odds  would  be  laid  that  it  can  be  done.  The  difficulty  is  to 
find  an  individual  who  wall  at  this  day  back  him  to  an  adequate  amount;  for  it  will 
readily  occur  that  a  horse  that  can  accomplish  the  feat  must  be  of  great  value,  and 
the  risk  of  injury  to  him  is  of  course  "very  considerable.  It  is  believed  that  $10,000  to 
$5,000  would  readily  be  laid  that  Dutchman  can  do  it,  and  probably  Americus  would 
be  backed  at  less  odds  likewise  to  do  it.  The  trotting  amateurs  in  New  York  pro- 
fess to  entertain  no  doubt  at  all  upon  the  subject,  and  it  is  believed  they  have  sufii- 
cient  reason  for  the  opinion. 

Here,  most  patient  reader,  we  close  these  our  remarks,  preliminary  to  what  we 
may  fairly  denominate  the  great  work  on  the  Horse.  It  is  for  you  to  say  if  they 
have  served  either  to  instruct  or  amuse;  but  whatever  may  be  your  judgment  as  to 
this  our  Introduction,  let  it  not  affect  your  inclination  to  make  yourself  acquainted 
with  the  principal  work,  to  which  it  is  no  more  essential,  than  a  handle  to  a  pitcher, 
and  that  you  know  may  long  continue  useful  though  the  handle  be  broken  off.  This 
work  on  the  Horse,  however,  is  not  a  book  to  be  read  for  entertainment,  like  a  novel, 
and  then  to  be  thrown  aside.  It  is  one  which  every  man  who  owns  "  the  hair  of  a 
horse,"  should  have  at  his  elbow  to  be  turned  to  for  useful  instruction,  and  to  be  con- 
sulted like  your  family  physician  in  every  case  of  need  for  the  means  of  under- 
standing the  anatomy,  mitigating  the  disorders,  and  prolonging  the  life,  of  the  most 
interesting  and  useful  of  all  domestic  animals. 

J.  S.  S. 


THE  HORSE, 


HIS  ANATOMY— WITH    HIS    DISEASES    AND 
REMEDIES. 


CHAPTER    I. 
THE  ZOOLOGICAL   CLASSIFICATION   OF  THE  HORSE. 

There  are  so  many  thousand  species  of  living  beings,  some  so  much  resembling 
each  other,  and  others  so  strangely  and  altogether  different,  that  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  have  arranged  them  in  any  order,  or  to  have  given  any  description  that 
could  be  understood,  had  not  naturalists  agreed  on  certain  peculiarities  of  form  which 
should  characterise  certain  classes,  and  other  lesser  peculiarities  again  subdividing 
these  classes. 

The  first  division  of  animals  is  into  vertehrated  and  invertebrated. 

Vertebrated  animals  are  those  which  have  a  cranium,  or  bony  cavity  containing  tha 
brain,  and  a  succession  of  bones  called  the  spine,  and  the  divisions  of  it  named  vertebrae, 
proceeding  from  the  cranium,  and  containing  a  prolongation  of  the  brain,  denominated 
the  spinal  marrow. 

Invertebrated  animals  are  those  which  have  no  vertebrae. 

The  horse,  then,  belongs  to  the  division  vertehrated,  because  he  has  a  cranium  or 
skull,  and  a  spine  or  range  of  vertebrae  proceeding  from  it. 

The  vertebrated  animals  are  exceedingly  numerous.  They  include  man,  quadru- 
peds of  all  kinds,  birds-,  fishes,  and  many  reptiles.  We  naturally  look  for  some  sub- 
division, and  a  very  simple  line  of  distinction  is  soon  presented.  Certain  of  these 
vertebrated  animals  have  /na/n/H^e  or  teats,  with  which  the  females  suckle  their  young. 
The  human  female  has  two,  the  mare  has  two,  the  cow  four,  the  bitch  ten  or  twelve, 
and  the  sow  more  than  twelve. 

This  class  of  vertebrated  animals  having  mammae  or  teats  is  called  mammalia ;  and 
the  horse  belongs  to  the  division  vertebrata,  and  the  class  mammalia. 

The  class  mammalia  is  still  exceedingly  large,  and  we  must  again  subdivide  it. 
It  is  stated  (Library  of  Entertaining  Knowledge,  vol.  i.  p.  13,)  that  "this  class  of 
quadrupeds,  or  mammiferous  quadrupeds,  admits  of  a  division  into  two  Tribes. 

"  I.  Those  whose  extremities  are  divided  into  fingers  or  toes,  scientifically  called 
unguiculata,  from  the  Latin  word  for  tiail;  and  II.  Those  whose  extremities  are 
hoofed,  scientifically  called  ungulata,  from  the  Latin  word  for  honf. 

"  The  extremities  of  the  first  are  armed  with  claws  or  nails,  which  enable  them  to 
grasp,  to  climb,  or  to  burrow.  The  extremities  of  the  second  tribe  are  employed 
merely  to  support  and  move  the  body." 

The  extremities  of  the  horse  are  covered  with  a  hoof  by  which  the  body  is  supported, 
and  with  which  he  cannot  grasp  anything ;  and  therefore  he  belongs  to  the  tribe  ungu- 
lata or  hoofed. 

But  there  is  a  great  variety  of  hoofed  animals.  The  elephant,  the  rhinoceros,  the 
hippopotamus,  the  swine,  the  horse,  the  sheep,  the  deer,  and  many  others,  are  ungu- 
lated  or  hoofed;  they  admit,  however,  of  an  easy  division.  Some  of  them  masticate, 
or  chew  their  food,  and  it  is  immediately  received  into  the  stomach  and  digested ;  but 
in  others  the  food,  previous  to  digestion,  undergoes  a  very  singular  process.  It  is 
returned  to  the  mouth  to  be  remasticated,  or  chewed  again.     These  are  called  rumif 

(67, 


68 


THE  SKELETON   OF   THE   HORSE. 


nantia,  or  ruminants,  from  the  food  being  returned  from  one  of  the  stomachs  (for  they 
have  four),  called  the  rumen  or  paunch,  for  the  purpose  of  remastication. 

The  ungulala  that  do  not  ruminate  are,  somewhat  improperly,  called  pachydermata, 
from  the  thickness  of  their  skins.  The  horse  does  not  ruminate,  and  therefore  belongs 
to  the  order  pachydermata. 

The  pachydermata,  who  have  only  one  toe,  belong  to  the  family  solipeda — single- 
footed.  Therefore,  the  horse  ranks  under  the  division  vertebrata — the  class  mammalia 
the  tribe  ungulata — the  order  pachydermata — and  the  family  solipeda. 

The  solipeda  consist  of  several  species,  as  the  horse,  the  ass,  the  mule,  and  the 


First  stands  the  Equus  Caballus,  or  Common  Horse. 

Animals  are  likewise  distinguished  according  to  the  number,  description,  and  situa- 
tion of  their  teeth.  The  horse  has  six  incisors  or  cutting  teeth  in  the  front  of  each 
jaw ;  and  one  canine  tooth  or  lusk. 

On  each  side,  above  and  below — at  some  distance  from  the  incisors,  and  behind  the 
canines,  and  with  some  intervening  space — are  six  molar  teeth,  or  grinders  ;  and  these 
molar  teeth  have  flat  crowns,  with  ridges  of  enamel,  and  that  enamel  penetrating  into 
the  substance  of  the  tooth. 


The  whole  is  thus  represented  by  natural  historians : — 
Horse. — Incisors 


canines  ^ — r?  molar  - — -.    Total,  forty  teeth. 


1—1 


6— e 


To  this  short  chapter  we  may  properly  append  The  Skeleton  of  the  Horse. 


A  The  Head. 

a   The  posterior  maxillary  or  under  jaw. 

h    The  superior  maxillary  or  upper  jaw.     A  little  lower  down  than  the  letter  is  a  foramen^ 

through  which  pass  the  nerves  and  blood-vessels  which  chiefly  supply  the  lower 

part  of  the  face. 
e    The  orbit,  or  cavity  containing  the  eye. 
d   The  nasal  bones,  or  bones  of  the  nose. 
I    The  suture  dividing  the  parietal  bones  below  from  the  occipital  bones  above. 


THE    SENSORIAL  FUNCTION.  QQ 

f  The  inferior  maxillary  bone,  containing  the  upper  incisor  teeth. 

B  The  Seven  Cervical  Vertebra,  or  bones  of  the  neck. 

C  The  Eighteen  Dorsal  Vertebrae,  or  bones  of  the  back. 

D  The  Six  Lumbar  Vertebrae,  or  bones  of  the  loins. 

E  The  Five  Sacral  VertebrEB,  or  bones  of  the  haunch. 

F  The  Caudal  Vertebns,  or  bones  of  the  tail,  generally  about  fifteen. 

G  The  Scapula,  or  shoulder-blade. 

H  The  Sternum,  or  fore-part  of  the  chest. 

I    The  Costse  or  ribs,  seven  or  eight  articulating  with  the  sternum,  and  called  the  true  ribs, 

and  ten  or  eleven  united  together  by  cartilage,  called  the  false  ribs. 
J    The  Humerus,  or  upper  bone  of  the  arm. 
K  The  Radius,  or  upper  bone  of  the  arm. 

L  The  Ulna,  or  elbow.     The  point  of  the  elbow  is  called  the  Olecranon. 
M  The  Carpus,  or  knee,  consisting  of  seven  bones. 
N  The   metacarpal  bones.     The  larger  metacarpal  or  cannon  or  shank  in  front,  and  the 

smaller  metacarpal  or  splint  bone  behind. 
g   The  fore  pastern  and  foot,  consisting  of  the  Os  Suffraginis,  or  the  upper  and  larger  pastern 

bone,  with  the  sesamoid  bones  behind,  articulating  with  the  cannon  and  greater 

pastern;  the  Os  Coronae,  or  lesser  pastern;  the  Os  Pedis,  or  coffin  bone;  and 

the  Os  Naviculare,  or  navicular,  or  shuttle-bone,  not  seen,  and  articulating  with 

the  smaller  pastern  and  coffin  bones. 
h   The  corresponding  bones  of  the  hind-feet. 

O  The  Haunch,  consisting  of  three  portions,  the  Ilium,  the  Ischium,  and  the  Pubis. 
P  The  Femur,  or  thigh. 
Q  The  slide  joint  with  the  Patella. 

R  The  Tibia,  or  proper  leg  bone — behind  is  a  small  bone  called  the  fibula. 
S  The  Tarsus,  or  hock,  composed  of  six  bones.     The  prominent  part  is  the  Os  Qalcis,  or 

point  of  the  hock. 
T  The  Metatarsals  of  the  hind  leg. 


CHAPTER    II. 
THE   SENSORIAL  FUNCTION. 

Beautiful  as  is  the  horse,  and  identified  so  much  with  our  pleasure  and  our  profit, 
fie  has  been  the  object  of  almost  universal  regard;  and  there  are  few  persons  who  do 
not  pretend  to  be  somewhat  competent  judges  of  his  form,  qualities,  and  worth.  From 
the  nobleman,  with  his  numerous  and  valuable  stud,  to  the  meanest  helper  in  the 
stable,  there  is  scarcely  a  man  who  would  not  be  offended  if  he  were  thought  alto- 
gether ignorant  of  horse-flesh.  There  is  no  subject  on  which  he  is  so  positive ;  there 
is  no  subject  on  which,  generally  speaking,  he  is  so  deficient ;  and  there  are  few 
horses,  on  some  points  of  which  these  pretended  and  self-sufficient  judges  would  not 
give  a  totally  opposite  opinion. 

The  truth  is,  that  this  supposed  knowledge  is  rarely  founded  on  principle,  or  the 
result  of  the  slightest  acquaintance  with  the  actual  structure  of  the  animal — the  form 
and  connexion  of  parts  on  which  strength,  or  fleetness,  or  stoutness,  must  necessarily 
depend. 

In  speaking  of  the  structure  of  this  animal,  and  the  points  which  guide  the  opinion 
of  real  judges  of  him,  we  shall,  as  briefly  and  as  simply  as  we  a-re  able,  explain  those 
fundamental  principles  on  which  his  usefulness  and  beauty  must  depend.  We  require 
one  kind  of  horse  for  slow  and  heavy  draught,  and  another  for  lighter  and  quicker 
work ;  one  as  a  pleasant  and  safe  roadster — another,  with  more  speed  and  equal  con- 
tinuance, as  a  hunter — and  another  still  is  wanted  for  the  race-course.  What  is  the 
peculiarit}^  of  structure — what  are  the  particular  points  that  will  fit  each  for  his  proper 
business,  and,  to  a  certain  degree,  unfit  him  for  everything  else  1  Tlie  farmer  will 
require  a  horse  of  all-work,  that  can  carry  him  to  market  and  take  him  round  his  farm 
—  on  which  he  can  occasionally  ride  for  pleasure,  and  which  he  must  sometimes 
degrade  to  the  dung-cart  or  the  harrow.  What  combination  of  powers  will  enable 
the  animal  to  discharge  most  of  these  duties  well,  and  all  of  them  to  a  certain  extern 
profitably ) 


70 


THE    SENSORIAL    FUNCTION. 


Much  time  spent  among  horses,  an  acquired  love  of  them,  and  a  little,  sometimes 
nossibly  too  dearly-bought  experience,  may  give  the  agriculturist  some  insight  into 
Ihese  matters.  We  will  try  whether  we  cannot  assist  him  in  this  affair — whether  we 
c*annot  explain  to  him  the  reason  why  certain  points  must  be  good,  and  why  a  horse 
without  them  must  of  necessity  be  good  for  nothing.  Perhaps  some  useful  rules  may 
thus  be  more  deeply  impressed  upon  his  memory,  or  some  common  but  dangerous 
prejudices  may  be  discarded,  and  a  considerable  degree  of  error,  disappointment,  and 
expense  avoided. 

If  we  treat  of  this  at  considerable  length,  let  it  be  remembered  that  the  horse  is  our 
noblest  servant,  and  that,  in  describing  the  structure  and  economy  of  his  frame,  we 
are  in  a  great  measure  describing  that  of  other  domestic  quadrupeds,  and  shall  here- 
after have  to  speak  only  of  points  of  difference  required  by  the  different  services  and 
uses  for  which  they  were  destined.  And  further,  let  it  be  remembered,  that  it  is  only 
by  being  well  acquainted  with  the  structure  and  anatomy  of  the  horse,  that  we  can 
appreciate  his  shape  and  uses,  or  understand  the  different  diseases  to  which  he  is 
liable.  It  is  from  the  want  of  this  that  much  of  the  mass  of  ignorance  and  prejudice 
which  exists  as  to  the  diseases  to  which  he  is  subject  is  to  be  referred. 

The  nervous  system  Avill  first  pass  in  review,  for  it  is  the  moving  power  of  the 
whole  machine.  It  consists  of  the  brain,  to  which  all  sensation  is  referred  or  carried, 
and  from  which  all  voluntary  motion  is  derived  —  the  spinal  cord,  a  prolongation  of 
the  brain,  and  thus  connected  Avith  sensation  and  voluntary  motion,  governing  all  the 
involuntary  motions  of  the  frame,  and  by  power  from  which  the  heart  beats,  and  the 
lungs  heave,  and  the  stomach  digests ;  and  one  other  system  of  nerves — the  ganglionic 
— presiding  over  the  functions  of  secretion  and  of  nutrition,  and  the  repair  and  the 
welfare  of  the  frame  generally. 

The  following  cut  represents  the  head  of  the  horse  divided  into  the  numerous  bones 
of  which  it  is  composed,  and  the  boundaries  of  each  bone  clearly  marked  by  the 
sutures  which  connect  it  with  those  around. 

The  upper  and  broadest  part  is  the  cranium  or  skull  in  which  the  brain  is  con- 
tained, and  by  which  it  is  protected.  It  is  composed  of  nine  bones  :  the  two  frontals, 
a  a ;  the  two  parietals,  c  c;  the  two  temporals,  d  d ;  the  occipital  g,  and  the  ethmoid 
and  sphenoid,  which  will  be  found  delineated  at  figures  k  and  /,  and  will  be  better 
seen  in  the  cut  on  page  72. 


a  a    The  frontal  bones,  or  bones  of  the  forehead. 

6  h  The  supra-orbital  foramina  or  holes  above  the  orbit,  through 
which  the  nerves  and  blood-vessels  supplying  the  fore- 
head pass  out.  The  small  hole  beneath  receives  the  ves- 
sels which  dip  into  and  supply  the  bone. 

c  c     The  parietal  bones,  or  walls  of  the  skull. 

d  d   The  temporal  bones,  or  bones  of  the  temples. 

e  e     The  zygomatic,  or  yoke-shaped  arch. 

ff    The  temporal  fossa,  or  pit  above  the  eye. 

g  g   The  occipital  bone,  or  bone  of  the  hinder  part  of  the  head. 

h  li    The  orbits  containing  and  defending  the  eye. 

i  i     The  lachrymal  bones  belonging  to  the  conveyance  of  the 
tears  from  the  eyes. 
The  nasal  bones,  or  bones  of  the  nose. 
The  malar,  or  cheek-bones. 

The  superior  maxillary,  or  that  portion  of  the  upper  jaw 
containing  the  molar  teeth  or  grinders. 

m  m  The  infra-orbital  foramen — a  hole  below  the  orbit,  through 
which  pass  branches  of  nerves  and  blood-vessels  to  supply 
the  lower  part  of  the  face. 

n  n  The  inferior  maxillary,  the  lower  part  of  the  upper  jaw 
bone  —  a  separate  bone  in  quadrupeds,  containing  the 
incisor  or  cutting  teeth,  and  the  upper  tushes  at  the 
point  of  union  between  the  superior  and  inferior  maxil- 
laries. 
0      The  upper  incisor  or  cutting  teeth. 

p  The  openings  into  the  nose,  with  the  bones  forming  the 
palate. 


THE    SENSORIAL  FUNCTION.  jy 

There  is  an  evident  intention  in  tiiis  division  of  the  head  into  so  many  bones. 
When  the  fuetus  —  the  unborn  foal  —  first  begins  to  have  life,  that  Avhich  afterwards 
becomes  bone,  is  a  mere  jelly-like  substance.  This  is  gradually  changed  into  a 
harder  material — cartilage  ;  and,  before  the  birth  of  the  animal,  much  of  the  cartilage 
is  taken  away  by  vessels  called  absorbents,  and  bone  deposited  in  its  stead.  In  flat 
bones,  like  those  of  the  head,  this  deposit  takes  place  in  the  centre,  and  rays  oi  radia- 
tions of  bone  extend  thence  in  every  direction.  Then,  by  having  so  many  bones, 
there  are  so  many  centres  of  radiation  ;  and,  consequently,  the  formation  of  bone  is 
carried  on  so  much  the  more  rapidly,  and  perfected  at  the  time  when  the  necessities 
of  the  animal  require  it.  At  the  period  of  birth,  however,  this  process  is  not  com- 
pleted, but  the  edges  of  the  bones  remain  somewhat  soft  and  pliant,  and  therefore, 
in  parturition,  they  yield  a  little  and  overlap  each  other,  and  thus,  by  rendering 
the  birth  more  easy,  they  save  the  mother  much  pain,  and  contribute  to  the  safety  of 
the  foal. 

The  first  of  these  bones,  or  the  first  pair  of  them,  occupying  the  broad  expanse  of  the 
forehead,  are  called  the  frontal  bones,  a  a.  They  are  united  together  by  a  most  curious 
and  intricate  dove-tailing,  to  defend  from  injury  the  brain  which  lies  beneath  the 
upper  part  of  them.  Lower  down,  and  where  the  cavity  of  the  nose  is  to  be  defended, 
their  union  is  suflieient,  but  far  less  complicated.  Thus,  at  first  starting,  there  is  an 
evident  proof  of  design,  an  illustration  of  that  adaptation  to  circumstances  which  will 
again  and  again  present  itself  in  the  most  interesting  points  of  view.  Peculiar 
strength  of  union  is  given  where  a  most  important  organ  is  to  be  defended — the  suture 
is  there  intricate  and  laboured.  Where  less  important  parts  are  covered,  it  is  of  a 
far  simpler  character. 

Few  things  more  clearly  indicate  the  breed  or  blood  of  the  horse  than  the  form  of 
the  frontal  bones.  Who  has  not  remarked  the  broad  angular  forehead  of  the  blood 
horse,  giving  him  a  beautiful  expression  of  intelligence  and  fire,  and  the  face  gradu- 
ally tapering  from  the  forehead  to  the  muzzle,  contrasted  with  the  large  face  of  the 
cart  or  dray-horse,  and  the  forehead  scarcely  wider  than  the  face  1 

At/,  between  the  frontal  bones,  is  the  pit  or  cavity  above  the  eye,  and  by  the  depth 
of  which  we  form  some  idea  of  the  age  of  the  horse.  There  is  placed  at  the  back  of 
the  eye,  a  considerable  quantity  of  fatty  substance,  on  which  it  may  revolve  easily 
and  without  friction.  In  aged  horses,  and  in  diseases  attended  with  general  loss  of 
condition,  much  of  this  disappears ;  the  eye  becomes  sunken,  and  the  pit  above  it 
deepens.  It  is  said  that  some  of  the  lower  class  of  horse-dealers  puncture  the  skin, 
and,  with  a  tobacco  pipe  or  small  tube  blow  into  the  orifice,  until  the  depression  is 
almost  filled  up.  This,  with  the  aid  of  a  bishopped  tooth,  may  give  a  false  appear- 
ance of  youth,  that  will  remain  during  some  hours,  and  may  deceive  the  unwary,  but 
Uie  trickery  may  easily  be  detected  b)"  pressing  on  the  part. 

These  bones,  however,  are  not  solid,  but  a  considerable  portion  of  them  is  composed 
of  two  plates  receding  from  each  other,  and  leaving  numerous  and  large  vacuities  or 
cells.  These  vacuities  are  called  the  frontal  sinuses.  They  are  shown  in  the  following 
cut. 


THE   SENSORIAL    FUNCTION. 


SECTION     OF     THE     HEAD. 


a    The  nasal  bone,  or  bone  of  the  nose. 

6     The  frontal  bone.     The  cavities  or  cells  beneath  are  called  the  frontal  sinuses. 

c    The  crest  or  ridge  of  the  parietal  bones. 

d    The  tentorium  or  bony  separation  between  the  cerebrum  and  cerebellum. 

e     The  occipital  bone. 

/   The  hgament  of  the  neck,  or  pack-wax,  by  which  the  head  is  chiefly  supported. 

g    The  atlas,  sustaining  or  carrying  :  the  first  bone  of  the  neck. 

h.     The  dentata,  tooth-like,  or  second  bone  of  the  neck. 

t     The  cuneiform,  or  wedge-shaped  process,  or  base  of  the  occipital  bone.     Between  it  and 
the  other  portion  of  the  occipital  hone  e,  lies  the  great  foramen  or  aperture  througti 
which  the  prolongation  of  the  brain^ — the  spinal  marrow — issues  from  the  skull. 
The  sphenoid,  wedge-like,  bone,  witli  its  cavities. 
The  ethmoid,  sieve-like,  bone,  with  its  cells. 

m    The  cerebrum,  or  brain,  with  the  appearance  of  its  cortical  and  medullary  substance. 

TO    The  cerebellum,  or  little  brain,  with  its  beautiful  arborescent  appearance. 

o  A  portion  of  the  central  medullary,  marrow-like,  substance  of  the  brain,  and  the  prolonga- 
tion of  it  under  the  name  of  the  crus  cerebri,  leg  of  the  brain,  and  from  which  many 
of  the  nerves  take  their  origin. 

p  The  medulla  oblongata — the  prolongation  of  the  brain  after  the  medullary  substance  of  the 
cerebrum  and  cerebellum  have  united,  and  forming  the  commencement  of  the  spinal 
marrow.  The  columnar  appearance  of  this  portion  of  the  brain  is  represented,  and 
the  origins  of  the  respiratory  nerves. 

q  The  spinal  marrow  extending  through  a  canal  in  the  centre  of  the  bones  of  the  neck,  back, 
and  loins,  to  the  extremities  of  the  tail,  and  from  which  the  nerves  of  feehng  and 
of  motion,  that  supply  every  part  of  the  frame  except  the  head,  arise. 

r    The  septum  narium,  or  cartilaginous  division  between  the  nostrils. 

s  The  same  cut  off  at  the  lower  part,  to  show  the  spongy  turbinated,  turlan- shaped,  bones 
filling  the  cavity  of  the  nostril. 

t     The  palate. 

u    The  molar  teeth,  or  grinders. 

V  The  inferior  maxillary  bone,  containing  the  incisor  teeth  or  nippers.  The  canine  tooth,  OT 
tush,  is  concealed  by  the  tongue. 

to    The  posterior  maxillary,  or  lower  jaw  with  its  incisors. 

X    The  lips. 

y    The  tongue. 

X     A  portion  of  the  os  hyoidcs,  or  bone  of  the  tongue,  like  a  Greek  u,  v. 


THE   SENSORIAL    FUNCTION.  73 

1  The  thyroid,  helmet-shaped,  cartilage,  inclosing  and  shielding  the  neighbouring  parts. 

2  The  epiglottis,  or  covering  of  the  glottis,  or  aperture  of  the  wmd-pipe. 

3  The  aryieiwid,  fu,?inel-shaped,  cartilages,  having  between  them  the  aperture  leading  inU) 

the  traetiea  or  wind-pipe. 

4  One  of  the  chorda3  vocales,  cords  or  ligaments  concerned  in  the  formation  of  the  voice. 

5  'I'he  sacculus  laryngis,  sac  or  ventricle  of  the  larynx,  or  throat,  to  modulate  the  voice. 

6  The  trachea,  or  wiiid-pipe,  with  its  different  rings. 

7  The  soft  palate  at  the  back  of  the  mouth,  so  constructed  as  almost  to  prevent  the  possibility 

of  vomiting. 

8  The  opening  from  the  back  part  of  the  mouth  into  the  nostril. 

9  The  cartilage  covering  the  entrance  into  the  eustachian  tube,  or  communication  between 

the°nouth  and  internal  part  of  the  ear. 

10  The  cesophagus,  or  gullet. 

11  The  cricoid,  ring-like,  cartilage,  below  and  behind  the  thyroid. 

12  Muscle  of  the  neck,  covered  by  the  membrane  of  the  back  part  of  the  mouth. 

The  sinus  on  the  different  sides  of  the  forehead  do  not  communicate  with  each 
other,  but  with  other  sinuses  in  the  ethmoid,  and  spenoid,  and  upper  jaw-bones,  and 
'also  with  the  cavities  of  the  nose  on  their  respective  sides.  These  sinuses  atibrd  a 
somewhat  increased  protection  to  the  brain  beneath;  and  by  the  continuous  and 
slightly  projecting  line  which  they  form,  they  give  beauty  to  the  forehead  ;  but  their 
principal  use  probably  is,  like  the  windings  of  the  French  horn,  to  increase  the  clear- 
ness and  loudness  of  the  neighing.  It  will  be  remarked  that  they  are  very  irregular 
in  depth,  which  at  one  place  is  an  inch  or  more. 

In  the  sheep,  and  occasionally  in  the  ox — rarely  in  the  horse — tlie  larva;  of  maggots 
produced  by  certain  species  of  flies,  crawl  up  the  nose,  lodge  themselves,  in  these 
sinuses,  and  produce  intolerable  pain. 

Veterinary  surgeons  have  availed  themselves  of  these  sinuses,  to  detect  the  exist- 
ence of  glanders,  that  disease  so  infectious  and  so  fatal.  They  may  suspect  that  a 
horse  respecting  which  they  are  consulted  is  glandeied.  It  is  of  great  consequence  to 
be  sure  about  this.  The  safety  of  the  whole  team  may  depend  upon  it.  It  may  be 
a  puzzling  case.  There  may  be  no  ulceration  of  the  nose  within  sight.  The  glands 
under  the  jaw  may  not  be  close  to  and  seemingly  sacking  to  the  bone,  which  is  a 
common  symptom,  yet  for  a  considerable  time  there  may'  have  been  a  discharge  from 
the  nostril,  and  the  horse  is  out  of  condition.  On  the  other  hand,  some  slight  ulcera- 
\  in  may  be  detected  in  the  nostril,  but  the  horse .  eats  well,  works  well,  and  is  in 
good  plight.  It  is  possible  that  from  the  closest  examinatioil  of  the  animal,  no  horse- 
man or  veterinary  surgeon  can  give  a  decided  opinion. 

If,  however,  tne  horse  is  glandered,  there  will  probably  be  considerable  ulceration 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  cavity  of  the  nose,  and  a  collection  of  matter  there.  To 
ascertaiu  this  the  veterinary  surgeon  sometimes  makes  an  opening  into  these  sinuses. 
He  may  do  it  with  perfect  safety.  On  that  part  of  the  frontal  bone,  which  lies  between 
the  eye  and  the  pit  above  it,  and  above  the  inner  corner  of  the  eye,  there  is,  on  either 
side,  a  small  depression  or  hole  (see  fig.  b,  cut,  page  70),  which  may  be  easily  felt  in 
the  living  horse.  It  is  what  anatomists  call  a  foramen— the  supra-orbital  foramen.  It 
gives  passage  to  the  blood-vessels  and  nerves  of  the  forehead. 

Supposing  a  line  to  be  drawn  across  the  forehead,  from  one  of  these  depressions  to 
the  other  on  that  line,  and  about  half  an  inch  from  the  centre  of  it — it  matters  not  on 
which  side — the  frontal  sinuses  will  be  found  an  inch  in  depth  (compare  fig.  6,  pp. 
70  and  72.  There  a  perforation  may  be  easily  and  safely  made.  A  little  way  above, 
the  brain  would  be  endangered,  and  a  little  below  this  line,  the  cavity  of  the  nose 
would  be  pierced.  Some  warm  water  may  be  injected  into  this«hole,  with  a  common 
squirt,  and  it  will  run  out  at  the  nose.  If  there  is  mailer  in  the  frontal  sinuses,  or 
any  part  of  the  cavity  of  the  nose,  below  the  indirect  opening  from  the  sinus  into  the 
nose  under  the  superior  turbinated  tone,  it  will  appear  mixed  with  the  water,  and  the 
owner  may  be  assured  that  the  horse  is  glandered;  but  if  the  water  flows  uncoloured, 
or  simply  mixed  with  blood  oi  mucus,  the  horse  may  be  considered  as  free  from  this 
disease.  The  thick  creamy  c  jnsis^ence  of  pus,  its  sinking  in  water,  and  its  capability 
of  being  perfectly,  although  not  readily,  mixed  with  water,  will  distinguish  it  suffi- 
ciently from  tne  natural  discharge  from  the  nose,  which  is  ropy,  lighter  than  water, 
and,  when  mixed  witn  it,  f  iill  preserves  a  kind  of  ?tringiness. 
7  K 


74  liIESENSORIALFUNCTlON. 

Il  was  formerly  the  practice  to  inject  various  liquids  into  the  nostrils  in  this  way, 
for  the  cure  of  glanders.  Some  of  them  were  harmless  enough,  but  others  were  cruelly 
acrid.  This  practice  is  now,  however,  abandoned  by  the  scientific  practitioner ;  for 
it  would  only  be  a  portion  of  the  cells  of  the  head,  and  a  portion  only  of  the  cavity  of 
the  nose,  and  that  least  likely  to  be  diseased,  with  which  the  fluid  could  be  brought 
into  contact. 

As  the  frontal  sinuses  are  lined  by  a  continuation  of  the  membrane  of  the  nose, 
they  will  sympathise  with  many  of  the  affections  of  that  cavity;  but  the  membrane 
of  the  sinuses  is  susceptible  of  an  inflammation  peculiar  to  itself.  The  disease  is 
rare,  and  the  cause  of  it  has  not  been  fully  ascertained.  It  is  oftenest  metastasis  of 
inflammation  of  the  brain,  —  shifting  of  inflammation  from  the  brain  to  the  mem- 
brane of  the  sinus,  or  communication  of  inflammation  from  the  brain  by  proximity  of 
situation. 

The  attack  is  usually  sudden — the  horse  is  dull,  lethargic,  and  almost  as  comatose 
as  in  stomach-staggers.  The  first  thing  that  excites  suspicion  of  the  actual  character 
of  the  disease,  is  heat  in  the  situation  of  the  frontal  sinus,  when  the  hand  is  placed 
on  the  forehead.  The  lethargj' soon  passes  over,  and  a  state  of  the  highest  excitation 
succeeds.  The  conjunctiva  and  the  membrane  of  the  nose  are  injected — the  pulse  is 
quick  and  hard — the  horse  becomes  violent  and  dangerous  ;  he  kicks,  plunges,  and, 
half  conscious  and  half  unconscious,  he  endeavours  to  do  all  the  mischief  that  he  can. 
The  disease  is  now  evidently  combined  with,  or  is  essentially,  inflammation  of  the 
brain.  It  is  distinguished  from  madness  by  this  half-consciousness,  and  also,  by  his 
being  more  disposed  to  bite  than  he  is  in  pure  phrenitis. 

The  disease  is  usually  fatal.     It  rarely  lasts  more  than  eight-and-forty  hours. 

The  post-77i(irlem  appearances  are,  great  inflammation  of  the  brain,  with  frequent 
effusions  of  blood.  The  sinuses  are  sometimes  filled  with  coagulated  blood.  The 
brain  seems  to  be  affected  just  in  proportion  to  the  violence  which  the  animal  has 
exhibited. 

The  treatment  should  consist  of  copious  bleeding,  application  of  ice  to  the  head, 
blistering  the  head,  and  physic.  The  trephine  is  scarcely  admissible,  from  the  danger 
of  producing  greater  irritation. 

Sometimes  the  disease  assumes  a  more  chronic  form.  There  is  ulceration  of  the 
membrane,  but  not  cerebral  affection.  A  purulent  discharge  then  appears  from  the 
nose,  evidently  not  of  a  glanderous  character,  and  none  of  the  submaxillar}'  glands 
are  enlarged.  In  both  the  acute  and  chronic  form,  it  is  usually  confined  to  one  sinus. 
We  are  indebted  to  the  late  Mr.  John  Field  for  the  principal  knowledge  that  we  have 
of  this  disease.*  The  inner  plate  of  the  frontal  bone  covers  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  anterior  part  of  the  brain,  and  it  is  studded  with  depressions  corresponding  with 
irregularities  on  the  surface  of  the  brain. 

Immediately  above  the  frontal,  and  extending  from  the  frontal  to  the  poll,  are  the 
parietal  bones.  They  are  two,  united  together  by  a  suture  when  the  animal  is  young, 
but  that  suture  soon  becoming  obliterated.  They  have  tiie  occipital,  g,  p.  72,  above, 
the  frontals,  a  a,  below,  and  the  iemporals,  d  d,  on  either  side.  They  are  of  a  closer 
and  harder  texture  than  the  frontals,  because  they  are  more  exposed  to  injury,  and 
more  concerned  in  defending  the  brain. 

A  very  small  portion  only  of  the  parietals  is  naked,  and  that  is  composed  of  bone 
even  harder  than  the  other  part,  and  with  an  additional  layer  of  bone  rising  in  the 
form  of  a  crest  or  ridge  externally.  Every  other  part  of  these  bones  is  covered  by  a 
thick  mass  of  muscle,  the  temporal  muscle,  which  is  principally  concerned  in  chewing 
the  food,  but  which  likewise,  by  its  yielding  resistance,  speedily  and  effectually 
breaks  the  force  of  the  most  violent  blow.  A  wool-pack  hung  over  the  wall  of  a  for- 
tress, when  the  enemy  is  battering  to  effect  a  breach,  renders  the  heaviest  artillery 
almost  harmless.  So  the  yielding  resistance  of  the  temporal  muscle  affords  a  sure 
defence  to  the  brain,  however  sudden  or  violent  may  be  the  blow  which  falls  on  the 
parietal.  These  benevolent  provisions  will  not  be  disregarded  by  the  reflecting 
mind. 

On  the  side  of  the  head,  and  under  the  parietals  {dd,  p.  72)  are  the  temporal  bones^ 

*  The  Veterinarian,  vol.  iv.  p.  198. 


THE  SENSORIAL  FUN  CTION.  "^S 

one  on  each  side,//.  These  again  are  divided  into  two  parts,  or  consist  of  :wo  dis- 
tinct bones ;  the  petrous  portion,  so  called  from  its  great  or  stony  hardness,  and  con- 
taining the  wonderful  mechanism  of  the  ear,  and  the  sgua/nows  portion  from  the  appear- 
ance of  its  union  with  the  parietal,  overlapping  it  like  a  great  scale. 

From  the  latter  there  projects  a  portion  of  bone,  e,  which  unites  with  the  frontal, 
and  forms  a  strong  arch — the  zj'ojmatic — distinctly  to  be  felt  at  the  side  of  the  head 
immediately  above  the  eye.  This  arch  is  designed  to  protect  the  upper  part  of  the 
lower  jaw,  the  motion  of  which  may  very  plainly  be  seen  beneath  it  when  the  horse 
is  feeding.  It  is  very  strong,  and  it  ought  to  be,  for  if  it  were  depressed  or  forced 
inward,  the  horse  would  starve.  There  is  one  species  of  violence  which  causes  this 
arch  to  require  no  common  strength ;  and  that  is,  the  brutal  manner  in  which  the 
collar  is  often  forced  over  the  head. 

At  the  base  of  the  arch  is  an  important  cavity  not  visible  in  the  cut,  receiving  into 
it,  and  forming  a  joint  with,  the  head  of  the  lower  jaw — it  will  be  presently  described. 

Having  reached  the  base  of  the  temporal  bone,  it  is  found  united  to  the  parietal, 
not  by  a  simple  suture,  as  the  lower  part  of  the  frontals,  or  the  bones  of  the  nose  (see 
fig.  a  andy,  p.  70),  nor  by  a  dove-tailed  suture,  as  the  upper  part  of  the  frontals  (see 
the  same  cut),  but  it  is  spread  over  the  parietal  in  the  form  of  a  large  scale,  and  hence, 
as  before  observed,  called  the  squamous  portion  of  the  temporal  bone.  In  fact,  there 
are  two  plates  of  bone  instead  of  one.  Was  there  design  in  thisT  Yes,  evidently 
so.  In  the  first  place,  to  increase  the  strength  of  the  base  of  the  zygomatic  arch. 
This  extensive  union  between  the  temporal  and  parietal  bones,  resembles  the  buttress 
or  mass  of  masonry  attached  to  the  base  of  every  arch,  in  order  to  counteract  its  lateral 
pressure.  The  concussion,  likewise,  which  might  be  communicated  by  a  blow  on  the  top 
of  the  arch,  is  thus  spread  over  a  large  surface,  and  consequently  weakened  and  ren- 
dered comparatively  harmless  ;  and  that  surface  is  composed  of  the  union  of  two 
bones  of  dissimilar  construction.  The  hard  stony  structure  of  the  parietal  is  very  dif- 
ferent from  the  tougher  material  of  the  temporal ;  and  thus,  as  a  finger  acts  on  a 
sounding-glass,  the  vibration  communicated  to  the  temporal  is  at  once  stopped,  and 
the  brain  receives  no  injur)\ 

There  is  another  proof  of  admirable  design.  "Where  is  this  squamous  portion  of 
the  temporal  bone  situated  ?  On  the  side  of  the  head.  And  what  is  the  figure  of 
the  cranium  or  skull,  and  principally  that  part  of  it  which  contains  the  cerebrum  or 
brain"?  It  is  an  elliptical  or  oval  arch  (see  fig.  m,  n,  o,  p.  72).  If  pressure  is  made 
on  the  crown  of  that  arch — if  a  blow  is  received  on  the  suture  between  the  parietals 
sufhcient  to  cause  the  elastic  materials  of  which  the  skull  is  composed  to  yield — the 
seat  of  danger  and  injur}-  is  at  the  side.  If  a  man  receives  a  violent  blow  on  the 
crown  or  back  part  of  the  head,  the  fracture,  if  there  is  any,  is  generally  about  the 
temple,  and  the  extravasation  of  blood  is  oftenest  found  there.  The  following  figure 
will  explain  this : — 

B  Let  the  line  ABC  represent  an  elliptical  arch, 

^^^        ^v  composed  of  elastic  materials.     Some  force  shall 

/>-,-;.V."::;::;0\  be  applied  at  B,  sufficient  to  cause  it  to  yield. 

/'-'  "\  ^^  cannot  compress  it  into  smaller  compass  ; 

,•;/  \>^  but  just  in  proportion  as  it  yields  at  B,  will  it 

/'//  \\\         spur  or  bulge  out  at  D,  and  give  way  sometimes 

E»''    /  /  \  \  \^    as  represented  at  E.     In  a  dome  the  weight  of 

/  p  i  I  I  i      \    the  materials  constantly  acting  may  be  considered 

\j       '    as  representing  the  force  applied  at  B  ;  and  so 

A'-J ~~r'  great  is  the  lateral  pressure,  or  tendency  to  bulge 

out  {vide  D  and  E),  that  it  is  necessary  either  to 
dove-tail  the  materials  into  one  another,  or  to  pass  strong  iron  chains  round  them. 
For  want  of  sufficient  attention  to  this,  "the  dome  of  St.  vSophia,  in  Constantinople, 
built  in  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Justinian,  fell  three  times  during  its  erection  ;  and 
the  dome  of  the  cathedral  of  Florence  stood  unfinished  an  hundred  and  twenty  years, 
for  want  of  an  architect." 

Nature,  in  the  construction  of  the  horse's  head,  has  taken  away  the  pressure,  or 
removed  the  probability  of  injury,  by  giving  an  additional  layer  of  bone,  or  a  mass  of 
muscle,  where  alone  there  was  danger,  and  has  dove-tailed  all  the  materials.    Farther 


76  THE    SENSORIAL    FUNCTION. 

than  this,  in  order  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  she  has  placed  this  effectual  girder 
at  the  base,  in  the  overlapping  of  the  squamous  portion  of  the  temporal  bone. 

Above  the  parietals,  and  separated  from  them  by  a  suture  (fig.  g,  p.  70,  and  fig.  e, 
p.  72),  is  the  occipital  bone.  Superiorly  it  covers  and  protects  the  smaller  portion  of 
the  brain,  the  cerebellum  ;  and  as  it  there  constitutes  the  summit  or  crest  of  the  head, 
and  is  particularly  exposed  to  danger,  and  not  protected  by  muscles,  it  is  interesting 
to  see  what  thickness  it  assumes.  The  head  of  the  horse  does  not,  like  that  of  the 
human  being,  ride  upright  on  the  neck,  with  all  its  weight  supported  by  the  spinal 
column,  and  the  only  office  of  the  muscles  of  the  neck  being  to  move  the  head  forward, 
or  backward,  or  horizontally  on  its  pivot;  but  it  hangs  in  a  slanting  position  from  the 
extremity  of  the  neck,  and  the  neck  itself  projects  a  considerable  distance  from  the 
chest,  and  thus  the  whole  weight  of'  the  head  and  neck  is  suspended  from  the  chest, 
and  require  very  great  power  in  order  to  support  them.  In  addition  to  the  simple 
weight  of  the  head  and  neck,  the  latter  projecting  from  the  chest,  and  the  head  hanging 
frorn  the  extremity  of  the  neck,  act  with  enormous  mechanical  force,  and  increase  more 
than  a  hundred-fold  the  power  necessary  to  support  them. 

The  head  and  neck  of  the  horse,  and  particularly  of  some  horses  of  a  coarse  breed, 
are  of  no  little  bulk  and  weight.  It  will  hereafter  be  shown  in  what  breeds  and  for 
what  purposes  a  light  or  heavy  head  and  neck  are  advantageous  ;  but  it  may  be  safely 
affirmed,  that,  projecting  so  far  from  the  chest,  and  bein^  consequently  at  so  great  a 
distance  from  the  fulcrum  or  support,  the  lightest  head  will  act  or  bear  upon  the  joint 
between  the  last  bone  of  the  neck  and  the  first  rib  wuth  a  force  equal  to  many  thousand 
pounds. 

How  is  this  weight  to  be  supported  1  Is  muscular  power  equal  to  the  task  1  The 
muscles  of  the  animal  frame  can  act  for  a  certain  time  with  extraordinary  force  ;  but 
as  the  exertion  of  this  power  is  attended  with  the  consumption  of  vital  energy,  the 
period  soon  arrives  when  their  action  is  remitted  or  altogether  suspended.  A  pro- 
vision, however,  is  made  for  the  purpose,  simple  and  complete. 

From  the  back  of  the  occipital  bone  (fig./,  p.  72),  and  immediately  below  the  crest, 
proceeds  a  round  cord  of  considerable  bulk,  and  composed  of  a  ligamentous  substance, 
W'hich  reaches  down  and  is  securely  attached  to  the  spines  of  tire  vertebrae,  or  bones 
of  the  back  ;  and  by  this  ligament — the  ligamenttim  colli,  ligament  of  the  neck,  com- 
monly called  the  pack-wax — the  head  is  supported. 

There  are,  however,  some  admirable  contrivances  connected  with  this  ligament. 
As  it  proceeds  from  the  head,  it  is  in  the  form  of  a  round  cord.  It  passes  over  the 
atlas,  or  first  bone  of  the  neck,  without  touching  it,  and  then,  attaching  itself  strongly 
to  the  second  bone,  principally  supports  the  head  by  its  union  with  this  bone.  The 
mechanical  disadvantage  is  increased ;  but  the  head  is  turned  more  freely  on  the  first 
and  second  bones.  The  principal  stress  is  on  the  dentata  or  second  bone,  so  much  so, 
that,  in  poll-evil,  this  ligament  may  be  divided  without  serious  inconvenience  to  the 
horse.  It  then  suddenly  sinks  deeper,  and  communicates  with  all  the  other  vertebrae. 
Each  of  these  communications  becomes  a  separate  point  of  support,  and  as  they 
approach  nearer  to  the  base,  the  mechanical  disadvantage,  or  the  force  with  which  the 
weight  of  the  head  and  neck  presses  and  acts,  is  materially  lessened. 

The  head,  then,  while  the  animal  is  in  a  state  of  rest,  is  supported  by  this  ligament, 
without  any  aid  from  muscular  energy. 

There  is,  however,  something  yet  wanting.  The  head  must  not  be  always  elevated. 
The  animal  has  his  food  to  seek.  In  a  state  of  nature  this  food  lies  principally  on 
the  ground,  and  the  head  must  be  low^ered  to  enable  the  horse  to  get  at  it.  How  is 
this  effected  ■?  This  ligament,  as  it  has  been  called,  because  it  resembles  in  appear- 
ance the  other  ligaments  of  the  body,  possesses  a  property  which  they  have  not,  and 
which  they  musFnot  have,  or  they  would  be  useless.  No  well-knit  joint  could  exist 
if  it  had  this  property.  It  is  elastic.  It  will  yield  to  a  force  impressed  upon  it,  and 
will  resume  its  natural  dimensions  when  that  force  is  removed.  It  sustains  perfeitly 
the  weight  of  the  head.  That  portion  of  tenacity  or  strength  is  given  to  it  which  will 
not  give  way  to  the  simple  weight  of  the  head,  but  which  will  yield  to  a  very  little 
additional  weight.  Its  resisting  power  is  so  admirably  adjusted  to  that  which  it  has 
to  sustain,  that  when  certain  muscles,  whose  action  is  to  depress  or  lower  the  head, 
begin  to  act,  and  add  their  power  to  the  previous  weight  it  had  to  bear,  the  ligament 


THE    SENSORIAL  FUNCTION  77 

stretches,  and  when  the  horse  is  browsing  it  is  full  two  inches  longer  than  when  the 
head  is  erect. 

When  the  animal  has  satisfied  himself,  these  depressing  muscles  cease  to  act,  and 
other  muscles,  which  are  designed  to  assist  in  raising  the  head,  begin  to  exert  them- 
selves ;  and  by  their  aid  —  but  more  by  the  inherent  elasticity  of  the  ligament — the 
head  is  once  more  elevated,  and  remains  so  without  the  slightest  exertion  of  muscular 
power.  This  is  one  of  the  many  applications  of  the  principle  of  elasticity  which  will 
be  discovered  and  admired  in  the  construction  of  the  animal  frame. 

The  ligament  of  the  neck  is  inserted  into  the  centre  of  the  back  part  of  the  occipital 
bone,  and  immediately  below  the  vertex  or  crest  of  that  bone  ;  and  therefore  the  bone 
is  so  thick  at  this  part  (see  fig.  e,  p.  12). 

^lany  large  and  powerful  muscles  are  necessary  to  turn  the  head  in  various  direc- 
tions, as  well  as  to  assist  in  raising  it  when  depressed.  The  occipital  bone,  as  will 
be  seen  in  the  cut,  presents  a  spine  running  down  the  centre,  B,  and  a  large  roughened 
surface  for  the  attachment  of  these  muscles,  C  C. 

Lower  down,  and  still  at  the  back  of  the  occi- 
pital bone,  are  two  rounded  protuberances  D  D, 
b)-  which  the  head  is  connected  with  the  alias, 
or  upper  or  first  vertebra,  or  bone  of  the  neck ; 
and  these  are  called  the  condyloid,  cup-shaped, 
processes  of  the  occipital  bone.  All  the  motions 
of  the  head  are  partly,  and  many  of  them  wholly, 
performed  by  this  joint. 

Between  them  is  a  large  hole,  the  foramen 
magnum,  or  great  aperture,  E,  through  which 
the  continuation  of  the  brain,  termed  the  spinal 
cord  or  marrow,  passes  out  of  the  skull. 

As  an  additional  contrivance  to  support  the 
enormous  weight  of  the  head,  are  two  other  pro- 
jections of  the  occipital  bone,  peculiar  to  animals 
whose  heads  are  set  on  in  a  slanting  direction,  and  into  which  powerful  muscles  are 
inserted.  They  are  called  the  coracoid,  beak-like,  processes  or  prolongations,  F  F, 
of  the  occipital  bone. 

Running  forward,  and  forming  outwardly  a  part  of  the  base,  and  inwardly  a  portion 
of  the  floor  of  the  skull,  is  what,  from  its  wedge-like  shape,  is  called  the  cuneiform 
process  of  the  occipital  bone  (fig.  i,  p.  72).  It  is  thick,  strong,  and  solid,  and  placed 
at  the  bottom  of  the  skull,  not  only  to  be  a  proper  foundation  for,  and  to  give  additional 
strength  to,  the  arch  on  either  side,  but  speedily  to  stop  all  vibration  and  concussion. 
At  the  base  of  the  skull,  and  anterior  to  or  below  the  occipital,  lies  the  sphenoid, 
wedge-like  bone  (fig.  k,  p.  72).  Its  body,  likewise  called  the  cuneiform  or  wedge- 
shaped  process,  is  a  continuation  of  the  same  process  of  the  occipital,  and,  like  it,  is 
thick  and  solid,  and  for  the  same  important  purpose.  This  bone  branches  out  into 
four  irregular  bodies  or  plates,  two  of  which  are  called  the  wings,  and  two  running  to 
the  palate,  the  legs.  They  could  not  be  represented  in  the  cut,  and  there  is  nothing 
important  belonging  to  them,  so  far  as  this  work  is  concerned.  Internally  (fig.  A-), 
the  sphenoid  forms  a  portion  of  the  cavity  of  the  skull. 

Of  the  ethmoid,  sieve-like,  bone,  little  can  be  seen  outwardly.  A  small  portion  is 
found  in  the  back  part  of  the  orbit,  and  in  the  ca\nty  of  the  cranium ;  but  the  most 
important  part  of  it  is  that  which  is  composed  of  a  great  number  of  thin  plates,  form- 
ing numerous  cavities  or  cells  (fig.  /,  p.  72),  lined  with  the  membrane  of  the  nose, 
and  entering  into  its  cavity.  The  upper  portion  is  called  the  cribrifonn  or  sieve-shaped 
plate,  from  its  being  perforated  by  a  multitude  of  little  holes,  through  which  the  nerve 
connected  with  smelling  passes  and  spreads  over  the  nose. 

Altogether  these  bones  form  a  cavit}^  of  an  irregular  oval  shape,  but  the  tentorium 
penetratincr  into  it,  gives  it  the  appearance  of  being  divided  into  two  {d,  p.  72). 

The  cavity  of  the  skull  may  be  said  to  be  arched  all  round.  The  builder  knows 
tfie  strength  which  is  connected  with  the  form  of  an  arch.  If  properly  constructed,  it 
u  e'\ual  to  a  solid  mass  of  masonry.     The  arch  of  the  horse's  skull  has  not  much 


78  THE    SENSORIAL    FUNCTION. 

weight  to  support,  but  it  is  exposed  to  many  injuries  from  the  brutality  of  those  by 
whom  he  should  be  protected,  and  from  accidental  causes. 

The  roof  of  the  skull  is  composed  of  two  plates  of  bone  :  the  outer  one  hard  and 
tough,  and  the  different  parts  dove-tailed  together,  so  as  not  to  be  easily  fractured ; 
-he  inner  plate  being  elastic.  By  the  union  of  these  two  substances  of  different  con- 
struction, the  vibration  is  damped  or  destroyed,  so  far  as  safety  requires. 

On  raising  any  part  of  the  skull  of  the  horse,  the  dense  and  strong  membrane 
which  is  at  once  the  lining  of  the  cranium  and  the  covering  of  the  brain  —  the  dura 
mater — presents  itself.  It  is  united  to  the  membranes  below  by  numerous  little  cords 
or  prolongations  of  its  substance,  conveying  blood  and  communicating  strength  to  the 
parts  beneath.  Between  this  membrane,  common  to  the  cranium  and  the  brain,  and  the 
proper  investing  tunic  of  that  organ,  is  found  that  delicate  gossamers'  web,  appropri- 
ately called  the  arachnoid  —  the  spider's  membrane — and  which  is  seen  in  other 
animals,  designed  either  to  secrete  the  fluid  which  is  interposed,  for  the  purpose  of 
obviating  injurious  concussion,  or,  perhaps,  to  prevent  the  brain  from  readily  sympa- 
thising with  any  inflammatory  action  produced  by  injury  of  the  skull. 

Beneath  is  the  proper  investing  membrane  of  the  brain — the  pia  mater — which  not 
only  covers  the  external  surface  of  the  brain,  but  penetrates  into  every  depression, 
lines  every  ventricle,  and  clothes  every  irregularity  and  part  and  portion  of  the  brain. 

We  now  arrive  at  the  brain  itself.  The  brain  of  the  horse  corresponds  with  the 
cavity  in  which  it  is  placed  (/n,  p.  72).  It  is  a  flattened  oval.  It  is  divided  into  two 
parts,  one  much  larger  than  the  other  —  the  cerebrum  or  brain,  and  the  cerebellum  oi 
little  brain  (n,  p.  72).  In  the  human  being  the  cerebrum  is  above  the  cerebellum,  in 
the  quadruped  it  is  below ;  and  yet  in  both  they  retain  the  same  relative  situation. 
The  cerebellum  is  nearer  to  the  foramen  through  which  the  brain  passes  out  of  the 
skull  (??,  p.  72),  and  the  continuation  of  the  cerebrum  passes  under  the  cerebellum 
{p,  p.  72),  in  order  to  arrive  at  this  foramen.  In  the  human  head  this  foramen  is  at 
the  base  of  the  skull ;  but  in  the  quadruped,  in  whom  the  head  is  placed  slanting,  it 
is  necessarily  elevated. 

He  who  for  the  first  time  examines  the  brain  of  the  horse  will  be  struck  with  its 
comparative  diminutive  size.  The  human  being  is  not,  generally  speaking,  more 
than  one-half  or  one-third  of  the  size  and  weight  of  the  horse ;  yet  the  brain  of  the 
biped  is  twice  as  large  and  as  heavy  as  that  of  the  quadruped.  If  it  had  been  the 
brain  of  the  ox  that  had  been  here  exposed,  instead  of  that  of  the  horse,  it  would  not 
have  been  of  half  the  bulk  of  tliat  of  the  horse.  If  the  dog  had  been  the  subject,  it 
would  have  been  very  considerably  larger,  comparing  the  general  bulk  of  each  animal. 
This  is  singular.  The  human  brain  largest  in  comparative  bulk ;  then  the  brain  of 
the  dog,  the  horse,  the  ox.      Thus  would  they  be  classed  in  the  scale  of  intelligence. 

If  the  brain  is  more  closely  examined,  it  will  be  found  that  there  is  none  of  the 
roundness  and  the  broadness  of  that  in  the  human  being  ;  it  is  comparatively  tame 
and  flat.  Tliere  is  some  irregularity  of  surface,  some  small  projections  and  depres- 
sions ;  but  they,  too,  are  comparatively  diminutive  and  inexpressive.  Were  the 
brain  of  the  beaver,  of  the  hare,  or  the  rabbit,  or  of  almost  any  bird,  substituted  for  it, 
there  would  be  no  convolutions  or  irregularities  at  all. 

These  irregularities  are  not  so  bold  and  so  deep  in  the  ox  as  in  the  horse,  nor  in  the 
horse  as  in  the  dog.  We  do  not  know  enough  of  the  functions  of  any  part  of  the 
brain  to  associate  these  convolutions  with  any  particular  powers  of  mind,  or  good  or 
bad  propensities,  although  some  persons,  who  are  wise  above  that  which  is  written, 
have  pretended  to  do  so.  It  would  occupy  too  great  a  portion  of  this  volume  to  ente. 
into  these  questions ;  but  there  are  some  diseases  to  which  the  horse  is  subject,  and  a 
very  useful  operation — the  division  of  some  of  the  nerves  for  certain  purposes,  and 
which  could  not  be  understood  without  a  previous  slight  account  of  this  importani 
organ. 

When  the  brain  is  cut,  it  is  found  to  be  composed  of  two  substances  very  unlike  in 
appearance  (;«,  p.  72)  ;  one,  principally  on  the  outside,  grey,  or  ash-coloured,  and 
therefore  called  the  cortical  (bark-like)  from  its  situation,  and  cineritious  {ashen)  from 
its  colour ;  and  the  other,  lying  deeper  in  the  brain,  and  from  its  pulpy  nature  callea 
the  medullary  substance.     Although  placed  in  apposition  with  each  other,  and  seem- 


THE   SENSORIAL    FUNCTION.  79 

mgly  mingling-,  tliey  never  nin  into  the  same  mass,  or  change  by  degrees  into  one 
another,  but  are  essentially  distinct  in  construction  as  well  as  in  function. 

The  medullary  portion  is  connected  with  the  nervous  system.  The  nerves  are  pro- 
longations of  it,  and  are  concerned  in  the  discharge  of  all  the  offices  of  life.  They 
give  motion  and  energy  to  the  limbs,  the  heart,  the  lungs,  the  stomach,  and  every 
part  connected  with  life.  They  are  the  medium  through  which  sensation  is  conveyed  ; 
and  they  supply  the  mind  with  materials  to  think  and  work  upon. 

The  cinerilious  part  has  a  different  appearance,  and  is  differently  constituted.  Some 
have  supposed,  and  with  much  appearance  of  truth,  that  it  is  the  residence  of  the 
mind — receiving  the  impressions  that  are  conveyed  to  the  brain  by  the  sensitive  nerves, 
and  directing  the  operation  and  action  of  those  which  give  motion  to  the  limbs.  In 
accordance  with  this,  it  happens  that,  where  superior  intelligence  is  found,  the  cineri- 
tious  portion  prevails,  and  where  little  beside  brute  strength  and  animal  appeiite 
exist,  the  medullary  portion  is  enlarged.  There  is,  comparing  bulk  with  bulk,  less 
of  the  medullary  substance  in  the  horse  than  in  the  ox,  and  in  the  dog  than  in  llie 
horse.  The  additional  bulk  of  brain  is  composed  of  cineritious  matter ;  and  how  dif- 
ferent is  the  character  of  these  animals  ! — the  sluggish,  stupid  ox,  and  the  intelligent 
horse ;  the  silly  sheep,  and  the  intellectual,  companionable  dog ! 

In  a  work  like  this,  it  would  be  somewhat  out  of  place  to  enter  deeply  into  any 
metaphysical  speculation ;  but  the  connexion  between  the  cineritious  part  of  the  brain 
and  the  intellectual  principle,  and  that  between  the  medullary  portion  and  the  mere 
animal  principle,  do  seem  highly  probable.  The  latter  is  the  medium  through  which 
the  impression  is  conveyed,  or  the  motion  is  effected ;  the  former  is  the  substance  to 
which  that  impression  is  referred — where  it  is  received,  registered,  and  compared,  and 
by  which  the  operation  of  the  motor  nerves  is  influenced  and  governed. 

The  cortical  substance  is  small  in  the  quadruped  ;  for  in  their  wild  state  brutes  have 
no  concern  and  no  idea  beyond  their  food  and  reproduction ;  and  in  their  domesticated 
state  they  are  destined  to  be  the  servants  of  man.  The  acuteness  of  their  senses,  and 
the  preponderance  of  animal  power,  qualify  them  for  this  purpose  ;  but  were  propor- 
tionate intellectual  capacity  added  to  this — were  they  made  conscious  of  their  strenorth, 
they  would  burst  their  bonds,  and  man  would,  in  his  turn,  be  the  victim  and  the  slave. 
The  cortical  part  is  found  in  each  in  the  proportion  in  which  it  would  seem  to  be 
needed  for  our  purposes,  in  order  that  intelligence  should  be  added  to  animal  power. 
Almost  every  mental  faculty,  and  almost  every  virtue,  too,  may  be  traced  in  the  brute. 
The  difference  is  in  degree,  and  not  in  kind.  The  one  being  improved  by  circum- 
stances, and  the  other  contaminated,  the  quadruped  is  decidedly  the  superior. 

From  the  medullary  substance — as  already  stated  —  proceed  certain  cords  or  pro- 
longations, termed  nerves,  by  which  the  animal  is  enabled  to  receive  impressions  from 
surrounding  objects,  and  to  connect  himself  with  them ;  and  also  to  possess  many 
pleasurable  or  painful  sensations.  One  of  them  is  spread  over  the  membrane  of  the 
nose,  and  gives  the  sense  of  smell ;  another  expands  on  the  back  of  tlie  eye,  and  the 
faculty  of  sight  is  gained ;  and  a  third  goes  to  the  internal  structure  of  the  ear,  and 
the  animal  is  conscious  of  sound.  Other  nerves,  proceeding  to  different  parts,  give 
the  faculty  of  motion,  while  an  equally  important  one  bestows  the  power  of  feeling. 

One  division  of  nerves,  (h,  p.  7-2)  springing  from  a  prolongation  of  the  brain,  and 
yet  within  the  skull,  wanders  to  different  parts  of  the  frame,  for  important  purposes 
connected  with  respiration  or  breathing.  The  act  of  breathing  is  essential  to  life,  and 
were  it  to  cease,  the  animal  would  die.  These  are  nerves  of  hivoluntary  motion ;  so 
that,  whether  he  is  awake  or  asleep,  conscious  of  it  or  not,  the  lungs  heave  and  life  is 
supported.  Lastly,  from  the  spinal  cord  q — a  farther  prolongation  of  the  brain,  and 
running  through  a  cavity  in  the  bones  of  the  neck,  back,  and  loins,  and  extendino-  tc 
the  very  tip  of  the  tail — other  nerves  are  given  off  at  certain  intervals.  The  cut  at^the 
top  of  the  following  page  delineates  a  pair  of  them.  The  spinal  cord  a,  is  combined 
of  six  distinct  columns  or  rods,  running  through  its  whole  length — three  on  either  side. 
The  two  upper  columns — the  portion  of  spinal  marrow  represented  in  our  cut,  is  sup- 
posed to  be  placed  with  its  inner  or  lower  surface  toward  us — proceed  from  those 
tracks  of  the  brain  devoted  to  sensation.  Numerous  distinct  fibres  sprinff  abruptly 
from  the  column,  and  which  collect  together,  and,  passing  through  a  little  ganglion  01 
enlargement,  d — an  enlargement  of  a  nervous  cord  is  called  a  ganglion — become  a 


60 


THE   SENSORIAL    FUNCTION. 


nerve  of  sensation.  From  the  loAver  or  inner  side,  —  a  prolongation  of  the  track 
devoted  to  motion, — proceed  other  fibres,  which  also  collect  gradually  together,  and 
form  a  nervous  cord,  c,  giving  the  power  of  motion.  Beyond  the  ganglion  the  two 
unite,  and  form  a  perfect  spinal  nerve,  b,  possessing  the  power  both  of  sensation  and 
motion  ;  and  the  fibres  of  the  two  columns  proceed  to  their  destination,  enveloped  in 
the  same  sheath,  and  apparently  one  nerve.  Each  portion,  however,  continues  to  be 
wrapped  in  its  own  membrane.  They  are  united,  yet  distinct ;  they  constitute  one 
nerve,  yet  neither  their  substance  nor  their  office  is  confounded.  Our  cut,  closely 
examined,  will  give  at  b  some  idea  of  the  manner  in  which  these  distinct  fibres  are 
continued; — each  covered  by  its  own  membrane,  but  all  enveloped  in  a  common 
envelope. 

All  these  nerves  are  organs  of  sensation  and  motion  alone ;  but  there  are  others 
whose  origin  seems  to  be  outside  of  and  below  the  brain.  These  are  the  sympalhelic, 
so  called  from  their  union  and  sympathy  with  all  the  others,  and  identified  with  life 
itself.  They  proceed  from  a  small  ganglion  or  enlargement  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
neck,  or  from  a  collection  of  little  ganglia  in  tlie  abdomen.  They  go  to  the  heart,  and 
it  beats,  and  to  the  stomach,  and  it  digests.  They  form  a  net-work  round  each  blood- 
vessel, and  the  current  flows  on.  They  surround  the  very  minutest  vessels,  and  the 
frame  is  nourished  and  built  up.  They  are  destitute  of  sensation,  and  they  are  per- 
fectly beyond  the  control  of  the  will. 

The  reader,  we  trust,  will  now  comprehend  this  wonderful,  yet  simple  machinerj', 
and  be  able,  by  and  by,  to  refer  to  it  the  explanation  of  several  diseases,  and  particu- 
larly of  the  operation  to  which  we  have  referred. 

Two  of  the  senses  have  their  residence  in  the  cavity  of  the  cranium — those  of  hear- 
ing and  sight. 

They  who  know  anything  of  the  horse,  pay  much  attention  to  the  size,  setting  on, 
and  motion  of  the  ear.  Ears  rather  small  than  large — placed  not  too  far  apart— erect 
and  quick  in  motion,  indicate  both  breeding  and  spirit ;  and  if  a  horse  is  frequently  in 
the  habit  of  carrj'ing  one  ear  forward,  and  the  other  backward,  and  especially  if  he 
does  so  on  a  journey,  he  will  generally  possess  both  spirit  and  continuance.  The 
stretching-  of  the  ears  in  contrary  directions  shows  that  he  is  attentive  to  everj'thing 
that  is  taking  place  around  him,  and,  while  he  is  doing  this,  he  cannot  be  much 
fatigued,  or  likely  soon  to  become  so.  It  has  been  remarked  that  few  horses  sleep 
without  pointing  one  ear  forward  and  the  other  backward,  in  order  that  they  may 
receive  notice  of  the  approach  of  objects  in  every  direction.* 

The  ear  of  the  horse  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  parts  about  him,  and  by  few  things 
is  the  temper  more  surely  indicated  than  by  its  motion.  The  ear  is  more  intelligible 
even  than  the  eye,  and  a  person  accustomed  to  the  horse,  and  an  observer  of  him,  can 


*  "  When  horses  or  mules  march  in  company  at  night,  those  in  front  direct  their  ears  for- 
wards ;  those  in  the  rear  direct  them  backward  ;  and  those  in  the  centre  turn  them  laterally 
or  across ;  the  whole  troop  seeming  thus  to  be  actuated  by  one  feehng,  which  watches  the  genera, 
eafety." — ArnotCs  Elemints  of  Physic,  vol.  i.,  p.  478. 


THE  SENSORIAL  FUNCTION.  8* 

tell  by  the  expressive  motion  of  that  organ,  almost  all  that  he  thinks  or  means.  It  is 
a  common  saying,  that  when  a  horse  lays  his  ears  flat  back  upon  his  neck,  and  keeps 
them  so,  he  most  assuredly  is  meditating  mischief,  and  the  stauder-by  should  bewanj 
of  his  heels  or  his  teeth.  In  play,  the  ears  will  be  laid  back,  but  not  so  decidedly,  or 
so  long.  A  quick  change  in  their  position,  and  more  particularly  the  expression  of 
the  eye  at  the  time,  will  distinguish  between  playl'ulness  and  vice. 

The  external  ear  is  formed  by  a  cartilage  of  an  oval  or  cone-like  shajie,  ile.sihle, 
yet  firm,  and  terminating  in  a  point.  It  has,  directed  towards  the  side,  yet  somewhat 
pointing  forward,  a  large  opening  extending  from  the  top  to  the  bottom.  The  inten- 
tion of  this  is  to  collect  the  sound,  and  convey  it  to  the  interior  part  of  the  ear. 

The  hearing  of  the  horse  is  remarkably  acute.  A  thousand  vibrations  of  the  air, 
too  slight  to  make  any  impression  on  the  human  ear,  are  readily  perceived  by  him. 
It  is  well  known  to  every  hunting-man,  that  the  cry  of  the  hounds  will  be  recognised 
by  the  horse,  and  his  ears  will  be  erect,  and  he  will  be  all  spirit  and  impatie'nce,  a 
considerable  time  before  the  rider  is  conscious  of  the  least  sound.  Need  anything 
more  be  said  to  expose  the  absurdity  of  cropping  ? 

Tills  custom  of  cutting  the  ears  of  the  horse  originated,  to  its  shame,  in  Great 
Britain,  and  for  many  years  was  a  practice  cruel  to  the  animal,  depriving  him  of 
much  of  his  beauty ;  and  so  obstinately  pursued,  that  at  length  the  deformity  became 
in  some  hereditary,  and  a  breed  of  horses  born  without  ears  was  produced.  Fortu- 
nately for  this  too-often  abused  animal,  cropping  is  not  now  the  fashion.  Some 
thoughtless  or  unfeeling  young  men  endeavoured,  a  little  while  ago,  again  to  intro- 
duce it,  but  the  voice  of  reason  and  humanity  prevailed.* 

This  cartilage,  the  conch  or  shell,  is  attached  to  th(!  head  by  ligaments,  and 
sustained  by  muscles,  on  which  its  action  depends.  It  rests  upon  another  cartilage, 
round  without,  and  irregular  within,  called  the  annular,  ring-like,  cartilage,  and  con- 
ducting to  the  interior  of  the  ear;  and  it  is  likev/ise  supp  )rted  and  moved  by  a  third 
small  cartilage,  placed  at  the  fore  part  of  the  base  of  the  conch,  and  into  which 
several  muscles  are  inserted. 

The  ear  is  covered  by  skin  thinner  than  in  most  other  jiarts  of  the  body,  and  alto- 
gether destitute  of  fat,  in  order  that  it  may  not  be  too  bi.  iky  and  heavy,  and  may  be 
more  easily  moved.  Under  the  skin  lining  the  inside  of  the  cartilage  are  numerous 
glands  that  secrete  or  throw  out  a  scaly  white  greasy  matter,  which  may  be  rubbed 
off  with  the  finger  and  is  destined  to  supple  this  part  of  the  ear  and  to  keep  it  soft 
and  smooth.  Below  this  are  other  glands  which  pour  out  a  peculiar,  sticky,  bitter 
fluid — the  wax — probably  displeasing  to  insects,  and  therefore  deterring  them  from 
crawling  down  the  ear  and  annoying  the  animal,  or  by  its  stickiness  arresting  their 
progress. 

The  internal  part  of  the  conch  is  covered  with  long  hair  which  stands  across  the 
passairc  in  every  direction.  This  likewise  is  to  protect  the  ear  from  insects,  that  can 
with  difficulty  penetrate  through  this  thick  defence.  The  cold  air  is  likewise  pre- 
vented from  reaching  the  interior  of  the  ear,  and  the  sound  is  moderated,  not  arrested 
— penetrating  readily  but  not  violently — and  not  striking  injuriously  on  the  mem- 
brane covering  the  drum  of  the  ear.  Can  these  purposes'be  accomplished,  when  it 
is  the  custom  of  so  many  carters  and  grooms  to  cut  out  the  hair  of  tlie  ear  so  closely 
and  industriously  as  they  do  ?  The  groom  who  singes  it  to  the  root  with  a  candle 
must  either  be  very  ignorant  or  very  brutal.  It  can  scarcely  be  accomplished  without 
singeing  the  ear  as  well  as  the  hair.  Many  a  troublesome  sore  is  occasioned  by  this ; 
and  many  a  horse,  that  was  perfectly  quiet  before,  rendered  difficult  to  handle  or  to 
halter,  and  even  disposed  to  be  otherwise  vicious,  from  a  recollection  of  the  pain 
which  he  suffered  during  the  absurd  and  barbarous  operation. 

*  Professor  Grognier,  in  his  excellent  work,  "  Precis  d'un  Cours  d'Hvgiene  Veterinaire," 
speaking  of  this  abominable  custom,  says,  "  And  thus  the  English  completely  destroy  or  dis- 
figure two  organs  which  embellish  the  head  of  the  most  beautiful  of  all  animals,  and  which, 
by  their  various  motions,  itidicate  the  thoughts  that  are  passing  through  his  mind — the  passions 
which  agitate  him,  and,  especially,  the  designs  which  he  may  be  meditating,  and  which  it  is 
often  of  great  importance  to  learn,  in  order  to  guard  against  the  danger  which  may  be  at 
hand."  i. 


S2  THE    SENSORIAL    FUNCTION. 

The  sound  collected  by  the  outer  ear,  passes  through  the  lower  or  annular  ring 
shaped,  cartila-re,  and  through  irregularities  which,  while  they  break  and  modily  it, 
convey  it  on  to  another  canal,  partly  cartilaginous  and  partly  bony,  conducting 
immediately  to  the  internal  mechanism  of  the  ear.  Tliis  canal  or  passage,  is  called 
the  external  auditory  passage,  and  at  the  base  of  it  is  placed,  stretching  across  it,  and 
closing  it,  a  thick  and  elastic  membrane,  memhrana  tympani,  called  tlie  membrane  of 
the  drum.  This  membrane  is  supplied  with  numerous  fibres,  from  the  fifth  pair,  or 
sensitive  nerve  of  the  head,  for  it  is  necessary  that  it  should  possess  extreme  sensi 
bility. 

Between  this  membrane  and  a  smaller  one  almost  opposite,  leading  to  the  still 
interior  part  of  the  ear,  and  on  which  the  nerve  of  hearing  is  expanded,  arc  four  little 
bones,  united  to  these  membranes,  and  to  each  other.  Their  office  ig  to  convey, 
more  perfectly  than  it  could  be  done  through  the  mere  air  of  the  cavity,  the  vibrations 
that  have  reached  the  memhrana  tympani. 

These  bones  are  highly  elastic;  and  covered  by  a  cartilaginous  substance,  elastic 
also  in  the  greatest  degree,  by  means  of  which  the  force  of  the  vibration  is  much 
increased. 

It  is  conveyed  to  a  strangely  irregular  cavity,  filled  with  an  aqueous  fluid,  and  the 
substance  or  pulp  of  the  portio  mollis  or  soft  portion  of  the  seventh  pair  of  nerves,  the 
auditory  ner\'e,  expands  on  the  membrane  that  lines  the  walls  of  this  cavity. 

Sound  is  propagated  far  more  intensely  through  water  than  through  air ;  and  there- 
fore it  is  that  an  aqueous  fluid  occupies  those  chambers  of  the  ear  on  the  walls  of 
which  the  auditory  nerve  is  expanded.  By  this  contrivance,  and  by  others,  which 
we  have  not  space  now  to  narrate,  the  sense  of  hearing  is  fully  equal  to  every  possible 
want  of  the  animal. 

The  Eye  is  a  most  important  organ,  and  comes  next  under  consideration,  as  inclosed 
in  the  bones  of  the  skull.  The  eye  of  the  horse  should  be  large,  somewhat  but  not 
too  prominent,  and  the  eyelid  fine  and  thin.  If  the  eye  is  sunk  in  the  head,  and 
apparently  little — for  there  is  actually  a  very  trifling  diff'erence  in  the  size  of  the  eye 
in  animals  of  the  same  species  and  bulk,  and  that  seeming  difference  arises  from  the 
larger  or  smaller  opening  between  the  lids  —  and  the  lid  is  thick,  and  especially  if 
there  is  any  puckering  towards  the  inner  corner  of  the  lids,  that  eye  either  is  diseased, 
or  has  lately  been  subject  to  inflammation ;  and,  particularly,  if  one  eye  is  smaller 
than  the  other,  it  has  at  no  great  distance  of  time,  been  inflamed. 

The  eye  of  the  horse  enables  us  with  tolerable  accuracy  to  guess  at  his  temper. 
If  much  of  the  white  is  seen,  the  buyer  should  pause  ere  he  completes  his  bargain ; 
because,  although  it  may,  yet  very  rarely,  happen  that  the  cornea  or  transparent  part 
is  unnaturally  small,  and  therefore  an  unusual  portion  of  the  white  of  the  eye  is  seen, 
experience  has  shown  that  this  display  of  white  is  dangerous.  The  mischievous 
horse  is  slyly  on  the  look  out  for  opportunities  to  do  mischief,  and  the  frequent  back- 
ward direction  of  the  eye,  when  the  white  is  most  perceptible,  is  only  to  give  surer 
effect  to  the  blow  which  he  is  about  to  aim. 

A  cursory  description  of  the  eye,  and  the  uses  of  its  different  parts,  must  be  given. 

The  eyes  are  placed  at  the  side  of  the  head,  but  the  direction  of  the  conoid  cavity 
which  they  occupy,  and  of  the  sheath  by  which  they  are  surrounded  within  the  orbit, 
gives  them  a  prevailing  direction  forwards,  so  that  the  animal  has  a  very  extended 
field  of  vision.  We  must  not  assert  that  the  eye  of  the  horse  commands  a  whole 
sphere  of  vision ;  but  it  cannot  be  denied  that  liis  eyes  are  placed  more  forward  than 
those  of  cattle,  sheep,  or  swine.  He  requires  an  extensive  field  of  vision  to  warn  him 
of  the  approach  of  his  enemies  in  his  wild  state,  and  a  direction  of  the  orbits  con- 
siderably forward,  in  order  to  enable  him  to  pursue  with  safety  the  headlong  course 
u)  wliich  -we  sometimes  urge  him. 

The  eye-ball  is  placed  in  the  anterior  and  most  capacious  part  of  the  orbit,  nearer 
to  the  frontal  than  the  temporal  side,  with  a  degree  of  prominence  varj'ing  with 
different  individuals,  and  the  will  of  the  animal.  It  is  protected  by  a  bony  socket 
oeneath  and  on  the  inside,  but  is  partially  exposed  on  the  roof  and  on  the  outside.  It 
IS,  however,  covered  and  secured  by  thick  and  powerful  muscles — by  a  mass  of 
adipose  matter  which  is  distributed  to  various  parts  of  the  orbit,  upon  which  the  eye 


THE    SENSORIAL    FUNCTION.  83 

may  be  readily  moved  without  friction,  and  by  a  sheath  of  considerable  density  ana 
firmness,  and  especially  where  it  is  most  needed,  on  the  external  and  supenor 
portions. 

The  adipose  matter  exists  in  a  considerable  quantity  in  the  orbit  of  the  eye  of  the 
horse,  and  enables  that  organ  readily  to  revolve  by  the  slightest  contraction  of  the 
muscles.  By  the  absorption  of  this  fattj-  matter  in  sickness  or  old  age,  the  eye  is  not 
only  to  a  certain  degree  sunk  in  the  orbit,  but  the  roof  of  the  orbil  posterior  to  the 
frontal  bone,  being  deprived  of  its  support,  is  considerably  depressed.  Our  work 
shall  not  be  disgraced  by  any  farther  reference  to  the  rascally  contrivance  by  which 
this  indication  of  age  is  in  some  degree  removed. 

In  front  the  eye  is  supported  and  covered  by  the  lids,  which  closing  rapidly,  pro- 
tect it  from  many  an  injury  that  threatens  —  supply  it  with  that  moisture  which  is 
necessary  to  preserve  its  transparency — in  the  momentary  act  of  closing  give  a  certain 
and  sufficient  respite  to  a  delicate  organ,  which  would  otherwise  be  fatigued  and 
worn  out  by  the  constant  glare  of  day— defend  it  when  the  eye  labours  under  inflam- 
mation from  the  stimulus  of  light,  —  and,  gradually  drooping,  permit  the  animal  to 
enjoy  that  repose  which  nature  requires. 

Extending-  round  both  lids,  and,  it  may  be  almost  said,  having  neither  origin  nor 
insertion,  is  a  muscle  called  the  orbicularis,  or  circular  muscle.  Its  office  is  to  close 
the  lids  in  the  act  of  winking  or  otherwise,  but  only  while  the  animal  is  awake. 
When  he  sleeps,  this  is  effected  by  another  and  very  ingenious  mechanism.  The 
natural  state  of  the  eyelids  is  that  of  being  closed ;  and  they  are  kept  open  by  the 
energy  of  the  muscles  whose  office  it  is  to  raise  the  upper  lid.  As  sleep  steals  upon 
the  animal,  these  muscles  cease  to  act,  and  the  lids  close  by  the  inherent  elasticity 
of  the  membrane  of  which  they  are  composed. 

The  skin  of  the  lid  is,  like  that  of  the  ear,  exceedingly  fine,  in  order  to  prevent 
unnecessary  weight  and  pressure  on  such  a  part,  and  to  give  more  easy  and  extensive 
motion.  The  lids  close  accurately  when  drawn  over  the  eye,  and  this  is  effected  by 
a  little  strip  of  cartilage  at  the  edge  of  each  of  them,  which  may  be  easily  felt  with 
the  finger,  and  preserves  them  in  a  hoop-like  form,  and  adapts  them  closely  to  the 
eye  and  to  each  other.  The  lower  cartilage,  however,  does  not  present,  towards  the 
inner  corner  of  the  eye,  the  whole  of  its  flat  surface  to  the  upper,  but  it  evidently 
slopes  inward,  and  only  the  outer  edge  of  the  under  lid  touches  the  upper.  By  this 
means,  a  little  gutter  is  formed,  through  which  the  superfluous  moisture  of  the  eye 
flows  to  the  inner  comer,  where  there  is  a  canal  to  convey  it  away.  By  this  con- 
trivance it  neither  accumulates  in  the  eye,  nor  unpleasantly  runs  down  the  cheek. 

Along  the  edges  of  the  lids  are  placed  numerous  little  hollows,  which  can  be 
plainly  distinguished  even  in  the  living  horse  by  slightly  turning  down  the  lid. 
These  are  the  openings  into  numerous  small  cells  containing  a  thick  and  unctuous 
fluid,  by  means  of  which  the  eyes  are  more  accurately  closed,  and  the  edges  of  the 
lids  defended  from  the  acrimony  of  the  tears. 

The  horse  has  no  eyehroivs.  and  the  eyelashes  are  very  peculiarly  arranged.  The 
rows  of  hair  are  longfest  and  most  numerous  on  the  upper  lid,  and  especially  towards 
the  outer  or  temporal  corner,  because  the  light  comes  from  above ;  and,  as  the  animal 
stands,  particularly  when  he  is  grazing,  and  from  the  lateral  situation  of  his  eyes,  the 
greater  portion  of  the  light,  and  the  attacks  of  insects,  and  the  rolling  down  of 
moisture,  would  chiefly  be  from  the  outside  or  temples.  Towards  the  inner  corner 
of  the  upper  lid  there  is  little  or  no  eyelash,  because  there  is  no  probable  danger  or 
nuisance  in  that  direction.  Only  a  small  quantity  of  light  can  enter  from  below,  and 
therefore  the  lashes  are  thin  and  short;  but  as,  in  the  act  of  grazinsf,  insects  may 
more  readilv  climb  up  and  be  troublesome  to  the  eye,  towards  the  inner  anjle,  there 
the  principal  or  only  hair  is  found  on  the  lower  lia.  These  apparently  trifling  cir- 
cumstances will  not  be  overlooked  by  the  careful  observer. 

They  who  are  unacquainted  with  the  absurdities  of  stable  management,  or  who 
have  not  carefully  examined  the  abuses  that  may  exist  in  their  own  establishments, 
can  scarcely  believe  the  foolish  and  cruel  practices  of  some  carters  and  grooms. 
When  the  sfroom  is  anxious  that  his  horse  should  be  as  trim  and  neat  all  over  as  art 
can  make  him,  the  very  eye-lashes  are  generally  sacrificed.  What  has  the  poor 
animal  suffered,  when,  travelling  in  the  noon  of  day,  the  full  blaze  of  the  sun  has 


84  THE   SENSORIAL    FUNCTION. 

fallen  upon  his  eyes ;  and  how  many  accidents  have  probably  happened  from  his 
beino-  dazzled  by  the  light,  which  have  been  attributed  to  otiier  causes  ! 

If'the  horse  has  no  eyebrow,  there  are  several  hairs  or  bristles  scattered  on  the 
upper  eyelid,  and  there  is  a  projecting-  fold  of  the  lid  which  discharges  nearly  the 
same  office.  It  is  more  conspicuous  in  old  horses  than  in  young  ones.  Some  horse- 
men do  not  like  to  see  it,  and  associate  the  idea  of  it  with  weakness  or  disease  of  the 
eye.  This  is  perfectly  erroneous.  It  is  a  provision  of  nature  to  accomplish  a  certain 
purpose,  and  has  nothing  to  do  either  with  health  or  disease. 

On  the  lower  lid  is  a  useful  provision  to  warn  the  horse  of  the  near  approach  of 
any  object  that  might  incommode  or  injure  him,  in  the  fonn  of  long  projecting  hairs 
or  bristles,  which  are  plenteously  embued  with  nervous  influence,  so  that  the  slightest 
touch  should  put  the  animal  on  his  guard.  We  would  request  our  readers  to  touch 
very  slightly  the  extremity  of  one  of  these  hairs.  They  will  be  surprised  to  observe 
the  sudden  convulsive  twitching  of  the  lid,  rendering  the  attack  of  the  insect  abso- 
lutely impossible.  The  grooms,  however,  who  cut  away  the  eye-lashes,  do  not  spare 
these  useful  feelers. 

The  eye  is  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  atmospheric  air,  and  the  process  of  evapora- 
tion, destructive  of  its  transparency,  is  continually  going  on.  The  eye  of  the  horse, 
or  the  visible  part  of  the  eye,  is,  likewise,  more  prominent  and  larger  than  in  the 
human  being,  and  the  animal  is  often  subject  to  extreme  annoyance  from  dust  and 
insects,  while  he  has  no  hands  or  other  guard  to  defend  himself  from  the  torture  which 
they  occasion.  What  is  the  provision  of  nature  against  this  ?  Under,  and  a  little 
within,  the  outer  corner  of  the  upper  lid,  is  an  irregular  body,  the  lacrymal  gland 
comparatively  larger  than  in  the  human  being,  secreting  an  aqueous  fluid,  which, 
slowly  issuing  from  the  gland,  or  occasionally  pressed  out  of  it  by  the  act  of  winking, 
flows  over  the  eye,  supplies  it  w'ith  moisture,  and  cleanses  it  from  all  impurities. 
Human  ingenuity  could  not  have  selected  a  situation  from  which  •"he  fluid  could  be 
conveyed  over  the  eye  with  more  advantage  for  this  purpose. 

W'hen  this  fluid  is  secreted  in  an  undue  quan^'ty,  and  flows  over  the  eye,  it  is 
called  tears.  An  increased  flow  of  tears  is  prr-iaced  by  anything  that  irritates  the 
eye,  and,  therefore,  a  constant  accompaniment  and  symptom  of  inflammation.  A 
horse  with  any  degree  of  weeping  should  be  regarded  with  much  suspicion.  In  the 
human  being  an  unusual  secretion  of  tears  is  often  caused  by  bodily  pain,  and  emo- 
tions of  the  mind ;  and  so  it  is  occasionally  in  the  horse.  W^e  have  seen  it  repeatedly 
under  acute  pain  or  brutal  usage.  John  Lawrence,  speaking  of  the  cruelty  exercised 
by  some  dealers  in  what  they  call  "  firing"  a  horse  before  he  is  led  out  for  sale,  in 
order  to  rouse  every  spark  of  mettle,  says,  "  more  than  fifty  years  have  passed  away, 
and  I  have  before  my  eyes  a  poor  mare  stone  blind,  exquisitely  shaped,  and  showing 
all  the  marks  of  high  blood,  whom  I  saw  unmercifully  cut  with  the  whip  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  before  the  sale,  to  bring  her  to  the  use  of  her  stiflfened  limbs,  while  the 
tears  were  trickling  down  her  cheeks.'''' 

Having  passed  over  the  eye,  the  fluid  is  conveyed  by  the  little  canal  to  which  we 
have  alhided,  formed  by  the  sloping  of  the  under  lid,  towards  the  corner  of  the  eye  ; 
and  there  are  two  little  orifices  that  conduct  it  to  a  small  reservoir  within,  and  at  the 
upper  part  of  the  lacrymal  bone,  (fig.  «,  p.  70).  A  little  protuberance  of  a  black  or 
pied  colour,  called  the  caruncle,  placed  in  the  very  corner  of  the  eye,  and  to  be  seen 
without  opening  the  lids,  is  situated  between  these  orifices,  and  guides  the  fluid  into 
them.  From  this  reservoir  the  tears  are  conveyed  by  a  long  canal,  the  hicrynial  duct, 
partly  bony,  and  partly  membranous,  to  the  lower  part  of  the  nose.  A  little  within 
the  nostril,  and  on  the  division  between  the  nostrils,  is  seen  the  lower  opening  of  this 
canal ;  the  situation  of  which  should  be  carefully  observed,  and  its  real  use  borne  in 
mind,  for  not  only  horsemen,  but  even  some  careless  veterinary  surgeons,  have  mis- 
taken it  for  a  glanderous  ulcer,  and  have  condemned  a  useful  and  valuable  animal 
It  is  fou!ad  just  before  the  skin  of  the  muzzle  terminates,  and  the  more  delicate  mem 
Drane  of  the  nostril  commences.  The  opening  of  the  canal  is  placed  thus  low  because 
the  membrane  of  the  nose  is  exceedingly  delicate,  and  would  be  irritated  and  made 
sore  by  the  frequent  or  constant  running  down  of  the  tears. 

There  is,  however,  something  yet  wanting.  We  have  a  provision  fn  supplying 
the  eye  with  requisite  moisture,  and  for  washing  from  oiT  the  transparent  part  of  it 


THE    SENSORIAL    FUNCTION.  85 

insects  or  dust  that  may  annoy  the  animal.  What  becomes  of  these  impurities  when 
thus  washed  off!  Are  they  carried  by  the  tears  to  the  corner  of  the  eye,  and  so  pass 
down  this  duct,  and  irritate  and  obstruct  it ;  or  do  they  accumulate  at  the  inner  angle 
of  the  eye  ?  There  is  a  beautiful  contrivance  for  disposing  of  them  as  fast  as  they 
acccumulate.  Concealed  within  the  inner  corner  of  the  eye,  or  only  the  margin  of  it, 
black  or  pied,  visible,  is  a  triangular-shaped  cartilage,  the  haw,  with  its  broad  part 
forwards.  It  is  concave  within,  exactly  to  suit  the  globe  of  the  eye;  it  is  convex 
without,  accurately  to  adapt  itself  to  the  membrane  lining  the  lid ;  and  the  base  of  it 
is  reduced  to  a  thin  or  almost  sharp  edge.  At  the  will  of  the  animal  this  is  suddenly 
protruded  from  its  hiding-place.  It  passes  rapidly  over  the  eye,  and  shovels  up  every 
nuisance  mixed  with  the  tears,  and  then,  being  speedily  drawn  back,  the  dust  or 
insect  is  wiped  away  as  the  cartilage  again  passes  under  the  corner  of  the  eye. 

How  is  this  managed  1  The  cartilage  has  no  muscle  attached  to  it ;  and  the  limbs 
and  the  different  parts  of  the  body,  when  put  into  motion  by  the  influence  of  the  will, 
are  moved  invariably  by  muscles.  The  mechanism,  however,  is  simple  and  effectual. 
There  is  a  considerable  mass  of  fatty  matter  at  the  back  of  the  eye,  in  order  that  this 
organ  may  be  easily  moved  ;  and  this  fat  is  particularly  accumulated  about  the  inner 
corner  of  the  eye,  and  beneath,  and  at  the  point  of  this  cartilage.  The  eye  of  the 
horse  has  likewise  very  strong  muscles  attached  to  it,  and  one,  peculiar  to  quadrupeds, 
of  extraordinarj'  power,  by  whose  aid,  if  the  animal  has  not  hands  to  ward  off  a 
danger  that  threatens,  he  is  at  least  enabled  to  draw  the  eye  back  almost  out  of  the 
reach  of  that  danger. 

Dust,  or  gravel,  or  insects,  may  have  entered  the  eye,  and  annoy  the  horse.  This 
muscle  suddenly  acts :  the  eye  is  forcibly  drawn  back,  and  presses  upon  the  fatty 
matter.  That  may  be  displaced,  but  cannot  be  reduced  into  less  compass.  It  is 
forced  violently  towards  the  inner  corner  of  the  eye,  and  it  drives  before  it  the  haw ; 
and  the  haw,  having  likewise  some  fat  about  its  point,  and  being  placed  between  the 
e}'e  and  an  exceedingly  smooth  and  polished  bone,  and  being  pressed  upon  by  the 
eye  as  it  is  violently  drawn  back,  shoots  out  with  the  rapidit)'  of  lightning,  and, 
guided  by  the  eyelids,  projects  over  tb.e  eje,  and  thus  carries  off  the  offending  matter. 

In  what  way  shall  we  draw  the  haw  back  again  Avithout  muscular  action  ]  Another 
principle  is  called  into  play,  of  which  mention  has  already  been  made,  and  of  which 
we  shall  have  much  to  say, — elasticity.  It  is  that  principle  by  which  a  body  yields 
to  a  certain  force  impressed  upon  it,  and  returns  to  its  former  state  as  soon  as  that 
force  is  removed.  It  is  that  by  which  the  ligament  of  the  neck  (p.  75),  while  it  sup- 
ports the  head,  enables  the  horse  to  graze — by  which  the  heart  expands  after  closing 
on  and  propelling  forward  the  blood  in  its  ventricles  and  the  arterj-  contracts  on  the 
blood  that  has  distended  it,  and  many  of  the  most  important  functions  of  life  are 
influenced  or  governed.  This  muscle  ceases  to  act,  and  the  eye  resumes  its  natural 
situation  in  the  orbit.  -There  is  room  for  the  fatty  matter  to  return  to  its  place,  and  it 
immediately  returns  by  the  elasticitj-  of  the  membrane  by  w-hich  it  is  covered,  and 
draws  after  it  this  cartilage  with  which  it  is  connected,  and  whose  letum  is  as  rapid 
as  was  the  projection. 

The  old  farriers  strangely  misunderstood  the  nature  and  design  of  the  haw,  and 
many  at  the  present  day  do  not  seem  to  be  much  better  informed.  When,  from 
sympathy  with  other  parts  of  the  eye  labouring  under  inflammation,  and  becoming 
itself  inflamed  and  increased  in  bulk,  and  the  neighbouring  parts  likewise  thickened, 
it  is  either  forced  out  of  its  place,  or  voluntarily  protruded  to  defend  the  eye  from  the 
action  of  light  and  cannot  return,  they  mistake  it  for  some  injurious  excrescence  or 
timiour,  and  proceed  to  cut  it  out.  The  "  haw  in  the  eye"  is  a  disease  well  known 
to  the  majority  of  grooms,  and  this  sad  remedy  for  it  is  deemed  the  only  cure.  It  is 
a  barbarous  practice,  and  if  they  were  compelled  to  walk  half  a  dozen  miles  in  a  thick 
dust,  without  being  permitted  to  wipe  or  to  cleanse  the  eye,  they  would  feel  the  tor- 
ture to  which  they  doom  this  noble  animal.  A  little  patience  hnving  been  exercised, 
and  a  few  cooling  applications  made  to  the  eye  while  the  inflammation  lasted,  and 
afterwards  some'mild  astringent  ones,  and  other  proper  means  being  employed,  the 
ttmiour  would  have  disappeared,  the  haw  would  have  returned  to  its  place,  and  the 
animal  would  have  discharged  the  duties  required  of  him  without  inconvenience  to 
8 


80 


THE    SENSORIAL    FUN 


TON. 


himself,  instead  of  the  agony  to  which  an  unguarded  and  unprotected  eye  must  now 
expose  him. 

The  loss  of  blood  occasioned  by  the  excision  of  the  haw  may  frequently  relieve  the 
inflammation  of  the  eye ;  and  the  evident  amendment  which  follows  induces  these 
wise  men  to  believe  that  they  have  performed  an  excellent  operation  ;  but  the  same 
loss  of  blood  by  scarification  of  the  overloaded  vessels  of  the  conjunctiva  would  be 
equally  beneficial,  and  the  animal  would  not  be  deprived  of  an  instrument  of  admi 
rable  use  to  him. 

The  eye  is  of  a  globular  figure,  yet  not  a  perfect  globe.  It  is  rather  composed  of 
parts  of  two  globes ;  the  half  of  one  of  them  smaller  and  transparent  in  front,  and  of 
the  other  larger  and  the  coat  of  it  opaque,  behind.  We  shall  most  conveniently  begin 
with  the  coats  of  the  eye. 


A  B  a  supposed  object  viewed  by  tlie  animal,  and  an  inverted  image  of  which,  a,  h,  is  thrown 

on  the  retina  at  the  back  of  the  eye. 
:  c     The  points  where  the  rays,  having  passed  the  cornea  and  lens,  converge  by  the  refractive 

power  of  the  lens. 
d  e    The  rays  proceeding  from  the  extremities  of  the  object  to  the  eye. 
/       The  cornea,  or  horny  and  transparent  part  of  the  eye,  covered  by  the  conjunctiva,  unidng 

different  parts  together. 
g       The  crystalline  (crystal  or  glassy)  lens,  behind  the  pupil,  and  in  front  of  the  vitreous 

humour. 
h  h    Muscles  of  the  eye. 
i        The  optic  nerve,  or  nerve  of  sight. 
k        The  sclerotica  (hard  firm  coat)  covering  the  whole  of  the  eye  except  the  portion  occupied 

by  the  cornea,  and  being  a  seeming  prolongation  of  the  covering  of  the  optic  nerve. 
I        The  choroides  (receptacle  or  covering),  or  choroid  coat,  covered  with  a  black  secretion 

or  paint. 
m  m  The  iris  or  rainbow-coloured  circular  membrane  under  the  cornea,  in  front  of  the  eye, 

and  on  which  the  colour  of  the  eye  depends.     The  duplicature  behind  is  the  uvea, 

from  being  coloured  like  a  grape.     The  opening  in  the  centre  is  the  pupil. 
n  n    The  ciliary  (hair-like)  processes. 

o        The  retina,  or  net-like  expansion  of  the  optic  nerve,  spread  over  the  whole  of  the  cho- 
roides as  far  as  the  lens. 
p      The  vitreous  (glass-like)  humour  filling  the  whole  of  the  cavity  of  the  eye  behind  the 

lens. 
q       The  aqueous  (water-like)  humour  filling  the  space  between  the  cornea  and  the  lens. 

The  conjunctiva,  /,  is  that  membrane  which  lines  the  lids,  and  covers  the  fore  part 
of  the  eye.  It  spreads  over  all  that  we  can  see  or  feel  of  the  eye,  and  even  its  trans- 
parent part.  It  is  itself  transparent,  and  transmits  the  colour  of  the  parts  beneath. 
It  is  very  susceptible  of  inflammation,  during  which  the  lining  of  the  lids  will  become 
intensely  red,  and  the  white  of  the  eye  will  be  first  streaked  with  red  vessels,  and  then 
covered  with  a  complete  mesh  of  them,  and  the  cornea  will  become  cloudy  and 
opaque.  It  is  the  seat  of  various  diseases,  and,  particularly,  in  it  commences  that 
sad  inflammation  of  the  horse's  eye  which  bids  defiance  to  the  veterinary  surgeon's 
r,kil]  and  almost  invariably  terminates  in  blindness. 

The  examination  of  the  conjunctiva,  by  turning  down  the  lid,  will  enable  us  to 
form  an  accurate  judgment  of  the  degxee  of  inflammation  which  exists  in  the  eye. 

Covering  the  back  part  of  the  eye,  and  indeed  four-fifths  of  the  globe  of  it,  is  the 


THE    SENSORIAL    FUNCTION.  87 

sclerotica,  k.  It  is  an  exceedingly  strong  membrane,  composed  of  fibres  interweaving 
with  each  other,  and  ahnost  defying  the  possibility  of  separation.  An  organ  so 
delicate  and  so  important  as  the  eye  requires  secure  protection. 

It  is  a  highly  elastic  membrane.  It  is  necessary  that  it  should  be  so,  when  it  is 
considered  that  the  eye  is  surrounded  by  several  and  very  powerful  muscles,  which 
must  temporarily,  and  even  for  the  purposes  of  vision,  alter  its  form.  The  elasticity 
of  the  sclerotica  is  usefully  exhibited  by  its  causing  the  globe  of  the  eye  to  resume 
its  former  and  natural  shape,  as  soon  as  the  action  of  the  muscle  ceases. 

The  sclerotica  has  very  few  blood-vessels — is  scarcely  sensible — and  its  diseases, 
except  when  it  participates  in  general  disturbance  or  disorganisation,  are  rarely 
brought  under  our  notice. 

The  cornea  is,  or  we  should  wish  it  to  be,  the  only  visible  part  of  the  horse's  eye, 
for  the  exhibition  of  much  white  around  it  is  a  sure  symptom  of  wickedness.  The 
cornea  fills  up  the  vacuity  which  is  left  by  the  sclerotica  in  the  fore  part  of  the  eye, 
and,  although  closely  united  to  the  sclerotica,  may  be  separated  from  it,  and  will 
drop  out  like  a  watch-glass.  It  is  not  round,  but  wider  from  side  to  side  than  from 
top  to  the  bottom ;  and  the  curve  rather  broader  towards  the  inner  than  the  outer 
corner  of  the  eye,  so  that  the  near  eye  may  be  known  from  the  oft'  one  after  it  is  taken 
from  the  head. 

The  convexity  or  projection  of  the  cornea  is  a  point  of  considerable  importance. 
The  prominence  of  the  eye  certainly  adds  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  animal,  but  we 
shall  see  presently,  when  we  consider  the  eye  as  the  organ  of  sight,  that  by  being 
too  prominent  the  rays  of  light  may  be  rendered  too  convergent,  and  the  vision  indis- 
tinct ;  or,  if  the  cornea  is  small  and  flat,  the  rays  may  not  be  convergent  enough,  and 
perfect  vision  destroyed.  In  either  case  the  horse  may  unpleasantly  start,  or  sud- 
denly and  dangerously  turn  round.  An  eye  neither  too  prominent  nor  too  flat  will  be 
nearest  to  perfection. 

It  should  be  perfectly  transparent.  Any  cloudiness  or  opacity  is  the  consequence 
of  disease.  It  is  an  exceedingly  firm  and  dense  membrane,  and  can  scarcely  be 
pierced  by  the  sharpest  instrument.  The  cornea  is  composed  of  many  different  plates, 
laid  over  one  another ;  and  between  each,  at  least  in  a  state  of  health,  is  a  fluid  that 
is  the  cause  of  its  transparency,  and  the  evaporation  of  which,  after  death,  produces 
the  leaden  or  glazed  appearance  of  the  eye.  When  it  appears  to  be  opaque,  it  is  not 
often,  and  never  at  first,  that  the  cornea  has  undergone  any  change. 

There  is  nothing  that  describes  attention  from  the  purchaser  of  a  horse  more  than 
the  perfect  transparency  of  the  cornea  over  the  whole  of  its  surface.  The  eye  should 
be  examined  for  this  purpose,  both  in  front,  and  with  the  face  of  the  examiner  close 
to  the  cheek  of  the  horse,  under  and  behind  the  eye.  The  latter  method  of  lookinor 
through  the  cornea  is  the  most  satisfactory,  so  far  as  the  transparency  of  that  part  of 
the  eye  is  concerned.  During  this  examination  the  horse  should  not  be  in  the  open 
air,  but  in  the  stable  standing  in  the  doorway  and  a  little  within  the  door.  If  any- 
small,  faint,  whitish  lines  appear  to  cross  the  cornea,  or  spread  over  any  part  of  it, 
they  are  assuredly  the  remains  of  previous  inflammation ;  or,  although  the  centre  and 
bulk  of  the  cornea  should  be  perfectly  clear,  yet  if  around  the  edge  of  it,  where  it 
unites  with  the  sclerotica,  there  should  be  a  narrow  ring  or  circle  of  haziness,  the 
conclusion  is  equally  true,  but  the  inflammation  occurred  at  a  more  distant  period. 
Whether  however  the  inflammation  has  lately  existed,  or  several  weeks  or  months 
have  elapsed  since  it  was  subdued,  it  is  too  likely  to  recur. 

There  is  one  caution  to  be  added.  The  cornea  in  its  natural  state  is  not  only  a 
beautiful  transparent  structure,  but  it  reflects,  even  in  proportion  to  its  transparency, 
many  of  the  rays  which  fall  upon  it ;  and  if  there  is  a  white  object  immediately  before 
the  eye,  as  a  light  waistcoat,  or  much  display  of  a  white  neckcloth,  the  reflection  may 
puzzle  an  experienced  observer,  and  has  misled  many  a  careless  one.  The  coai 
should  be  buttoned  up,  and  the  white  cravat  carefully  concealed. 

Within  the  sclerotica,  and  connected  with  it  by  innumerable  minute  fibres  and 
vessels,  is  the  choroid  coat,  I.  It  is  a  very  delicate  membrane,  and  extends  over  the 
whole  of  the  internal  part  of  the  eye,  from  the  optic  nerve  to  the  cornea.  It  secretes 
n  dark-coloured  substance  or  paint,  by  which  it  is  covered ;  the  intention  of  which, 
ike  the  inside  of  our  telescopes  and  microscopes,  is  probably  to  absorb  any  wander- 


8S  THE   SENSORIAL    FUNCTION. 

ing  rays  of  light  \vhich  might  dazzle  and  confuse.  Tlie  black  paint,  pigmenlum 
nigrum,  seems  perfectly  to  discharge  this  function  in  the  human  eye.  It  is  placed 
immediately  under  the  retina  or  expansion  of  the  optic  nerve.  The  rays  of  light  fall 
on  the  retina,  and  penetrating  its  delicate  substance,  are  immediately  absorbed  or 
destroyed  by  the  black  covering  of  the  choroides  underneath.  For  the  perfection  of 
many  of  his  best  pleasures,  and  particularly  of  his  intellectual  powers,  man  wants 
the  vivid  impression  which  will  be  caused  by  the  admission  of  the  rays  of  light  into 
a  perfectly  dark  chamber ;  and  when  the  light  of  the  sun  begins  to  fail,  his  superior 
intelligence  has  enabled  him  to  discover  various  methods  of  substituting  an  artificial 
day,  after  the  natural  one  has  closed.  Other  animals,  without  this  power  of  kindling 
another,  although  inferior  light,  have  far  more  to  do  with  the  night  than  we  have. 
Many  of  them  sleep  through  the  glare  of  day,  and  awake  and  are  busy  during  the 
period  of  darkness.  Tlie  ox  occupies  some  hours  of  the  night  in  grazing;  the  sheep 
does  so  when  not  folded  in  his  pen ;  and  the  horse,  worked  during  the  day  for  our 
convenience  and  profit,  has  often  little  more  than  the  period  of  night  allotted  to  him 
for  nourishment  and  repose.  Then  it  is  necessary  that^  by  some  peculiar  and  adequate 
contrivance,  these  hours  of  comparative  or  total  darkness  to  us  should  be  partially 
yet  sufficiently  illuminated  for  them ;  and  therefore  in  the  horse  the  dark  brov.n  or 
black  coat  of  the  choroides  does  not  extend  over  the  whole  of  the  internal  part  of  the 
eye,  or  rather  it  is  not  found  on  any  part  on  which  the  rays  proceeding  from  the 
objects  could  fall.  It  does  not  occupy  the  smallest  portion  of  what  may  be  called  the 
field  of  vision ;  but,  in  its  place  a  bright  variegated  green  is  spread,  and  more  over 
the  upper  part  than  the  lower,  because  the  animal's  food,  and  the  objects  which  it  is 
of  consequence  for  him  to  notice,  are  usually  below  the  level  of  his  hearl — thus,  by 
suffering  the  impression  to  remain  longer  on  the  retina,  or  by  some  portion  of  light 
reflected  from  this  variegated  bed  on  which  the  retina  reposes,  or  in  some  other  inex- 
plicable but  efficient  wny,  enabling  the  animal,  even  in  comparative  darkness,  tc 
possess  the  power  of  vision  equal  to  his  wants. 

The  reader  may  see  in  the  dusk,  or  even  when  duskiness  is  fast  yielding  to  utter 
darkness,  the  beautiful  sea-green  reflection  from  the  eye  of  the  horse.  It  is  that 
lucid  variegated  carpet  of  which  we  are  now  speaking. 

Who  is  unaware  that  in  the  fading  glimmering  of  the  evening,  and  even  in  the 
darker  shades  of  night,  his  horse  can  see  surrounding  objects  much  better  than  his 
rider ;  and  who,  resigning  himself  to  the  guidance  of  that  sagacious  and  faithful 
animal,  has  not  been  carried  in  safety  to  his  journey's  end,  when  he  would  otherwise 
have  been  utterly  bewildered  ? 

If  the  reader  has  not  examined  this  beautiful  pigment  in  the  eye  of  the  horse,  he 
should  take  the  earliest  opportunity  of  doing  so.  He  will  have  a  beautiful  illustration 
of  the  care  which  that  Being  who  gave  all  things  life  has  taken  that  each  shall  be 
fitted  for  his  situation.  The  horse  has  not  the  intelligence  of  man,  and  may  not  want 
for  any  purpose  of  pleasure  or  improvement  the  vivid  picture  of  surrounding  objects 
which  the  retina  of  the  human  being  presents.  A  thousand  minute  but  exquisite 
beauties  would  be  lost  upon  him.  If,  therefore,  his  sense  of  vision  may  not  be  so 
strong  during  the  day,  it  is  made  up  to  him  by  the  increased  power  of  vision  in  the 
night. 

Perfectly  white  and  cream-coloured  horses  have  a  peculiar  appearance  of  the  eyes. 
Tlie  pupil  is  red  instead  of  black.  There  is  no  black  paint  or  brilliant  carpet.  It  is 
the  choroid  coat  itself  which  we  see  in  them,  and  not  its  covering;  and  the  red 
appearance  is  caused  by  the  numerous  blood-vessels  which  are  found  on  every  part 
of  that  coat. 

When  we  have  to  treat  of  other  domestic  animals,  we  shall  see  how  this  carpet  is 
varied  in  colour  to  suit  the  situation  and  necessity  of  each.  In  the  ox  it  is  of  a  dark 
green.  He  has  not  many  enemies  to  fear,  or  much  difficult\^  in  searching-  for  nourish- 
ment, and  the  colour  of  the  eye  is  adapted  to  his  food.  In  the  cat  and  all  his  varieties, 
it  is  yellow.  We  have  heard  of  the  eyes  of  the  lion  appearing  like  two  flaming 
torches  in  the  night.  There  are  few  oi  our  readers  who  have  not  seen  the  same 
singular  glare  from  the  eyes  of  the  domestic  cat.  In  the  wolf,  and  likewise  in  the 
dog,  who,  in  his  wild  state,  prowls  chiefly  at  night,  it  is  grey.  In  the  poor  unjustly- 
persecuted  badger,  who  scarcely  dares  to  crawl  forth  at  night,  although  sheltered  by 


THE   SENSORIAL   FUNCTION.  gy 

the  thickest  darkness,  it  is  white ;  and  the  ferret,  who  is  destined  to  hunt  his  prey 
through  all  its  winding  retreats,  and  in  what  would  be  to  us  absolute  darkness,  has 
no  paint  on  the  clioroides. 

Tracing-  the  choroides  towards  the  fore  part  of  the  eye,  we  perceive  that  it  is 
reflected  from  the  side  to  the  edge  of  the  lens,  n,  and  has  the  appearance  of  several 
plaits  or  folds.  They  are  actually  foldings  of  the  membrane.  It  is  not  diminished 
in  size,  but  it  has  less  space  to  cover,  and  there  must  be  duplicatures  or  plaits.  They 
are  usefully  employed  in  the  place  in  which  we  find  them.  They  prevent  tlie  passage 
of  any  rays  of  light  on  the  outside  of  the  lens,  and  which,  proceedino-  forward  in 
various  directions,  and  uncondensed  by  the  power  of  tlxe  lens,  would  render  vision 
confused  or  imperfect.    These  folds  of  the  choroides  are  called  the  ciliary  processes. 

Within  the  cornea,  and  occupying  the  fore  part  of  the  e)'e,  is  the  aque.ous  humour, 
p,  so  termed  from  its  resemblance  to  pure  water.  It  is  that  by  which  the  cornea  is 
preserved  in  its  protuberant  and  rounded  form.  It  extends  to  the  crystalline  lens  q, 
and  therefore  a  portion  of  it,  although  a  very  small  one,  is  behind  the"  iris  (m,  p.  86). 
Floating  in  this  fluid  is  a  membrane,  with  an  oblong  aperture,  called  the  Iris.  It  is 
that  which  o-ives  colour  to  the  eye.  The  human  eye  is  said  to  be  black,  or  hazel,  or 
blue,  according  to  the  colour  of  this  membrane  or  curtain ;  and  it  is  denominated  the 
iris,  or  rainbow,  from  its  beautiful,  intermingling  hues.  The  colour  varies  little  in 
the  horse,  except  that  it  always  bears  some  analogy  to  that  of  the  skin.  We  rarely 
see  it  lighter  than  a  hazel,  or  darker  than  a  brown.  Horses  perfectly  white,  or  cream- 
coloured,  have  the  iris  white  and  the  pupil  red.  When  horses  of  other  colours,  and 
that  are  usually  pied,  have  a  white  iris  and  a  black  pupil,  they  are  said  to  be  wall- 
eyed. Vulgar  opinion  has  decided  that  a  wall-eyed  horse  is  never  subject  to  blind- 
ness, but  this  is  altogether  erroneous.  There  is  no  difference  of  structure  that  can 
produce  this  exemption ;  but  the  wall-ej^ed  horse,  from  this  singular  and  unpleasant 
appearance,  and  his  frequent  want  of  breeding,  may  not  be  so  much  used  and  exposed 
to  many  of  the  usual  causes  of  inflammation. 

The  aperture  in  the  iris  is  termed  the  pupil,  and  through  it  light  passes  to  the  inner 
chamber  of  the  eye.  The  pupil  is  oblong,  and  variable  in  size.  It  differs  with  the 
intensity  or  degree  of  light  that  falls  upon  the  eye.  In  a  dark  stable  the  pupil  is 
expanded  to  admit  a  great  proportion  of  the  light  that  falls  upon  the  cornea ;  but  when 
the  horse  is  brought  towards  the  door  of  the  stable  and  more  light  is  thrown  upon  the 
eye,  the  pupil  contracts  in  order  to  keep  out  that  extra  quantity  which  would  be  pain- 
ful to  the  animal,  and  injurious  to  vision.  When  opposed  directly  to  the  sun,  the 
aperture  will  almost  close. 

This  alteration  of  form  in  the  pupil  is  effected  by  the  muscular  fibres  that  enter 
into  the  composition  of  the  iris.  When  these  fibres  are  relaxed,  the  pupil  must  pro- 
portionably  diminish.  The  motions  of  the  iris  are  not  at  all  under  the  control  of  the 
will,  nor  is  the  animal  sensible  of  them.  They  are  produced  by  sympathy  with  the 
state  of  the  retina.  When,  however,  a  deficient  portion  of  light  reaches  the  retina, 
and  vision  is  indistinct,  we  are  conscious  of  an  apparent  effort  to  bring  the  object  more 
clearly  into  view,  and  the  fibres  then  contract,  and  the  aperture  enlarges,  and  more 
light  is  admitted. 

This  dilatation  or  contraction  of  the  pupil  gives  a  useful  method  of  ascertaining  the 
existence  of  blindness  in  one  eye  or  in  both.  The  cornea  and  crystalline  lens  remain 
perfectly  transparent,  but  the  retina  is  palsied,  and  is  not  atTected  by  light;  and  many 
persons  have  been  deceived  when  blindness  of  this  description  has  been  confined  to 
one  eye.  A  horse  blind  in  both  eyes  will  usually  have  his  ears  in  constant  and  rapid 
motion,  directing  them  in  quick  succession  to  every  quarter.  He  will  likewise  hang 
back  in  his  halter  in  a  peculiar  way,  and  will  lift  his  feet  high  as  if  he  were  stepping 
over  some  obstacle,  when  there  is  actually  nothing  to  obstruct  his  passage,  and  there 
will  be  an  evident  uncertainty  in  the  putting  down  of  his  feet.  In  blindness  of  one 
eye,  little  or  nothing  of  this  characteristic  gait  and  manner  can  be  perceived.  Althouo-h 
a  one-eyed  horse  may  not  be  absolutely  condemned  for  the  common  business  of  the 
carriage  or  the  road,  he  is  generally  deteriorated  as  a  hunter,  for  he  cannot  measure 
his  distances,  and  will  run  into  his  leaps.*     Many  a  sportsman,  puzzled  and  angry 

*  Mr.  W.  Percivall,  however,  in  his  excellent  Lectures  on  the  Veterinary  Art,  vol.  iii.  p. 
8*  M 


90  THESENSORIALFUNCTION. 

at  the  sudden  blundering  of  his  horse,  or  injured  by  one  or  more  stunning  falls,  has 
found  a  very  natural  although  unexpected  explanation  of  it  in  the  blindness  of  one 
eye,  -and  that  perhaps  produced  through  his  own  fault,  by  over-riding  his  willing  and 
excellent  servant,  and  causing  a  determination  of  blood  to  the  eye,  which  proved  fatal 
to  the  delicate  texture  of  the  retina.  Even  for  the  caniage  or  the  road  he  is  consiuera- 
bly  deteriorated,  for  his  field  of  observation  must  be  materially  lessened. 

Let  the  size  of  both  pupils  be  carefully  noticed  before  the  horse  is  removed  from  the 
stable,  and,  as  he  is  led  to  the  door,  observe  whether  they  both  contract,  and  equally 
so,  with  the  increase  of  light.  If  the  horse  should  be  first  seen  in  the  open  air,  let  it 
be  observed  whether  the  pupils  are  precisely  of  the  same  size  ;  then  let  the  hand  be 
placed  over  each  eye  alternately  and  held  there  for  a  little  while,  and  let  it  be  observed 
whether  the  pupil  dilates  with  the  abstraction  of  light,  and  equally  in  each  eye. 

Hanging  from  the  upper  edge  of  the  pupil  of  the  horse,  are  two  or  three  round 
black  substances,  as  large  as  millet  seeds.  When  the  horse  is  suddenly  brought  into 
an  intense  light,  and  the  pupil  is  closed,  they  present  a  singular  appearance,  as  they 
are  pressed  out  from  between  the  edges  of  the  iris.  An  equal  number,  but  much 
smaller,  are  attached  to  the  edge  of  the  lower  portion  of  the  iris.  Their  general  use 
is  probably  to  intercept  rays  of  light  which  would  be  troublesome  or  injurious,  and 
their  principal  function  is  accomplished  during  the  act  of  grazing.  They  are  larger 
on  the  upper  edge  of  the  iris,  and  are  placed  on  the  outer  side  of  the  pupil,  evidently 
to  discharge  the  same  function  which  we  have  attributed  to  the  eyelashes,  viz.,  to 
obstruct  the  light  in  those  directions  in  which  it  would  come  with  greatest  force,  both 
from  above  and  even  from  below,  while,  at  the  same  time,  the  field  of  view  is  per* 
fectly  opeii,  so  far  as  it  regards  the  pasture  on  which  the  horse  is  grazing. 

In  our  cut,  m  gives  a  duplicature  of  the  iris,  or  the  back  surface  of  it.  This  is  called 
the  uvea,  and  it  is  covered  with  a  thick  coat  of  black  mucus,  to  arrest  the  rays  of 
light,  and  to  prevent  them  from  entering  the  eye  in  any  other  way  than  through  the 
pupil.  The  colour  of  the  iris  is,  in  some  unknow'n  way,  connected  Avith  this  black 
paint  behind.     Wall-eyed  horses,  whose  iris  is  white,  have  no  uvea. 

We  nov/  arrive  at  a  body  on  which  all  the  important  uses  of  the  eye  mainly  depend, 
the  crystalline  lens,  g,  so  called  from  its  resemblance  to  a  piece  of  crystal,  or  trans- 
parent glass.  It  is  of  a  yielding  jelly-like  consistence,  thicker  and  firmer  towards  the 
centre,  and  convex  on  each  side,  but  more  convex  on  the  inner  than  the  outer  side.  It 
is  enclosed  in  a  delicate  transparent  bag  ot  capsule,  nnA  is  placed  between  the  aqueous 
and  the  vitreous  humours,  and  received  into  a  hollow  in  the  vitreous  humour,  with 
which  it  exactly  corresponds.  It  has,  from  its  density  and  its  double  convexity,  the 
chief  concern  in  converging  the  rays  of  light  which  pass  into  the  pupil. 

The  lens  is  very  apt  to  be  afl"ected  from  long  or  violent  inflammation  of  the  con- 
junctiva, and  either  its  capsule  becomes  cloudy,  and  imperfectly  transmits  the  light, 
or  the  substance  of  the  lens  becomes  opaque.  The  examination  of  the  horse,  with  a 
view  to  detect  this,  must  either  be  in  the  shade,  or  at  a  stable  door,  where  the  light 
shall  fall  on  the  animal  from  above  and  in  front ;  and  in  conducting  this  examination 
we  would  once  more  caution  the  intended  purchaser  against  a  superfluity  of  white 
about  his  neck.  Holding  the  head  of  the  animal  a  little  up,  and  the  light  coming  in 
the  direction  that  has  been  described,  the  condition  of  the  lens  will  at  once  be  evident. 
The  confirmed  cataract,  or  the  opaque  lens  of  long  standing,  will  exhibit  a  pearly 
appearance,  that  cannot  be  mistaken,  and  will  frequently  be  attended  with  a  change 
of  form — a  portion  of  the  lens  being  forced  forwards  into  the  pupil.  Although  the 
disease  may  not  have  proceeded  so  far  as  this,  yet  if  there  is  the  slightest  cloudiness 
of  the  lens,  either  generally,  or  in  the  form  of  a  minute  spot  in  the  centre,  and  with 
or  without  lines  radiating  from  that  spot,  the  horse  is  to  be  condemned;  for,  in  ninety- 
nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred,  the  disease  will  proceed,  and  cataract,  or  complete  opacity 
of  the  lens,  and  absolute  blindness,  will  be  the  result. 


201,  says,  "  The  loss  of  one  eye  does  not  enfeeble  sight,  because  the  other  acquires  greater 
energy,  though  it  much  contracts  the  field  of  vision.  It  is  said  to  render  the  conception  erring, 
and  the  case  of  misjiidgment  of  distances  is  the  one  commonly  brought  forward  to  show  this. 
All  I  can  say  on  this  point  is,  that  the  best  hunter  I  ever  possessed,  a  horse  gifted  whh  extra- 
ordinary powers  for  leaping,  was  a  one-eyed  horse,  and  this  animal  carried  me  through  a  huiitnig 
season,  without,  to  my  recollection,  making  one  single  blunder  in  leaping." 


THE   SENSORIAL    FUNCTION.  91 

Cataract  in  t.ie  human  beincr  may,  to  a  very  considerable  extent,  be  remedied.  The 
opaque  lens  may  be  extracted,  or  it  may  be  forced  into  the  vitreous  humours,  and 
there  existing-  as  a  foreign  body,  it  will  soon  be  absorbed  and  disappear.  These 
operations  are  impossible  in  the  horse ;  for,  in  the  first  place,  there  is  a  muscle  of 
which  we  have  already  spoken,  and  to  be  presently  more  particularly  described ,  that 
is  peculiar  to  quadnipeds,  and  of  such  power  as  generally  to  draw  back  the  eye  too 
far  into  its  socket  for  the  surgeon  to  be  enabled  to  make  his  incision ;  or  could  the 
incision  be  made,  the  action  of  tliis  muscle  would .  force  out  the  greater  part  of  the 
contents  of  the  eye,  and  this  organ  would  speedily  waste  away.  If,  however,  the 
opaque  lens  could  be  withdrawn  or  depressed,  and  the  mechanism  of  the  eye  were  not 
otherwise  injured,  the  operation  would  be  totally  useless,  for  we  could  not  make  the 
horse  wear  those  convex  glasses  whose  converging  power  might  compensate  for  the 
loss  of  the  lens. 

Behind  the  lens,  and  occupying  four-fifths  of  the  cavity  of  the  eye,  is  the  vitreous 
humour  (glassy,  or  resembling  glass).  It  seems,  when  first  taken  from  the  eye,  to  be 
of  the  consistence  of  a  jelly,  and  of  beautiful  transparency ;  but  if  it  is  punctured  a 
fluid  escapes  from  it  as  limpid  and  as  thin  as  water,  and  when  this  has  been  suffered 
completely  to  ooze  out,  a  mass  of  membraneous  bags  or  cells  remains.  The  vitreous 
humour  consists  of  a  watery  fluid  contained  in  these  cells  ;  but  the  fluid  and  the 
cells  form  a  body  of  considerably  greater  density  than  the  aqueous  fluid  in  the  front 
of  the  eye. 

Last  of  all,  between  the  vitreous  humour  and  the  choroid  coat,  is  the  retina,  o,  or  net- 
like membrane.  It  is  an  expansion  of  the  substance,  g,  of  the  optic  nerve.  When 
that  nerve  has  reached  the  back  of  the  eye,  and  penetrated  through  the  sclerotic  and 
choroid  coats,  it  first  enlarges  into  a  little  white  prominence,  from  which  radiations  or 
expansions  of  nerv^ous  matter  proceed,  which  spread  over  the  whole  of  the  choroid 
coat,  and  form  the  third  investment  of  the  eye.  The  membrane  by  which  this  nervous 
pulp  is  supported,  is  so  exceedingly  thin  and  delicate,  that  it  will  tear  with  the 
slightest  touch,  and  break  even  with  its  own  weight.  The  membrane  and  the  pulp 
are  perfectly  transparent  in  the  living  animal.  The  pupil  appears  to  be  black,  because 
in  the  daytime  it  imperfectly  reflects  the  colour  of  the  choroid  coat  beneath.  In  the 
dusk  it  is  greenish,  because,  the  glare  of  day  being  removed,  the  actual  green  of  the 
paint  appears. 

On  this  expansion  of  nervous  pulp,  the  rays  of  light  from  surrounding  objects,  con- 
densed by  the  lens  and  the  humours,  fall,  and,  producing  a  certain  image  correspond- 
ing with  these  objects,  the  animal  is  conscious  of  their  existence  and  presence. 

It  may,  however,  so  happen  that  from  the  too  great  or  too  little  convexit}- of  the  eye 
or  a  portion  of  it,  the  place  of  most  distinct  vision  may  not  be  immediately  on  the 
retina,  but  a  little  before  or  behind  it.  In  proportion  as  this  is  the  case,  the  sight  will 
be  indistinct  and  imperfect ;  nor  shall  we  be  able  to  offer  any  remedy  for  this  defect 
of  sight.  There  is  a  shying,  often  the  result  of  cowardice  or  playfulness,  or  want 
of  work,  but  at  other  times  proving,  beyond  contradiction,  a  defect  of  sight  even  more 
dangerous  than  blindness.  A  blind  horse  will  resign  himself  to  the  guidance  of  his 
rider  or  driver ;  but  against  the  misconception  and  starting  of  a  shying  horse  there  is 
no  defence.  That  horses  grow  shy  as  they  grow  old,  no  one  accustomed  to  them  will 
deny ;  and  no  intelligent  person  will  be  slow  in  attributing  it  to  the  right  cause — a 
decay  in  the  organ  of  vision,  —  a  loss  of  convexity  in  the  eye,  lessening  the  con- 
veraency  of  the  rays,  and  throwing  the  perfect  image  beyond,  and  not  on,  the  retina. 
There  is  a  striking  difference  in  the  convexity  of  the  cornea  in  the  colt  and  the  old 
horse  ;  and  both  of  them,  probably,  may  shy  from  opposite  causes — the  one  from  a 
cornea  too  prominent,  and  the  other  from  one  too  flat.  In  the  usual  examination  of 
the  horse  pre\'iously  to  purchase,  suflficient  attention  is  not  always  paid  to  the  con- 
vexit}'  of  the  cornea. 

The  remedy  for  shying  will  be  considered  when  we  speak  of  the  vices  of  horses. 

Tliere  is  a  provision  yet  wanting.  The  horse  has  a  very  extended  field  of  view,  but 
many  persons  are  not  perhaps  aware  how  little  of  it  he  can  command  at  a  time. 
There  is  not  one  of  our  readers  who  can  make  out  a  single  line  of  our  treatise  without 
chang-ing  the  direction  of  the  eye.  It  is  curious  to  follow  the  motion  of  the  eyes  of  a 
rapid  reader.     Nature  has  given  no  less  than  seven  muscles  to  the  horse,  in  oider  to 


^ 


92  THE  SENSORIAL  FUNCTION. 

turn  this  little  but  important  ortran  ;  and,  that  they  may  act  with  sufficient  power  and 
quickness,  no  fewer  than  six  nerves  are  directed  to  the  muscles  of  the  eye  generally, 
or  to  particular  ones — while  the  eye  rests  on  a  mass  of  fat,  that  it  may  be  turned  with 
little  exertion  of  power,  and  without  friction. 

MUSCLES    OF    THE     EYE. 

There  are  four  straight  muscles, 
three  of  which,  c/,  e,  and/,  are  repre- 
sented in  our  cut,  rising  from  the 
back  of  the  orbit,  and  inserted  into 
the  ball  of  the  eye,  opposite  to,  and 
at  equal  distances  from  each  other. 
One,  rf,  runs  to  the  upper  part  of  the 
eye,  just  behind  the  transparent  and 
visible  portion  of  it,  and  its  office  is 
clearly,  to  raise  the  eye.  When  it 
contracts,  the  eye  must  be  drawn 
upward.  Another,/,  is  inserted  ex- 
actly opposite,  at  the  bottom  of  the  eye ;  and  its  office  is  as  clearly  to  depress  the 
eye,  or  enable  the  animal  to  look  downwards.  A  third,  e,  is  inserted  at  the  outer 
corner,  and  by  means  of  it  the  eye  is  turned  outward,  and,  from  the  situation  of  the 
eye  of  the  horse,  considerably  backward ;  and  the  fourth  is  inserted  at  the  inner 
comer,  turning  the  eye  inward.  They  can  thus  rotate  or  turn  the  eye  in  any  direction 
the  animal  wishes,  and  by  the  action  of  one,  or  the  combined  power  of  any  two  of 
them,  the  eye  can  be  immediately  and  accurately  directed  to  ever}-  point. 

These  muscles,- however,  have  another  duty  to  discharge.  They  support  the  eye 
n  its  place.  In  the  usual  position  of  the  head  of  the  horse,  they  must  be  to  a  certain 
iegree  employed  for  this  purpose ;  but  when  he  is  grazing  or  feeding,  the  principal 
weight  of  the  eye  rests  upon  them.  Another  muscle  is  therefore  added,  peculiar  to 
quadmpeds,  called  the  refractor  {ciratvcr-bac/i-),  or  the  suspe7}sor{us  (suspensory)  muscle, 
Of.  It  arises  from  the  edge  of  the  foramen  through  which  the  optic  nerve  enters  the 
orbit  —  surrounds  the  ner\'e  as  it  proceeds  forward,  and  then,  partially  dividing  into 
four  portions,  is  attached  to  the  back  part  of  the  eye.  Its  office  is  evidently  to  support 
the  eye  generally,  or,  when  suddenly  called  into  powerful  action,  and  assisted  by  the 
straight  muscles,  it  draws  the  eye  back  out  of  the  reach  of  threatening  danger,  and  in 
the  act  of  drawing  it  back  causes  the  haw  to  protrude,  as  an  additional  defence. 

The  power  of  this  muscle  is  very  great.  It  renders  some  operations  on  the  eye 
almost  impossible.  It  is  an  admirable  substitute  for  the  want  of  hands,  to  defend  the 
eye  from  many  things  that  would  injure  it;  and,  being  partially  separated  into  four 
divisions,  it  assists  the  straiglit  muscles  in  turning  the  eye. 

These  muscles  discharge  another  and  a  most  im.portant  office.  If  we  examine  near 
and  distant  objects  through  a  telescope,  we  must  alter  the  focus;  «.  c,  we  must  increase 
or  diminish  the  length  of  the  tube.  We  must  shorten  it  a  little  when  we  examine  dis- 
tant objects,  because  the  rays,  coming  to  us  from  them  in  a  less  divergent  direction, 
are  sooner  brought  to  a  point  by  the  power  of  the  lens.  Thus  the  straight  and  retractor 
muscles  drawing  back  the  eye,  and  forcing  it  upon  the  substance  behind,  and  in  a 
slight  degree  flattening  it,  bring,the  lens  nearer  to  the  retina,  and  adapt  the  eye  to  the 
observation  of  distant  objects. 

Still,  however,  being  constantly  employed  in  supporting  the  weight  of  the  eye,  these 
muscles  may  not  be  able  to  turn  it  so  rapidly  and  so  extensively  as  the  wishes  or 
wants  of  the  animal  require ;  therefore  two  others  are  superadded  which  are  used 
solely  in  turning  the  eye.  They  are  called  oblique  muscles,  because  their  course  is 
obliquely  across  the  eye.  The  upper  one  is  most  curiously  constructed,  «,  h.  It 
comes  from  the  back  part  of  the  orbit,  and  takes  a  direction  upwards  and  towards  the 
inner  side,  and  there,  just  under  the  ridge  of  the  orbit,  it  passes  through  a  perfect  me- 
chanical pulley,  and,  turning  round,  proceeds  across  the  eye,  and  is  inserted  rather 
beyond  the  middle  of  the  eye,  towards  the  outer  side.  Thus  the  globe  of  the  eye  is 
evidently  directed  inward  and  upward.  Something  more,  however,  is  accomplished 
l)y  this  singular  mechanism.     The  eye  is  naturally  deep  in  the  orbit,  that  it  may  b« 


INJURIES  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  SKULL,  &c.  93 

more  perfectly  defended  ;  but  it  may  be  necessary  occasionally  to  bring  it  forward, 
and  enlarge  the  field  of  vision.  The  eye  is  actually  protruded  under  the  influence  of 
fear.  Not  only  are  the  lids  opened  more  widely,  but  the  eye  is  brought  more  forward. 
How  is  this  accomplished  1  There  are  no  muscles  anterior  to,  or  before  the  eye  — 
there  4s  no  place  for  their  insertion.  The  object  is  readily  effected  by  this  singular 
pulley,  b,  c.  By  the  power  of  this  muscle — the  trochkaris,  or  pulley-muscle — and  the 
straiirht  muscles' at  the  same  time  not  opposing  it,  or  only  regulating  the  direction  of 
the  eye.  it  is  really  brought  somewhat  forward.  The  lower  oblique  muscle  rises  just 
within  the  lacrymal  bone  (t,  p.  70),  and,  proceeding  across  the  eye,  is  fixed  into  the 
part  cf  the  sclerotica  opposite  to  the  other  oblique  muscle,  and  it  turns  the  eye  in  a 
contrary  direction,  assisting,  however,  the  upper  oblique  in  bringing  the  eye  forward 
from  its  socket. 


CHAPTER   III. 

INJURIES  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE   SKULL— THE  BR.AIN  — THE 
EARS  — AND   THE   EYES. 

We  have  now  arrived  at  a  convenient  resting-place  in  our  somewhat  dry  but  neces- 
sary description  of  the  structure  of  the  horse,  and  we  willingly  turn  to  more  practical 
matter.  ^\'e  will  consider  the  injuries  and  diseases  of  the  parts  we  have  surveyed. 
In  entering,  however,  on  this  division  of  our  work,  we  would  premise,  that  it  is  impos- 
^ble  for  us  to  give  the  farmer  such  an  account  of  the  nature  and  treatment  of  the  dis- 
eases of  horses  as  will  enable  him  with  safety  to  practise  for  himself,  except  in  the 
commonest  cases.  The  causes  of  most  diseases  are  so  obscure,  their  symptoms  so 
variable,  and  their  connexion  with  other  maladies  so  complicated  and  mysterious,  that 
a  life  devoted  to  professional  study  will  alone  qualify  a  man  to  become  a  judicious 
and  successful  practitioner  on  the  diseases  of  the  horse  and  other  domestic  animals. 
Our  object  will  be  to  communicate  sufficient  instruction  to  the  farmer  to  enable  him 
to  act  with  promptness  and  judgment  when  he  cannot  obtain  professional  assistance, 
to  qualify  him  to  form  a  satisfactory  opinion  of  the  skill  of  the  veterinary  surgeon 
whom  he  may  employ,  and,  more  especially,  to  divest  him  of  those  strange  and  absurd 
prejudices  which  in  a  variety  of  cases  not  only  produce  and  prolong  disease,  but  bring 
it  to  a  fatal  termination. 

FRACTURE. 

We  have  described  the  cavity  of  the  skull  of  the  horse  as  being  so  defended  by  the 
hardness  of  the  parietal  bones,  and  those  bones  so  covered  by  a  mass  of  muscle,  and 
the  occipital  bone  as  so  exceedingly  thick  (see  page  92),  that  a  Fracture  of  the  skull 
is  almost  impossible.  It  can  only  occur  from  brutal  violence,  or  when  a  horse  falls 
in  the  act  of  rearing.  When,  however,  fracture  of  the  skull  does  occur,  it  is  almost 
invariably  fatal.  A  blow  of  sufficient  violence  to  break  these  bones  must  likewist; 
irreparably  inj  ure  the  delicate  and  important  oraran  which  tliey  protect. 

The  ridge,  or  outer  and  upper  part  of  the  orbit  of  the  eye,  is  occasionally  fractured. 
It  happens  from  falling,  or  much  oftener  from  violent  blows.  The  slightest  examina- 
tion will  detect  the  loosened  pieces ;  but  a  professional  man  alone  can  render  effectual 
assistance. 

^Ir.  Pritchard,  in  the  second  volume  of  the  "  Veterinarian,"  relates  an  interesting 
case  of  fracture  of  the  orbit  of  the  eye.  "  A  chestnut  mare,''  he  says,  "  received  a 
blow  which  fractured  the  orbit  from  the  superciliary  foramen,  in  a  line  through  the 
zygomatic  processes  of  the  temporal  and  malar  bones  to  the  outer  angle  of  the  eye 
The  detached  bone,  together  with  the  divided  integument,  hung  over  the  eye  so  as  tc 
intercept  vision.  On  examining  the  place  where  the  accident  occurred,  two  portion? 
of  bone  were  found  belonging  to  the  orbital  arch.  After  carefully  inspecting  the 
wound,  and  finding  no  other  detached  portions,  nor  any  spiculas  which  might  irritate 


94  INJURIES  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  SKULL,  &.c. 

or  wound,  the  adjacent  portions  of  the  skin  were  carefully  drawn  together,  and  secured 
by  a  silver  wire,  which  closed  the  wound,  and  confined  the  detached  portion  of  bone 
in  its  proper  place.     A  mash  diet  was  ordered. 

"  On  the  following  day  there  was  considerable  inflammation.  The  eye  was  bathed 
with  warm  water,  and  a  dose  of  physic  administered.  On  the  third  day  the  i<iflam- 
niation  and  swelling  had  still  more  increased.  Blood  was  abstracted  from  the  vein 
at  the  angle  of  the  eye.  The  swelling  and  inflammation  now  speedily  abated  ;  and 
on  the  fifteenth  day  the  wound  had  quite  healed." 

If  a  fracture  of  this  kind  is  suspected,  its  existence  or  non-existence  may  be  easily 
determined  by  introducing  the  thumb  under,  and  keeping  the  fore-finger  upon,  the 
edge  of  tlie  orbit. 

EXOSTOSIS. 

Bony  enlargements  of  the  orbital  arch  sometimes  arise  from  natural  predisposition 
or  local  injury.  They  should  be  attacked  in  the  earliest  stage,  for  they  are  too  apt 
rapidly  to  increase.  Some  preparation  of  iodine,  as  described  in  the  account  of  medi- 
cines, will  be  useful  in  this  case. 

CARIES. 

Inflammation  and  enlargement  of  the  injured  bones,  followed  by  abscess  and  the 
production  of  certain  bony  growths,  are  of  occasional  occurrence.  A  skilful  practi- 
tioner can  alone  decide  whether  a  cure  should  be  attempted,  or  the  sufferings  of  the 
animal  terminated  by  death. 

COMPRESSION   OFTHE  BRAIN. 

Hydatids  are  often  found  within  the  cranial  cavity,  and  lying  upon  or  imbedded  in 
the  brain  of  oxen  and  sheep.  Their  existence  is  usually  fatal  to  the  animal.  Ther#' 
is  no  well-authenticated  account  of  the  existence  of  an  hydatid  in  the  cranial  cavity 
of  the  horse;  but  cysts,  containing  a  serous  or  viscid  fluid,  are  occasionally  observed. 
The  following  is  the  history  of  one : — A  horse  exhibited  symptoms  of  vertigo,  or  stag- 
gers, which  disappeared  after  copious  bleeding  and  purgatives.  About  twelve  months 
afterwards  the  same  complaint  was  evident.  He  carried  his  head  low  and  inclined  to 
the  right  side.  He  staggered  as  he  walked,  and  the  motion  of  his  limbs  was  marked 
by  a  peculiar  convulsive  action,  confined  to  the  fore  extremities.  He  moved  by  a  suc- 
cession of  spasmodic  houndings.  He  was  completely  deaf;  and  rapidly  lost  flesh, 
though  he  ate  and  drank  voraciously.  He  remained  in  this  state,  to  the  shame  of  the 
owner  and  the  practitioner,  several  months,  and  then  he  had  a  fresh  attack  of  vertigo, 
and  died  suddenly.  On  examination  of  the  brain,  its  membranes  were  found  to  be 
completely  reddened;  and,  between  the  two  lobes  of  the  brain,  was  a  round  cyst  as 
large  as  a  pullet's  egg.     The  pressure  of  this  was  the  manifest  cause  of  the  mischief. 

PRESSURE   ON  THE   BRAIN. 

This  may  be  produced  by  some  fluid  thrown  out  between  the  membranes,  or  occu- 
pying and  distending  the  ventricles  of  the  brain.  In  the  full-grown  horse  it  rarely 
occurs;  but  it  is  well  known  to  breeders  as  an  occasional  disease  of  the  foal,  under 
the  name  of  "  water  in  the  head."  The  head  is  either  much  enlarged,  or  strangely 
deformed,  or  both ;  and  the  animal  dies,  either  in  the  birth,  or  a  few  days  after  it. 

MEGRIMS. 

There  is  another  kind  of  pressure  on  the  brain,  resulting  from  an  unusual  determi- 
nation or  flow  of  blood  to  it.  This  organ  requires  a  large  supply  of  blood  to  enable 
it  to  discharge  its  important  functions.  Nature,  in  the  horse  more  than  in  many  other 
animals,  has  made  some  admirable  provisions  to  cause  this  stream  to  flov/  into  the 
brain  with  little  velocity,  and  thereby  to  lessen  the  risk  of  suddenly  overloading  it  or 
rupturing  its  vessels.  The  arteries  pursue  their  course  to  the  brain  in  a  strangely 
winding  and  circuitous  manner;  and  they  enter  the  skull  through  bony  apertures  that 
will  admit  of  the  enlargement  of  the  vessels  only  to  a  very  limited  e^.tent.  From 
various  causes,  however,  of  which  the  most  common  is  violent  exercise  en  a  hot  day, 


APOPLEXY 


95 


and  the  horse  being  fat  and  full  of  blood,  more  thah  the  usual  quantity  is  sent  to  the 
head;  or,  from  some  negligence  about  the  harness — as  the  collar  being  too  small,  or 
the  carb-rein  too  tight  —  the  blood  is  prevented  from  returning  trom  the  head.  The 
larger  vessels  of  the  brain  v.\\\  then  be  too  long  ai.u  injuriously  distended  ;  and, -what 
is  of  more  consequence,  the  small  vessels  that  permeate  the'  substance  of  the  brain 
will  be  enlarged,  and  the  bulk  of  the  brain  increased,  so  that  it  will  press  upon  the 
origins  of  the  nerves,  and  produce,  almost  without  warning,  loss  of  power  and  con- 
sciousness. 

The  mildest  affection  of  this  kind  is  known  by  the  name  of  ^NlECRnis.  It  compara- 
tively rarely  happens  when  the  horse  is  ridden  ;  but  should  he  be  driven,  and  perhaps 
rather  quickly,  he  may  perform  a  part  of  his  journey  with  his  usual  cheerfulness  and 
ease  :  lie  will  then  suddenly  stop,  shake  his  head,  and  exhibit  evident  giddiness,  and 
half-unconsciousness.  In  a  minute  or  tivo  this  will  pass  over,  and  he  will  go  on 
again  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

Occasionally,  however,  the  attack  will  be  of  a  more  serious  nature.  He  will  fall 
without  the  slightest  warning,  or  suddenly  run  round  once  or  twice,  and  then  fall.  He 
will  either  lie  in  a  state  of  complete  insensibility,  or  struggle  with  the  utmost  violence. 
In  live  cr  ten  minutes  he  will  begin  gradually  to  come  to  himself ;  he  will  get  up  and 
proceed  on  his  journey,  yet  somewhat  dull,  and  evidently  affected  and  exhausted  by 
what  had  happened,  although  not  seriously  or  permanently  ill. 

At  the  moment  of  attack,  a  person  who  is  competent" to  the  task  should  abstract 
three  or  four  quarts  of  blood  from  the  neck-vein  ;  or  cut  the  bars  of  the  palate  in  the 
manner  to  be  explained  when  we  describe  that  part,  and  whence  a  considerable  and 
sulUcient  quantity  of  blood  may  be  readily  obtained.  The  driver  should  pat  and 
soothe  the  animal,  loosen  the  curb-rein,  if  possible  ease  the  collar,  and  pursue  his 
journey  as  slowly  as  circumstances  will  permit.  When  he  gets  home,  a  dose  of 
physic  should  be  administered  if  the  horse  can  be  spared,  the  quantity  of  dry  food 
lessened,  and  mashes  given,  or  green  meat,  or  he  should  be  turned  out  to  grass  for 
two  or  three  months. 

Is  all  this  necessary  because  a  horse  has  happened  to  have  a  fit  of  the  meorims  1 
Yes,  and  more  too.  in  the  mind  of  the  prudent  man ;  for  it  is  seldom  that  a  horse  has 
the  megrims  without  the  predisposition  to  a  second  attack  remaining.  Tliese  over- 
distended  vessels  may  be  relieved  for  a  while,  but  it  is  long  before  they  perfectly 
recover  their  former  tone.  It  requires  but  a  little  increased  velocitj^  or  force  in  the 
vital  current  once  more  to  distend  them,  and  to  produce  the  same  dangerous  effects. 
The  testimony  of  experience  is  uniform  -nith  regard  to  this  ;  and  he  would  not  do 
justice  to  himself  or  his  family  who  trusted  himself  behind  a  horse  that  had  a  second 
attack  of  megrims. 

APOPLEXY. 

Megrims  is  Apoplexy  under  its  mildest  form.  In  the  latter  affection,  the  deter- 
mination of  blood,  if  not  so  sudden,  is  greater,  or  differently  directed,  or  more  lasting. 
It  is  seldom,  however,  that  there  are  not  timely  warnings  of  its  approach,  if  the  carter 

or  the  groom  had  wit  enough  to  observe  them.     The  horse  is  a  little  off  his  feed he 

is  more  than  usually  dull — there  is  a  degree  of  stupiditj'  about  him,  and,  g-enerallv,  a 
somewhat  staggering  gait.  This  goes  off  when  he  has  been  out  a  little  while,  but  it 
soon  returns  under  a  more  decided  character,  until,  at  length,  it  forces  itself  on  tho 
attention  of  the  most  careless. 

The  actual  illness  is  perhaps  first  recognised  by  the  horse  standing  ^^^th  his  head 
depressed.  It  bears  upon,  or  is  forced  against  the  manger  or  the  wall,  and  a  con- 
siderable part  of  the  weight  of  the  animal  is  evidentlv  supported  by  this  pressure  of 
the  head.  As  he  thus  stands,  he  is  balancing  himself  from  one  side  to  the  other  as 
if  he  were  ready  to  fall ;  and  it  is  often  dangerous  to  stand  near  to  him,  or  to  move 
lim,  for  he  falls  without  warning.  If  he  can  get  his  muzzle  into  a  corner,  he  will 
sometimes  continue  there  motionless  for  a  considerable  time,  and  then  drop  as  if  he 
were  shot ;  but,  the  next  moment,  he  is  up  again,  with  his  feet  almost  in  the  rack. 
He  sleeps  or  seems  to  do  so  as  he  stands,  or  at  least  he  is  nearly  or  quite  unconscious 
of  surrounding  objects.  ^Yhen  he  is  roused,  he  looks  vacantly  around  him.  Perhaps 
he  will  talce  a  lock  of  hay  if  it  is  offered  to  him  ;  but  ere  it  is'half  masticated,  the  eye 


96  APOPLEXY. 

closes,  and  he  sleeps  again  with  the  food  in  his  mouth.  Soon  afterwards  he  is,  pei 
haps,  revised  once  more.  The  eye  opens,  but  it  has  an  unmeaning  glare.  The  han'i 
is  moved  before  him,  but  the  eye  closes  not;  he  is  spoken  to,  but  he  hears  not.  The 
last  act  of  voluntary  motion  which  he  will  attempt  is  usually  to  drink;  but  he  has 
'illlo  power  over  the  muscles  of  deglutition,  and  the  fluid  returns  through  the  nostrils. 

He  now  begins  to  foam  at  the  mouth.  His  breathing  is  laborious  and  loud.  It  is 
]ierformed  by  the  influence  of  the  organic  nerves,  and  those  of  animal  life  no  longer 
lend  their  aid.  The  pulse  is  slow  and  oppressed  —  the  jugular  vein  is  distended 
almost  to  bursting  —  the  muzzle  is  cold,  and  the  discharge  of  the  fa*ces  involuntary 
He  grinds  his  teeth — twitchings  steal  over  his  face  and  attack  his  limbs — they  some- 
times proceed  to  convulsions,  and  dreadful  ones  too,  in  which  the  hoi-se  beats  himself 
about  in  a  terrible  manner ;  but  there  is  rarely  disposition  to  do  mischief.  In  the 
greater  number  of  cases  these  convulsions  last  not  long.  All  the  powers  of  life  are 
oppressed,  and  death  speedily  closes  the  scene. 

On  examination  after  death,  the  whole  venous  sj'stem  is  usually  found  in  a  state 
of  congestion,  and  the  vessels  of  the  brain  are  peculiarly  turgid  with  black  blood. 
Occasionally,  however,  there  is  no  inflammation  of  the  brain  or  its  membranes ;  but 
either  the  stomach  contains  a  more  than  usual  quantity  of  food,  or  the  larger  intes- 
tines are  loaded  with  foul  matter. 

This  disease  is  found  more  frequently  in  the  stable  of  the  postmaster  and  the  farmer 
than  anywhere  else.  Thirty  years  ago  it  was  the  very  pest  of  these  stables,  and  the 
loss  sustained  by  some  persons  was  enormous ;  but,  as  veterinary  science  progressed, 
the  nature  and  the  causes  of  the  disease  were  better  understood,  and  there  is  not  now 
one  case  of  staggers  where  twenty  used  to  occur 

Apoplexy  is  a  determination  of  blood  to  the  head,  and  the  cause  is  the  over-condi- 
tion of  the  animal  and  too  great  fulness  of  blood.  Notions  of  -projier  condifiun  in  the 
horse  now  prevail  very  different  from  those  by  which  our  forefathers  were  guided. 
It  no  longer  consists  in  the  round,  sleek  carcase,  fat  enough  for  the  butcher,  but  in 
fulness  and  hardness  of  the  muscular  fibre,  and  a  comparative  paucity  of  cellular  and 
adipose  matter — in  that  which  will  add  to  the  power  of  nature,  and  not  oppress  and 
weigh  her  down. 

The  system  of  exercise  is  better  understood  than  it  used  formerly  to  be.  It  is  pro- 
portioned to  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  food,  and  more  particularly  the  division 
of  labour  is  more  rational.  The  stage-horse  no  longer  runs  his  sixteen  or  eighteen, 
or  even  two-and-twenty  miles,  and  then,  exhausted,  is  turned  into  the  stable  for  the 
next  twenty  hours.  The  food  is  no  longer  eaten  voraciously ;  the  comparatively  little 
stomach  of  the  animal  is  no  longer  distended,  before  nature  has  been  able  sufficiently 
to  recruit  herself  to  carry  on  the  digestive  process ;  the  vessels  of  the  stomach  are  no 
longer  oppressed,  and  the  flow  of  blood  through  them  arrested,  and,  consequently, 
more  blood  directed  to  other  parts,  and  to  the  brain  among  the  rest. 

The  farmer  used  to  send  his  horses  out  early  in  the  morning,  and  keep  them  at 
plough  for  six  or  eight  hours,  and  then  they  were  brought  home  and  suffered  to  over- 
gorge  themselves,  and  many  of  them  were  attacked  by  staggers  and  died.  If  the  evil 
did  not  proceed  quite  to  this  extent,  the  fanner's  horse  was  notoriously  subject  to  fits 
of  heaviness  and  slee])iness — he  had  half-aliachs  of  staggers.  From  this  frequent 
oppression  of  the  brain — this  pressure  on  the  optic  nerves  as  well  as  other  parts, 
another  consequence  ensued,  unsuspected  at  the  time,  but  far  too  prevalent — the  horse 
became  blind.  The  farmer  was  notorious  for  having  more  blind  horses  in  his  stable 
than  any  other  person,  except,  perhaps,  the  postmaster. 

The  system  of  horse  management  is  now  essentially  changed.  Shorter  stages,  a 
livision  of  the  labour  of  the  day,  and  a  sufficient  interval  for  rest,  and  for  feeding, 
lave,  comparatively  speaking,  banished  sleepy  staggers  from  the  stables  of  the  post- 
naster.  The  division  of  the  morning  and  afternoon  labour  of  the  farmer's  horse, 
\rith  the  introduction  of  that  simple  but  invaluable  contrivance,  the  nose-hag,  have 
.endered  this  disease  comparatively  rare  in  the  establishment  of  the  agriculturist.  To 
vhe  late  Professor  Coleman  we  are  indebted  for  some  of  these  important  improve- 
ments. 

Old  horses  are  more  subject  to  staggers  than  young  ones,  for  the  stomach  has  be- 


APOPLEXY.  97 

come  weak  by  the  repetition  of  the  abuses  just  described.  It  has  not  power  to  digesl 
and  expel  the  food,  and  thus  becomes  a  source  of  general,  and  particularly  of  cere- 
bral, disturbance. 

Horses  at  grass  are  occasionally  attacked  by  this  disease;  but  they  are  generally 
poor,  hard-worked,  half-starved  animals,  turned  on  richer  pasture  than  their  impaired 
digestive  organs  are  equal  to.  Perhaps  the  weather  is  hot,  and  the  sympathy  of  the 
brain  with  the  undue  labour  of  the  stomach  is  more  easily  excited,  and  a  determina- 
tion of  Ijlood  to  the  brain  more  readily  effected. 

Mr.  Percivall  gives  a  very  satisfactory  illustration  of  the  production  of  stao-o-ers  in 
this  way.  He  says  that  "  when  his  father  first  entered  the  service  of  the  Ordnance, 
it  was  the  custom  to  turn  horses  which  had  become  low  in  condition,  but  were  still 
well  upon  their  legs,  into  the  marshes,  in  order  to  recruit  their  strength.  During  the 
months  of  July,  August,  and  September,  nothing  was  more  common  than  an  attack 
of  staggers  among  these  horses,  and  which  was  naturally  attributed  to  the  luxuriant 
pasture  they  were  turned  into,  combined  with  the  dependent  posture  of  the  head,  and 
the  sultry  heat  to  which  they  were  exposed." 

Occasionally  it  will  be  necessary  for  the  owner  or  the  veterinary  attendant  to  insti- 
tute very  careful  inquiry,  or  he  will  not  detect  the  real  causes  of  the  disease.  Does 
it  arise  from  improper  management,  to  which  the  horse  has  been  in  a  manner  habitu- 
ated] Had  he  been  subjected  to  long  labour  and  fasting,  and  had  then  the  opportu- 
nity of  gorging  to  excess  1  Did  it  proceed  from  accidental  repletion — from  the  ani- 
mal having  got  loose  in  the  night,  and  found  out  the  corn  or  the  chaff  bin,  and  filled 
himself  almost  to  bursting]  There  is  nothing  in  the  appearance  of  the  animal  which 
will  lead  to  a  discovery  of  the  cause — no  yellowness  nor  twitchings  of  the  skin,  no 
local  swellings,  as  some  have  described ;  but  the  practitioner  or  the  owner  must  get 
at  the  truth  of  the  matter  as  well  as  he  can,  and  then  proceed  accordingly. 

As  to  the  TREATMENT  of  staggers,  whatever  be  the  cause  of  the  disease,  bleeding 
is  the  first  measure  indicated — the  overloaded  vessels  of  the  brain  must  be  relieved. 
The  jugular  vein  should  be  immediately  opened.  It  is  easily  got  at — it  is  large — the 
blood  may  be  drawn  from  it  in  a  full  stream,  and,  being  also  the  vessel  through  which 
the  blood  is  returned  from  the  head,  the  gTeater  part  of  the  quantity  obtained  will  be 
taken  immediately  from  the  overloaded  organ,  and  therefore  will  be  most  likely  to 
produce  the  desired  effect.  No  definite  quantity  of  blood  should  be  ordered  to  he 
abstracted.  The  effect  produced  must  be  the  guide,  and  the  bleeding  must  be  con- 
tinued until  the  horse  falters,  or  begins  to  blow — or,  perhaps,  with  more  assured  suc- 
cess, until  he  falls.  Some  persons  select  the  temporal  artery.  This  is  very  unsci- 
entific practice.  It  is  difficult,  or  impossible,  to  obtain  from  this  vessel  a  stream  that 
promises  any  decisive  success.  It  is  likewise  difficult  to  stop  the  bleeding  from  this 
artery ;  and,  after  all,  the  blood  is  not  drawn  from  the  actual  seat  of  the  disease — 
the  brain. 

The  second  step  is  to  ascertain  what  is  the  cause  of  the  apoplexy.  Has  the  animal 
got  at  the  corn  or  the  chaff  binl  Had  he  been  over-fed  on  the  evening  before,  and  is 
his  stomach  probably  distended  to  the  utmost  by  what  he  has  eaten  1  "in  such  a  case, 
of  what  avail  can  physic  be,  introduced  into  a  stomach  already  crammed  with  indi- 
gestive food  T  Or  what  effect  can  twelve  or  twenty  drachms  of  aloes  produce,  a  small 
portion  only  of  which  can  penetrate  into  the  stomach  1  Recourse  must  be  had  to  the 
STOMACH-PUMP,  one  of  the  most  valuable  discoveries  of  modern  times,  and  affording 
the  means  of  combating  several  diseases  that  had  previously  set  all  medical  skill  at 
defiance.  Warm  water  must  be  injected.  The  horse  is  now  incapable  of  offering 
much  resistance,  and  the  injection  may  be  continued  not  only  until  the  contents  of 
the  stomach  are  so  far  diluted  that  a  portion  of  them  can  escape  through  the  lower 
orifice  of  that  viscus,  but  until  the  obstruction  to  vomiting  offered  by  the  contracted 
entrance  of  the  stomach  is  overcome,  and  a  portion  of  the  food  is  returned  through 
the  nostrils  or  mouth. 

This  being  effected,  or  it  having  been  ascertained  that  there  was  no  extreme  disten- 
sion of  the  stomach,  recourse  should  be  had  to  aloes,  and  from  eight  to  twelve  dracnms 
of  it  may  be  administered.  It  will  be  proper  to  add  some  stimulating  medicine  to  the 
aloes,  with  a  view  of  restoring  the  tone  of  the  stomach,  and  inducing  it  tc  contract  on 
its  contents.  Gentian  and  ginger  are  most  likely  to  effect  this  purpose. 
9  N 


95  PHRENITIS. 

The  after-treatment  must  be  regulated  by  circumstances.  For  some  time  the  horse 
should  be  put  on  a  restricted  diet ;  mashes  should  be  given ;  green  meat  in  no  great 
quantity ;  a  moderate  allowance  of  hay,  and  very  little  corn.  When  sufficiently 
recovered,  he  may  be  turned  out  with  advantage  on  rather  bare  pasture.  One  circum- 
stance, however,  should  never  he  forgotten — that  the  horse  who  has  once  been  attacked 
with  staggers  is  liable  to  a  return  of  the  complaint  from  causes  that  othertvise  would 
not  affect  him.  The  distended  vessels  are  weakened — the  constitution  is  weakened, 
and  prudence  would  dictate  that  such  an  animal  cannot  be  too  soon  disposed  of. 

Let  no  farmer  delude  himself  with  the  idea  that  apoplexy  is  contagious.  If  his 
horses  have  occasionally  slight  fits  of  staggers,  or  if  the  disease  carries  off  several 
of  them,  he  may  be  assured  that  there  is  something  wrong  in  his  management.  One 
horse  may  get  at  the  corn-bin  and  cram  himself  to  bursting ;  but  if  several  are  attack- 
ed, it  is  time  for  the  owner  to  look  about  him.  The  general  cause  is  too  voracious 
feeding — too  much  food  given  at  once,  and  perhaps  without  water,  after  hard  work 
and  long  fasting. 

There  is  one  consequence  of  this  improper  treatment,  of  which  persons  do  not 
appear  to  be  sufficiently  aware,  although  they  suffer  severely  from  it.  A  horse  that 
has  frequent  half-attacks  of  staggers  very  often  goes  blind.  It  is  not  the  common 
blindness  from  cataract,  but  a  peculiarly  glassy  appearance  of  the  eye.  If  the  history 
of  these  blind  horses  could  be  told,  it  would  be  found  that  they  had  been  subject  to 
fits  of  drooping  and  dulness,  and  these  produced  by  absurd  management  respecting 
labour  and  food. 

PHRENITIS. 

Primary  inflammation  of  the  brain  or  its  membranes,  or  both,  sometimes  occurs, 
and  of  the  membranes  oftenest  when  both  are  not  involved. 

Whatever  be  the  origin  of  phrenitis,  its  early  symptoms  are  scarcely  d'Aerent  from 
those  of  apoplexy.  The  horse  is  drowsy,  stupid ;  his  eye  closes ;  he  sleeps  while 
he  is  in  the  act  of  eating,  and  dozes  until  he  falls.  The  pulse  is  slow  and  creeping, 
and  the  breathing  oppressed  and  laborious.  This  is  the  description  of  apoplexy.  Tlie 
Sjrmptoms  may  differ  a  little  in  intensity  and  continuance,  but  not  much  in  kind. 

The  phrenitic  horse,  however,  is  not  so  perfectly  comatose  as  another  that  labours 
under  apoplexy.  The  eye  will  respond  a  little  to  the  action  of  light,  and  the  animal 
is  somewhat  more  manageable,  or  at  least  more  susceptible,  for  he  will  shrink  when 
he  is  struck,  while  the  other  frequently  cares  not  for  the  whip. 

In  the  duration  of  the  early  symptoms  there  is  some  difference.  If  the  apoplexy 
proceeds  from  distension  of  the  stomach,  four-and-twenty  or  six-and-thirty  hours  will 
scarcely  pass  without  the  cure  being  completed,  or  the  stomach  ruptured,  or  the  horse 
destroyed.  If  it  proceeds  more  from  oppression  of  the  digestive  organs  than  from 
absolute  distension  of  the  stomach,  and  from  that  sympathy  which  subsists  between 
the  stamach  and  the  brain,  the  disease  will  go  on — it  will  become  worse  and  worse 
every  hour,  and  this  imperfect  comatose  state  will  remain  during  two  or  three  days. 
The  apoplexy  of  the  phrenitic  horse  will  often  run  its  course  in  a  few  hours. 

In  a  case  of  evident  phrenitis,  blood-letting  and  physic  must  be  early  carried  to 
their  full  extent.  The  horse  will  often  be  materially  relieved,  and,  perhaps,  cured  by 
this  decisive  treatment;  but,  if  the  golden  hour  has  been  suffered  to  pass,  or  if  reme- 
dial measures  have  become  ineffectual,  the  scene  all  at  once  changes,  and  the  most 
violent  reaction  succeeds.  The  eye  brightens — strangely  so;  the  membrane  of  the 
eye  becomes  suddenly  reddened,  and  forms  a  frightful  contrast  with  the  transparency 
of  the  cornea;  the  pupil  is  dilated  to  the  utmost;  the  nostril, before  scarcely  moving', 
expands  and  quivers,  and  labours;  the  respiration  becomes  short  and  quick  ;  the  ears 
are  erect,  or  bent  forward  to  catch  the  slightest  sound  ;  and  the  horse,  becoming  more 
irritable  every  instant,  trembles  at  the  slightest  motion.  The  irritability  of  the  patient 
increases — it  may  be  said  to  change  to  ferocity — but  the  animal  has  no  aim  or  object 
in  what  he  does.  He  dashes  himself  violently  about,  plunges  in  every  direction, 
rears  on  his  hind  legs,  whirls  round  and  round,  and  then  falls  backward  with  dread- 
ful force.  He  lies  for  a  while  exhausted — there  is  a  remission  of  the  symptoms,  bu- 
peihaps  only  for  a  minute  or  two,  or  possibly  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 


PHRENITIS.  99 

Now  is  the  surgeon's  golden  time,  and  his  courage  and  adroitness  will  be  ;ui  to 
ihe  test.  He  must  open,  if  he  can,  one  or  both  jugulars :  but  let  him  be  on  his 
g\iard,  for  the  paroxysm  wUl  return  with  its  former  violence  and  without  the  slightest 
nrarning. 

The  second  attack  is  more  dreadful  than  the  first.  Again  the  animal  whirls  round 
and  round,  and  plunges  and  falls.  He  seizes  his  clothing  and  rends  it  in  pieces; 
perhaps,  destitute  of  feeling  and  of  consciousness,  he  bites  and  tears  himself.  He 
darts  furiousl}'  at  everything  within  his  reach  ;  but  no  mind,  no  design,  seems  to  min- 
gle with  or  govern  his  fury. 

Another  and  another  remission  and  a  return  of  the  exacerbation  follow,  and  then, 
wearied  out,  he  becomes  quiet ;  but  it  is  not  the  quietness  of  returning  reason — it  is 
mere  stupor.  This  continues  for  an  uncertain  period,  and  then  he  begins  to  strug- 
gle again ;  but  he  is  now  probably  unable  to  rise.  He  pants — he  foams — at  length, 
completely  exhausted,  he  dies. 

There  are  but  two  diseases  with  which  phrenitis  can  be  confounded,  and  they  are 
cholic  and  rabies.  In  cholic,  the  horse  rises  and  falls ;  he  rolls  about  and  kicks  at 
his  belly ;  but  his  struggles  are  tame  compared  with  those  of  the  phrenitic  horse 
There  is  no  involuntary  spasm  of  any  of  the  limbs ;  the  animal  is  perfectly  sensible, 
and,  looking  piteously  at  his  flanks,  seems  designedly  to  indicate  the  seat  of  pain. 
The  beautiful  yet  fearfully  excited  countenance  of  the  one,  and  the  piteous,  anxious 
gaze  of  the  other,  are  sufficiently  distinct ;  and,  if  it  can  be  got  at.  the  rapid,  bound- 
ing pulse  of  the  one,  and  that  of  the  other  scarcely  losing  its  natural  character  in  the 
early  stage,  cannot  be  mistaken. 

In  rabies,  when  it  does  assume  the  ferocious  form,  there  is  even  more  violence  than 
in  phrenitis ;  but  there  is  method,  and  treachery  too,  in  that  violence.  There  is  the 
desire  of  mischief  for  its  own  sake,  and  there  is  frequently  the  artful  stratagem  to 
allure  the  victim  \vithin  the  reach  of  destruction.  There  is  not  a  motion  of  which 
the  rabid  horse  is  not  conscious,  nor  a  person  whom  he  does  not  recognise ;  but  he 
labours  under  one  all-absorbing  feeling — the  intense  longing  to  devastate  and  destroy. 

The  post-mortem  appearances  are  altogether  uncertain.  There  is  usually  very  great 
injection  and  inflammation  of  the  membranes  of  the  brain,  and  even  of  portions  of 
the  substance  of  the  brain ;  but  in  other  cases  there  is  scarcely  any  trace  of  inflam- 
mation, or  even  of  increased  vascularity. 

The  treatment  of  phrenitis  has  been  very  shortly  hinted  at.  The  first — the  indis- 
pensable proceeding — is  to  bleed  ;  to  abstract  as  much  blood  as  can  be  obtained ;  to 
let  the  animal  bleed  on  after  he  is  down ;  and  indeed  not  to  pin  up  the  vein  of  the 
phrenitic  horse  at  all.  The  patient  will  never  be  lost  bj'  this  decisive  proceeding,  but 
the  inflammation  may  be  subdued,  and  here  the  first  blow  is  the  whole  of  the  battle. 
The  physic  should  be  that  which  is  most  readily  given  and  will  most  speedily  act. 
The  farina  of  the  croton  will,  perhaps,  have  the  preference.  Half  a  drachm  or  two 
scruples  of  it  may  be  fearlessly  administered.  The  intense  inflammation  of  the  brain 
gives  sufficient  assurance  that  no  dangerous  inflammation  will  be  easily  set  up  in  the 
intestinal  canal.  This  medicine  can  be  formed  into  a  very  little  ball  or  drink,  and  in 
some  momentary  remission  of  the  symptoms,  administered  by  means  of  the  probang, 
or  a  stick,  or  the  horn.  Sometimes  the  phrenitic  horse,  when  he  will  take  nothing 
else,  and  is  unconscious  of  everything  else,  will  drink  with  avidity  gruel  or  water. 
Repeated  doses  of  purgative  medicine  may  perhaps  be  thus  given,  and  they  must 
be  continued  until  the  bowels  respond.  Tlie  forehead  should  be  blistered,  if  it  can  in 
any  way  be  accomplished ;  yet  but  little  service  is  to  be  expected  from  this  manipu- 
lation. The  bowels  having  been  well  opened,  digitalis  should  be  administered.  Its 
first  and  most  powerful  action  is  on  the  heart,  diminishing  both  the  number  and 
strength  of  its  pulsations.  To  this  may  be  added  emetic  tartar  and  nitre,  but  not  a 
particle  of  hellebore ;  for  that  drug,  if  it  acts  at  all,  produces  an  increased  determina- 
tion of  blood  to  the  brain. 

While  the  disease  continues,  no  attempt  must  be  made  to  induce  the  horse  to  feed: 
and  even  when  appetite  returns  with  the  abatement  of  inflammation  great  caution 
must  be  exercised  both  with  regard  to  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  food. 


100  RABIES,    OR    MADNESS. 

RABIES,    OR    MADNESS. 

This  is  another  and  fearful  disease  of  the  nervous  system.  It  results  from  the  bite 
of  a  "-abid  animal,  and,  most  commonly,  of  the  companion  and  friend  of  the  horse — 
the  coach-dog.  The  account  now  given  of  this  malady  is  extracted  from  lectures 
which  tiie  author  of  the  present  work  delivered  to  his  class. 

"  There  is  occasional  warning  of  the  approach  of  this  disease  in  the  horse,  or  rather 
of  the  existence  of  some  unusual  malady,  the  real  nature  of  which  is  probably  mis- 
taken. A  mare,  belonging  to  Mr.  Karslake,  had  during  ten  days  before  the  recogni- 
tion of  the  disease  been  drooping,  refusing  her  food,  heaving  at  the  llanks,  and  pawing 
occasionally.  It  was  plain  enough  that  she  was  indisposed,  but  at  length  the  furious 
fit  came  upon  her,  and  she  destroyed  almost  everj'thing  in  the  stable  in  the  course  of 
an  hour.  The  late  Mr.  Moncyment  had  a  two-years  old  colt  brought  to  his  establish- 
ment. It  was  taken  ill  in  the  afternoon  of  the  preceding  day,  when  it  first  attracted 
attention  by  refusing  its  food,  and  throwing  itself  down  and  getting  up  again  imme- 
diately. From  such  a  description,  Mr.  Moneyment  concluded  that  it  was  a  case  of 
cholic;  but,  when  he  went  into  the  yard,  and  saw  the  pony,  and  observed  his  wild 
and  anxious  countenance,  and  his  excessive  nervous  sensibility,  he  was  convinced 
that  something  uncommon  was  amiss  with  him,  although  he  did  not  at  first  suspect 
the  real  nature  of  the  case. 

The  early  symptoms  of  rabies  in  the  horse  have  not  been  carefully  observed  or  well 
recorded  ;  but,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  so  far  as  our  records  go,  there  will  not  often 
be  premonitory  symptoms  sufficiently  decisive  to  be  noticed  by  the  groom. 

The  horse  goes  out  to  his  usual  work,  and,  for  a  certain  time  and  distance,  performs 
it  as  well  as  he  had  been  accustomed  to  do;  then  he  stops  all  at  once  —  trembles, 
heaves,  paws,  staggers,  and  falls.  Almost  immediately  he  rises,  drags  his  load  a 
little  farther,  and  again  stops,  looks  about  him,  backs,  staggers,  and  falls  once  more. 
This  is  not  a  fit  of  megrims  —  it  is  not  a  sudden  determination  of  blood  to  the  brain, 
for  the  horse  is  not  for  a  single  moment  insensible.  The  sooner  he  is  led  home  the 
better,  for  the  progress  of  the  disease  is  as  rapid  as  the  first  attack  is  sudden ;  and, 
possibly,  he  will  fall  twice  or  thrice  before  he  reaches  his  stable. 

In  the  great  majority  of  cases  —  or  rather,  with  very  few  exceptions  —  a  state  of 
excitation  ensues,  which  is  not  exceeded  by  that  of  the  dog  under  the  most  fearful 
form  of  the  malady,  but  there  are  intervals  when,  if  he  had  been  naturally  good- 
tempered  and  had  been  attached  to  his  rider  or  his  groom,  he  will  recognise  his  former 
friend  and  seek  his  caresses,  and  bend  on  him  one  of  those  piteous,  searching  looks 
which,  once  observed,  M'ill  never  be  forgotten :  but  there  is  danger  about  this.  Pre- 
sently succeeds  another  paroxysm,  without  warning  and  without  control ;  and  there 
is  no  safety  for  him  who  had  previously  the  most  complete  mastery  over  the  animal. 

I  was  once  attending  a  rabid  horse.  The  owner  would  not  have  him  destroyed, 
under  the  vain  hope  that  I  had  mistaken  a  case  of  phrenitis  for  one  of  rabies,  and  that 
the  disease  might  yield  to  the  profuse  abstraction  of  blood  that  I  had  been  prevailed 
on  to  eifect,  and  the  purgative  influence  of  the  farina  of  the  croton-nut  with  which  he 
had  been  abundantly  supplied  in  an  early  stage  of  the  malady.  I  insisted  upon  his 
being  slung,  so  that  we  were  protected  from  injury  from  his  kicking  or  plunging.  He 
would  bend  his  gaze  upon  me  as  if  he  would  search  me  through  and  through,  and 
would  prevail  on  me,  if  I  could,  to  relieve  him  from  some  dreadful  evil  by  which  he 
was  threatened.  He  would  then  press  his  head  against  my  bosom,  and  keep  it  there 
a  minute  or  more.  All  at  once,  however,  the  paroxysm  would  return.  He  did  not 
attempt  to  bite  me  ;  but,  had  it  not  been  for  the  sling,  he  would  have  plunged  furiously 
about,  and  I  might  have  found  it  difficult  to  escape. 

I  had  previously  attended  another  horse,  which  the  OAvner  refused  to  have  destroyed, 
and  to  which  attendance  I  only  consented  on  condition  of  the  animal  being  slung. 
He  had  been  bitten  in  the  near  hind-leg.  When  I  approached  him  on  that  side,  he 
did  not  attempt  to  bite  me,  ;ind  he  could  not  otherwise  injure  me;  but  he  was  agitated 
and  trpniblcd,  and  struggled  as  well  as  he  could  ;  and  if  I  merely  touched  him  with 
my  finger,  the  pulsations  were  quickened  full  ten  beats  in  a  minute.  When,  how- 
ever, I  went  round  to  the  off  side,  he  permitted  me  to  pat  him,  and  1  had  to  encounter 
his  imploring  gaze,  and  his  head  was  pressed  against  me — and  then  presently  woijld 


RABIES,    OR   MADNESS.  101 

come  the  parox3'-!m  ;    but  it  came  on  almost  before  I  could  toucn  him,   w\  en  I 
api  roached  liim  on  the  other  side. 

These  mild  cases,  however,  are  exceptions  to  a  general  rule.  They  are  few  and 
far  between.  The  horse  is  the  servant,  and  not  the  friend  of  man;  and  if  his  com 
panion  )'et  an  oppressed  one.  In  proportion  to  his  bulk  he  has  far  less  of  that 
portion  of  the  brain  with  which  intelligence  is  connected  —  less  attachment — less 
gratitude.  He  is  nevertheless  a  noble  animal.  I  am  not  speaking  disparagingly  of 
him;  but  I  am  comparing  him  with — next  to  man — the  most  intellectual  of  all  quad- 
rupeds. There  is  neither  the  motive  for,  nor  the  capability  of,  that  attachment  which 
the  dog  feels  for  his  master,  and  therefore,  under  the  influence  of  this  disease,  lie 
abandons  himself  to  all  its  dreadful  excitement. 

The  mare  of  Mr.  Karslake,  when  the  disease  was  fully  developed,  forgot  her 
former  drooping,  dispirited  state:  her  respiration  was  accelerated  —  her  mouth  was 
covered  with  foam — a  violent  perspiration  covered  every  part  of  her,  and  her  screams 
would  cow  the  stoutest  heart.  She  presently  demolished  all  the  wood-work  of  the 
stable,  and  then  slie  employed  herself  in  beating  to  pieces  the  fragments,  no  human 
being  daring  to  expose  himself  to  her  fu^)^ 

The  symptoms  of  the  malady  of  ■Mr.  Moneyment's  pony  rapidly  increased  —  he  bit 
everything  within  his  reach,  even  ditferent  parts  of  his  own  body  —  he  breathed 
laboriously — his  tail  erect — screaming  dreadfully  at  short  interv^als,  striking  the 
ground  with  his  fore-feet,  and  perspiring  most  profusely.  At  length  he  broke  the  top 
of  his  manger  and  rushed  out  of  the  stall  w-ith  it  hanging  to  his  halter.  He  made 
immediately  towards  the  medical  attendant,  and  the  spectators  who  were  standing  by. 
They  fortunately  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  his  way,  and  he  turned  in  the  next  stall, 
and  dropped  and  died. 

A  young  veterinarj'  friend  of  mine  very  incautiously  and  fool-hardily  attempted  to 
ball  a  rabid  horse.  The  animal  had  previously  shown  himself  to  be  dancrerous,  and 
had  slightly  bitten  a  person  who  gave  him  a  ball  on  the  preceding  evening :  he  now 
seized  the  young  student's  hand,  and  lifted  him  from  the  ground,  and  shook  him,  as 
a  terrier  would  shake  a  rat.  It  was  with  the  greatest  difficult}-,  and  not  until  the 
grooms  had  attacked  the  ferocious  animal  with  their  pitchforks,  that  they  could  com- 
pel him  to  relinquish  his  hold ;  and,  even  then,  not  before  he  had  bitten  his  victim  to 
the  bone,  and  nearly  torn  away  the  whole  of  the  flesh  from  the  upper  and  lower  sur- 
faces of  the  hand.* 

There  is  also  in  the  horse,  whose  attachment  to  his  owner  is  often  comparatively 
small,  a  degree  of  treachery  which  we  rarely  meet  with  in  the  nobler  and  more  intel- 
lectual dog.  A  horse  that  had  shown  symptoms  of  great  ferocity  was  standing  in  the 
corner  of  his  box,  with  a  heaving  flank,  and  every  muscle  quivering  from  the  degree 
of  excitement  under  which  he  laboured.  A  groom,  presuming  on  the  former  obedience 
of  the  animal,  ventured  in,  and  endeavoured  to  put  a  headstall  upon  him.  Neither 
the  master  nor  myself  could  persuade  him  to  forbear.  I  waa  sure  of  mischief,  for  I 
had  observed  the  ear  lying  flat  upon  the  neck,  and  I  could  see  the  backward  fiance 
of  the  eye  ;  I  therefore  armed  myself  with  a  hea\7  twitch  stick  that  was  at  hand,  and 
climbed  into  the  manger  of  the  next  box.  The  man  had  not  advanced  two  steps  into 
the  box  before  I  could  see  the  shifting  position  of  the  fore  feet,  and  the  preparation  to 
spring  upon  his  victim ;  and  he  would  have  sprung  upon  him,  but  my  weapon  fell 
with  all  the  force  I  could  urge  upon  his  head,  and  he  dropped.  The  man  escaped, 
but  the  brute  was  up  again  in  an  instant,  and  we  trembled  lest  the  partition  of  the 
box  should  j'ield  to  his  violence,  and  he  would  realize  the  graphic  description  of  Mr. 
Blaine,  when  he  speaks  of  the  rabid  horse  as  "  levelling  everything  before  him,  him- 
self sweating,  and  snorting,  and  foaming  amidst  the  ruins." 

I  have  had  oce-asion  more  than  once  to  witness  the  evident  pain  of  the  bitten  part, 
and  the  manner  in  which  the  horse  in  the  intervals  of  his  paroxysms  employs  himself 
in  licking  or  gnawing  the  cicatrix.  One  animal  had  been  bitten  in  the  chest,  and  he, 
not  in  the  intervals  between  the  exacerbation,  but  when  tht  paroxysm  was  most 

*  In  the  Museum  of  the  Veterinary  School  at  Alfort,  is  the  lower  jaw  oi  a  r-^id  horae 
which  was  fractured  in  the  violent  efforts  of  the  animal  to  do  mischief. 
9* 


102  RABIES,    OR    MADNESS. 

violent,  would  bite  and  tear  himself  until  his  breast  was  shockingly  mangled,  and  the 
blood  tiowed  from  it  in  a  stream. 

The  most  interesting  and  satisfactory  symptom  is  the  evident  dread  of  waiter  which 
exists  in  the  decided  majorit}^  of  cases,  and  the  impossibility  of  swallowing  any  con- 
siderable quantity.  Professor  Dupuy  gives  an  account  of^this  circumstance: — "A 
rabid  horse  was  confined  in  one  of  the  sick  boxes.  His  food  was  given  to  him 
through  an  opening  over  the  door,  and  a  bucket  was  suspended  from  the  door,  and 
supplied  with  water  by  means  of  a  copper  tube.  As  soon  as  he  heard  the  water 
falling  into  the  pail,  he  fell  into  violent  convulsions,  seized  the  tube,  and  crushed  it 
to  pieces.  When  the  water  in  his  bucket  was  agitated,  the  convulsions  were  renewed. 
He  would  occasionally  approach  the  bucket  as  if  he  wished  to  drink,  and  then,  after 
agitating  the  water  for  an  instant,  he  would  fall  on  his  litter,  uttering  a  hoarse  cry ; 
but  he  would  rise  again  almost  immediately.  These  symptoms  were  dreadfully 
increased  if  water  was  thrown  upon  his  head.  He  would  then  endeavour  to  seize  it  as 
it  fell,  and  bite  with  fury  at  everything  within  his  reach,  his  whole  frame  being  dread- 
fully convulsed." 

As  the  disease  progresses,  not  only  is  the  animal  rapidl)^  debilitated,  but  there  is 
the  peculiar  staggering  gait  which  is  observable  in  the  dog — referrible  to  evident  loss 
of  power  in  the  muscles  of  the  lumbar  region.  I  once  saw  a  mare  sitting  on  her 
haunches,  and  unable  to  rise;  yet  using  her  fore  feet  with  the  utmost  fury,  and 
suffering  no  one  to  come  within  her  reach.  She,  too,  would  sometimes  plunge  her 
muzzle  into  the  offered  pail ;  and  immediately  withdraw  it  in  evident  terror,  while 
every  limb  trembled.  At  other  times  the  lowering  of  the  pail  would  affright  her,  and 
she  would  fall  on  her  side  and  struggle  furiously.  Although  this  symptom  is  not 
often  observed  in  the  dog,  it  is  a  satisfactory  identification  of  the  disease,  when  it  is 
so  frequently  seen  in  the  horse,  and  so  invariably  in  the  human  being. 

The  earliest  and  perhaps  the  most  decisive  symptom  of  the  near  approach  of  rabies 
in  the  horse,  is  a  spasmodic  movement  of  the  upper  lip,  particularly  of  the  angles  of 
the  lip.  Close  following  on  this,  or  contemporaneous  with  it,  is  the  depressed  and 
anxious  countenance,  and  inquiring  gaze,  suddenly  however  lighted  up  and  becoming 
fierce  and  menacing,  from  some  unknoAvn  cause,  or  at  the  approach  of  a  stranger. 
From  time  to  time  different  parts  of  the  frame — the  eyes — the  jaws — particular  limbs 
— will  be  convulsed.  The  eye  will  occasionally  wander  after  some  imaginary  object, 
and  the  horse  will  snap  again  and  again  at  that  which  has  no  real  existence.  Then 
will  come  the  irrepressible  desire  to  bite  the  attendants  or  the  animals  within  its 
reach.  To  this  will  succeed  the  demolition  of  the  rack,  the  manger,  and  the  whole 
furniture  of  the  stable,  accompanied  by  the  peculiar  dread  of  water  which  has  been 
already  described. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  disease  there  is  generally  paralysis,  usually  confined  tc 
the  loins  and  the  hinder  extremities,  or  involving  those  organs  which  derive  their 
nervous  influence  from  this  portion  of  the  spinal  cord;  —  hence  the  distressing  tenes- 
mus which  is  occasionally  seen. 

The  disease  rarely  extends  beyond  the  third  day. 

After  death,  there  is  uniformly  found  inflammation  at  the  back  part  of  the  mouth, 
and  at  the  top  of  the  windpipe,  and  likewise  in  the  stomach,  and  on  the  membrane 
covering  the  lungs,  and  where  the  spinal  marrow  first  issues  from  the  brain. 

When  the  disease  can  be  clearly  connected  with  a  previous  bite,  the  sooner  the 
animal  is  destroyed  the  better,  for  there  is  no  cure.  If  the  symptoms  bear  considerable 
resemblance  to  rabies,  although  no  bite  is  suspected,  the  horse  should  at  least  be 
slung,  and  the  medicine,  if  any  is  administered,  given  in  the  form  of  a  drink,  and 
with  the  hand  well  protected ;  for  if  it  should  be  scratched  in  balling  the  horse,  or 
the  skin  should  have  been  previouslj'  broken,  the  saliva  of  the  animal  is  capable  of 
communicating  the  disease.  Several  farriers  have  lost  tlieir  lives  from  being  bitter.' 
or  scratched  in  the  act  of  administering  medicine  to  a  rabid  horse. 

It  is  always  dangerous  to  encourage  any  dogs  about  the  stable,  and  especially  if 
they  become  fond  of  the  horses,  and  are  in  the  habit  of  jumping  up  and  licking  them 
The  corners  of  the  mouth  of  the  horse  are  often  sore  from  the  pressure  of  the  bit;  and 
when  a  coach-dog  in  a  gentleman's  stable — and  it  is  likely  to  happen  in  every  stable 


TETANUS,    OR    LOCKED    JAW. 


103 


and  with  every  dog — becomes  rabid  and  dies,  the  horse  too  frequently  follows  him  at 
no  great  distance  of  time. 

If  a  horse  is  bitten  by  a  dog  under  suspicious  circumstances,  he  should  be  carefully 
examined,  and  every  wound,  and  even  the  slightest  scratch,  well  burned  with  the 
lunar  caustic  (nitrate  of  silver).  The  scab  should  be  removed  and  the  operation 
repeated  on  the  third  day.  The  hot  iron  does  not  answer  so  well,  and  other  caustics 
are  not  so  manageable.     In  the  spring  of  1827,  fom-  horses  were  bitten  near  Hyde 

Park,  by  a  mad  dog.     To  one  of  them  the  lunar  caustic  was  twice  severely  applied 

he  lived.  The  red-hot  iron  was  unsparingly  used  on  the  others,  and  they  died.  The 
caustic  must  reach  every  part  of  the  wound.  At  the  expiration  of  the  fourth  month, 
the  horse  may  be  considered  to  be  safe. 

TETANUS,  OR  LOCKED  JAW. 

Tetanus  is  one  of  the  most  dreadful  and  fatal  diseases  to  which  the  horse  is  sub- 
ject. It  is  called  locked  jaw,  because  the  muscles  of  the  jaw  are  earliest  affected, 
and  the  mouth  is  obstinately  and  immovably  closed.  It  is  a  constant  spasm  of  all 
the  voluntary  muscles,  and  particularly  of  those  of  the  neck,  the  spine,  and  the  head.  It 
is  generally  slow  and  treacherous  in  its  attack.  The  horse,  for  a  day  or  two,  does 
not  appear  to  be  quite  well ;  he  does  not  feed  as  usual ;  he  partly  chews  his  food,  and 
drops  it ;  and  he  gulps  his  water.  The  owner  at  length  finds  that  the  motion  of  the 
jaws  is  considerably  limited,  and  some  saliva  is  drivelling  from  the  mouth.  If  he 
tries  he  can  only  open  the  mouth  a  very  little  way,  or  the  jaws  are  perfectly  and 
rigidly  closed ;  and  thus  the  only  period  at  which  tlie  disease  could  have  been  suc- 
cessfully combated  is  lost.  A  cut  of  a  horse  labouring  under  this  disease  is  here 
given,  which  the  reader  will  do  well  to  examine  carefully. 

The  first  thing  that 
strikes  the  observer  is  a 
protrusion  of  the  muzzle, 
and  stiffness  of  the  neck ; 
and,  on  passing  the  hand 
down  it,  the  muscles  will 
be  found  singularly  promi- 
nent, distinct,  hard,  knotty, 
and  unyielding.  There  ia 
difficulty  in  bringing  the 
head  round,  and  still 
greater  difficulty  in  bend- 
ing it.  The  eye  is  dra\Tn 
deep  within  the  socket, 
and,  in  consequence  of 
this,  the  fatty  matter  be- 
hind the  eye  is  pressed 
forward ;  the  haw  is  also  protruded,  and  there  is  an  appearance  of  strabismus,  or 
squinting,  in  an  outward  direction. 

The  ears  are  erect,  pointed  forward,  and  immovable ;  if  the  horse  is  spoken  to,  or 
threatened  to  be  struck,  they  change  not  their  position.  Considering  the  beautiful 
play  of  the  ear  of  the  horse  when  in  health,  and  the  kind  of  conversation  which  he 
maintains  by  the  motion  of  it,  there  is  not  a  more  characteristic  symptom  of  tetanus 
than  this  immobility  of  the  ear.  The  nostril  is  expanded  to  the  utmost,  and  there  is 
little  or  no  play  of  it,  as  in  hurried  or  even  natural  breathing.  The  respiration  is 
usually  accelerated,  yet  not  always  so ;  but  it  is  uniformly  laborious.  The  pulse 
gives  little  indication  of  the  severity  of  the  disease.  It  is  sometimes  scarcely  affected. 
It  will  be  rapidly  accelerated  when  any  one  approaches  the  animal  and  offers  to  touch 
him,  but  it  presently  quiets  down  again  almost  to  its  natural  standard.  After  a  while, 
however,  the  heart  begins  to  sympathise  with  the  general  excitation  of  the  system, 
and  the  pulse  increast  s  in  frequency  and  force  until  the  animal  becomes  debilitated, 
when  it  beats  yet  quicker  and  quicker,  but  diminishes  in  power,  and  gradually  flutters 
and  dies  away. 


104  TETANUS,    OR   LOCKED    JAW. 

Tho  countenance  is  eager,  anxious,  haggard,  and  tells  plainly  enough  what  tlid 
animal  suffers. 

The  stifi'ness  gradually  extends  to  the  back.  If  the  horse  is  in  a  narrow  stall,  it  is 
impossible  to  turn  him  ;  and,  even  with  room  and  scope  enough,  he  turns  altogether 
like  a  deal-board. 

The  extremities  begin  to  participate  in  the  spasm — the  hinder  ones  generally  first, 
but  never  to  the  extent  to  which  it  exists  in  the  neck  and  back.  The  horse  stands 
with  his  hind  legs  straddling  apart  in  a  singular  way.  The  whole  of  the  limb  moves, 
or  rather  is  dragged  on,  together,  and  anxious  care  is  taken  that  no  joint  shall  be 
flexed  more  than  can  possibly  be  helped.  The  fore  limbs  have  a  singular  appear 
ance ;  they  are  as  stiff  as  they  can  possibly  be,  but  stretched  forward  and  straddling 
They  have  not  unaptly  been  compared  to  the  legs  of  a  form. 

The  abdominal  muscles  gradually  become  involved.  They  seem  to  contract  with 
all  the  power  they  possess,  and  there  is  a  degree  of  "  hide-bound"  appearance,  and  oi 
tucking  up  of  the  belly,  which  is  seen  under  no  other  complaint.  The  tail  becomes 
in  constant  motion  from  the  alternate  and  violent  action  of  the  muscles  that  elevate 
and  depress  it. 

Constipation,  and  to  an  almost  insurmountable  degree,  now  appears.  The  abdo- 
minal muscles  are  so  powerfully  contracted,  that  no  portion  of  the  contents  of  the 
abdomen  can  pass  on  and  be  discharged. 

By  degrees  the  spasm  extends  and  becomes  everywhere  more  violent.  The  motion 
of  the  whole  frame  is  lost,  and  the  horse  stands  fixed  in  the  unnatural  posture  which 
he  has  assumed.  The  countenance  becomes  wilder  and  more  haggard — its  expression 
can  never  be  effaced  from  the  memory  of  him  who  cares  about  the  feelings  of  a  brute. 
The  violent  cramp  of  a  single  muscle,  or  set  of  muscles,  makes  the  stoutest  heart 
quail,  and  draws  forth  the  most  piteous  cries — what,  then,  must  it  be  for  this  torture 
to  pervade  the  whole  frame,  and  to  continue,  with  little  respite,  from  day  to  day,  and 
from  week  to  week!  When  his  attendant  approaches  and  touches  him,  he  scarcely 
moves ;  but  the  despairing  gaze,  and  the  sudden  acceleration  of  the  pulse,  indicate 
what  he  feels  and  fears. 

Tetanus  then  is  evidently  an  affection  of  the  nerves.  A  small  fibre  of  some  nerve 
has  been  injured,  and  the  effect  of  that  injury  has  spread  to  the  origin  of  the  nerve— 
the  brain  then  becomes  affected — and  universal  diseased  action  follows.  Tetanus  is 
spasm  of  the  whole  frame — not  merely  of  one  set  of  muscles,  but  of  their  antagonists 
also.  The  fixidity  of  the  animal  is  the  effect  of  opposed  and  violent  muscular  con- 
traction. It  belongs  to  the  lower  column  of  nerves  only.  The  sensibility  is  unim- 
paired— perhaps  it  is  heightened.  The  horse  would  eat  if  he  could  ;  he  tries  to  suck 
up  some  moisture  from  his  mash ;  and  the  avidity  with  which  he  lends  himself  to 
assist  in  the  administering  of  a  little  gruel,  shows  that  the  feelings  of  hunger  and 
thirst  remain  unimpaired. 

If  the  disease  terminates  fatally,  it  is  usually  from  the  sixth  to  the  eighth  day, 
when,  if  there  has  been  no  remission  of  the  spasms,  or  only  a  slight  one,  the  horse 
dies  exhausted  by  hard  work.  The  task  extorted  by  the  whip  and  spur  of  the  most 
brutal  sportsman  is  not  to  be  compared  with  it. 

About  or  a  little  before  this  time,  there  are  occasionally  evident  remissions.  The 
spasm  does  not  quite  subside,  but  its  force  is  materially  lessened.  The  jaw  is  not 
sufficiently  relaxed  to  enable  the  animal  to  eat  or  to  drink,  or  for  advantage  to  be 
taken  of  an  opportunity  for  the  administration  of  medicine,  while  the  slightest  dis- 
turbance or  fright,  recalls  the  spasmodic  action  with  all  its  violence.  If,  however, 
the  remission  returns  on  the  following  day,  and  is  a  little  lengthened,  and  particularly 
if  there  is  more  relaxation  of  the  lower  jaw,  there  yet  is  hope.  If  the  patient  should 
recover,  it  will  be  very  slowly,  and  he  will  be  left  sadly  weak,  and  a  mere  walking 
skeleton. 

On  posl-moriem  examination  the  muscular  fibre  will  exhibit  sufficient  proof  of  the 
labour  which  has  been  exacted  from  it.  The  muscles  will  appear  as  if  they  had  been 
macerated  —  their  texture  will  be  softened,  and  they  will  be  torn  with  the  greatest 
ease.  The  lungs  will,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  be  highly  inflamed,  for  they  have 
been  labouring  long  and  painfully,  to  furnish  arterial  blood  in  sufficient  quantity  lo 
support  this  great  expenditure  of  animal  power.     The  stomach  will  contain  patches 


TETANUS,    OR    LOCKET     JAW.  10 

of  inllammation,  but  the  intestines,  in  most  cases,  will  not  exhibit  much  departure 
from  the  hue  of  health.  The  examination  of  the  brain  will  be  altogether  unsatisfac- 
tory. There  may  be  slight  injection  of  some  of  the  membranes,  but,  in  the  majority 
of  cases,  tliere  will  not  be  any  morbid  change  worthy  of  record. 

Tetanus  is  usually  the  result  of  the  injurj^  of  some  nervous  fibre,  and  the  effect  of 
that  lesion  propagated  to  the  brain.  The  foot  is  the  most  frequent  source  or  focus  of 
tetanic  injury.  It  has  been  pricked  in  shoeing,  or  wounded  by  something  on  the 
road.  The  horse  becomes  lame — the  injurj'  is  carelessly  treated,  or  not  treated  at  all 
—the  lameness,  however,  disappears,  but  the  wound  has  not  healed.  There  is  an 
unhealthiness  about  it,  and  at  the  expiration  of  eight  or  ten  days,  tetanus  appears. 
Some  nervous  fibre  has  been  irritated  or  inflamed  by  the  accident,  slight  as  it  was. 

Docking  and  nicking,  especially  when  the  stump  was  seared  too  severely  in  the 
former,  or  the  bandage  had  not  been  loosened  sufficiently  early  in  the  latter,  used  to 
be  frequent  causes  of  tetanus.  It  is  frequently  connected  with  castration,  when  the 
colt  had  not  been  properly  prepared  for  the  operation,  or  the  searing-iron  has  been 
applied  too  severely,  or  the  animal  has  been  put  to  work  too  soon  after  the  operation, 
or  exposed  to  unusual  cold.  The  records  of  veterinarj'  proceedings  contain  accounts 
of  tetanus  following  labour,  brutally  exacted  beyond  the  animal's  natural  streng-th,  in 
the  draught  of  heavy  loads.  Horses  that  have  been  matched  against  time  have  too 
frequently  died  of  tetanus  a  little  while  afterwards.  Sudden  exposure  to  cold  after 
being  heated  by  exercise  has  produced  this  dreadful  state  of  nervous  action,  and 
especially  if  the  horse  has  stood  in  a  partial  draught,  or  cold  water  has  been  dripping 
on  the  loins. 

The  treatment  of  tetanus  is  simple,  and  would  be  oftener  successful  if  carried  to  its 
full  extent.  The  indication  of  cure  is  plain  enough — the  system  must  he  tranquillized. 
The  grand  agent  in  accomplishing  this  is  the  copious  abstraction  of  blood.  There  is 
not  a  more  powerful  sedative  in  cases  of  muscular  spasm  than  venesection.  A  double 
purpose  is  effected.  The  determination  of  blood  to  the  origins  of  the  nerves,  and  by 
which  they  were  enabled  to  secrete  and  to  pour  out  this  torrent  of  nervous  influence, 
is  lessened.  The  supply  of  blood  to  the  muscular  system  is  also  diminished.  The 
pabulum  of  the  nervous  and  muscular  system — the  life  of  both  of  them — the  capability 
of  acting  in  the  one,  and  of  being  acted  upon  by  the  other,  is  taken  away.  The  pro- 
per course  to  be  pursued,  whether  theorj'  or  experience  be  consulted,  is,  on  the  first 
access  of  tetanus,  to  bleed,  and  to  bleed  until  the  horse  falters  or  falls.  Xo  attention 
should  be  paid  to  any  specific  quantity  of  blood  to  be  abstracted,  but  the  animal  should 
bleed  on  until  he  drops,  or  the  pulse  evidently  falters.  Twenty  pounds  have  been 
taken  before  the  object  of  the  practitioner  was  accomplished,  but  he  never  had  occa- 
sion to  repent  of  the  course  which  he  pursued.  Inflammatory  action  like  this  must  be 
subdued  by  the  promptest  and  most  efficient  means  ;  and  there  is  one  unerring  guide 
—  the  pulse.  While  that  remains  firm,  the  bleeding  should  continue.  The  practi- 
tioner is  attacking  the  disease,  and  not  in  the  slightest  degree  hazarding  the  permanent 
strength  of  the  patient. 

Next  in  order,  and  equal  in  importance,  is  physic.  The  profuse  bleeding  just 
recommended  will  generally  relax  the  muscles  of  the  jaw  so  far  as  to  enable  a  dose 
of  physic  to  be  given.  Eight  or  ten  drachms  of  aloes  should  be  administered.  If  the 
remission  of  the  spasm  is  slight,  there  is  another  purgative  —  not  so  certain  in  its 
action,  but  more  powerful  when  it  does  act — the  farina  of  the  Croton  nut.  There  is 
little  or  no  danger  of  exciting  inflammation  of  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  intestines 
by  this  prompt  and  energetic  administration  of  purgative  medicine,  for  there  is  too 
much  determination  of  vital  power  towards  the  nervous  system — too  much  irritation 
there — to  leave  cause  for  dreading  the  possibility  of  metastasis  elsewhere.  It  would 
be  desirable  if  a  certain  degree  of  inflammation  could  be  excite<l,  because  to  that 
extent  the  irritation  of  the  nervous  system  might  be  allayed.  There  is  another  reason, 
and  a  verj^  powerful  one — time  is  rapidlj^  passing.  The  tetanic  action  may  extend  to 
the  intestines,  and  the  co-operation  of  the  abdominal  muscles  in  keeping  up  the  peri- 
staltic motion  of  the  bowels,  and  expelling  their  contents,  may  be  lost. 

Clys'ers  will  be  useful  in  assisting  the  action  of  the  purgative.  A  solution  of 
Epsom  salts  v,-ill  constitute  the  safest  and  best  injection.     As  to  medicine,  opium  is 

o 


106  CRAMP. 

not  only  a  valuable  drug-,  but  it  is  tbat  on  which  alone  dependence  can  be  placed  iw 
this  disease.     It  will  be  borne  in  doses,  from  half  a  drachm  to  two  drachms. 

Blisters  are  completely  out  of  the  question  in  a  disease  the  very  essence  of  which 
is  nervous  irritability. 

The  application  of  sheep-skins  warm  from  the  animal,  and  applied  along  the  whole 
course  of  the  spine,  may  somewhat  unload  the  congested  vessels  of  the  part,  and 
diminish  the  sufferings  of  the  animal.  They  should  be  renewed  as  soon  as  they 
become  offensive,  and  the  patient'  should  be  covered  from  the  poll  to  the  tail  with 
double  or  treble  clothing. 

There  is  one  kind  of  external  application  that  has  not  been  so  much  used,  or  so 
highly  valued  as  it  deserves,  —  gentle  friction  with  the  hand  over  the  course  of  the 
spine,  beginning  with  the  slightest  possible  pressure  and  never  increasing  it  much. 
The  horse  is  a  little  frightened  at  first,  but  he  soon  gets  reconciled  to  it,  and  when 
at  the  same  time  an  opiate  liniment  is  used,  relief  has  been  obtained  to  a  very  marked 
degree. 

One  thing  should  not  be  forgotten,  namely,  that  a  horse  with  locked  jaw  is  as 
hungry  as  when  in  health,  and  every  possible  contrivance  should  be  adopted  to  furnish 
him  with  that  nutriment  which  will  support  him  under  his  torture,  and  possibly  enable 
him  to  w^eather  the  storm.  If  a  pail  of  good  gruel  is  placed  within  his  reach,  how 
will  he  nuzzle  in  it,  and  contrive  to  drink  some  of  it  too  !  If  a  thoroughly  wet  mash 
is  placed  before  him  in  a  pail,  he  will  bury  his  nose  in  it,  and  manage  to  extract  no 
small  portion  of  nutriment.  By  means  of  a  small  horn,  or  a  bottle  with  a  very  narrow 
neck,  it  will  often  be  possible  to  give  him  a  small  quantity  of  gruel ;  but  the  flexible 
pipe  that  accompanies  Kead  s  patent  pump  will  render  this  of  easier  accomplishment, 
for  the  nutriment  may  be  administered  without  elevating  the  head  of  the  horse,  or 
inflicting  on  him  the  extreme  torture  which  used  to  accompany  the  act  of  drenching. 
If  the  jaw  is  ever  so  closely  clenched,  the  pipe  may  be  introduced  between  the  tushes 
and  the  grinders,  and  carried  tolerably  far  back  into  the  mouth,  and  any  quantitj^  of 
gruel  or  medicine  introduced  into  the  stomach. 

It  will  also  be  good  practice  to  let  a  small  portion  of  food  be  in  the  manger.  The 
horse  will  not  at  first  be  able  to  take  up  the  slightest  quantity,  but  he  will  attempt  to 
do  so.  Small  portions  may  be  placed  between  his  grinders,  and  they  wdll  presently 
drop  from  his  mouth,  scarcely  or  at  all  masticated  :  but  some  good  will  be  done  — 
there  is  the  attempt  to  put  the  muscles  of  the  jaw  to  their  proper  use.  On  the  follow- 
ing day  he  will  succeed  a  little  better,  and  make  some  trifling  advance  towards  break- 
ing the  chain  of  spasmodic  action.  Experience  will  teach  the  careful  groom  the  value 
of  these  minutise  of  practice;  and  the  successful  termination  of  many  a  case  may  be 
traced  to  the  careful  nursing  of  the  patient. 

When  the  horse  is  getting  decidedly  better,  and  the  weather  will  permit,  there  can 
be  no  better  practice  than  to  turn  him  out  for  a  few  hours  in  the  middle  of  the  day. 
His  toddling  about  will  regain  to  him  the  use  of  his  limbs ;  the  attempt  to  stoop  in 
order  to  graze  will  diminish  the  spasm  in  his  neck ;  the  act  of  grazing  will  relax  the 
muscles  of  the  jaws ;  and  he  can  have  no  better  food  than  the  fresh  grass. 

CRAMP. 

This  is  a  sudden,  involuntary  and  painful  spasm  of  a  particular  muscle  or  set  of 
muscles.  It  differs  from  tetanus  in  its  shorter  duration,  and  in  its  occasionally  attack 
ing  the  muscles  of  organic  life.  It  may  be  termed  a  species  of  transitory  tetanus, 
affecting  mostly  the  hind  extremities.  It  is  generally  observed  when  the  horse  is  first 
brought  out  of  the  stable,  and  especially  if  he  has  been  hardly  worked.  One  of  the 
legs  appears  stiff,  inflexible,  and  is,  to  a  slight  degree,  dragged  after  the  animal. 
After  he  has  proceeded  a  few  steps,  the  stiffness  nearly  or  quite  disappears,  or  only  a 
slight  degree  of  lameness  remains  during  the  greater  part  of  the  day. 

Cramp  proceeds  from  an  accumulation  of  irritability  in  the  muscles  of  the  exten- 
sors,  and  is  a  sudden  spasmodic  action  of  them  in  order  to  balance  the  power  which 
their  antagonists  have  gained  over  them  during  the  night. 

If  a  certain  degree  of  lameness  remains,  the  attendant  on  the  horse  should  endea- 
vour to  find  out  the  muscle  chiefly  affected,  which  he  may  easily  do  by  a  feeling  of 
hardness,  or  an  expression  of  pain,  when  he  presses  on  the  extensors  of  the  hock 


STRINGHALT.  107 

somewhat  above  that  joint.  He  should  then  give  plenty  of  good  hand-rubbintr,  or  a 
little  more  attention  to  the  grooming  generally,  or  a  wider  or  more  comfortable  stall, 
as  the  circumstances  of  the  case  may  appear  to  require. 

STRINGHALT. 

This  is  a  sudden  and  spasmodic  action  of  some  of  the  muscles  of  the  thigh  when 
the  horse  is  first  led  from  the  stable.  One  or  both  legs  are  caught  up  at  every  step 
with  great  rapidity  and  violence,  so  that  the  fetlock  sometimes  touches  the  belly ;  but, 
after  the  horse  has  been  out  a  little  while,  this  usually  goes  olf  and  the  natural  action 
of  the  animal  returns.  In  a  few  cases  it  does  not  perfectly  disappear  after  exercise, 
but  the  horse  continues  to  be  slightly  lame. 

Stringhalt  is  not  a  perfectly  involuntary  action  of  a  certain  muscle,  or  a  certain  set 
of  muscles.  The  limb  is  flexed  at  the  command  of  the  will,  but  it  acts  to  a  greater 
extent  and  with  more  violence  than  the  will  had  prompted.  There  is  an  accumula- 
tion of  excitability  in  the  muscle,  and  the  impulse  which  should  have  called  it  into 
natural  and  moderate  action  causes  it  to  take  on  a  spasmodic  and,  perhaps,  a  painful 
one. 

Many  ingenious  but  contradictory  theories  have  been  advanced  in  order  to  account 
for  this  peculiarity  of  gait.  What  muscles  are  concerned'?  Clearly  those  by  which 
the  thigh  is  brought  under  the  belly,  and  the  hock  is  flexed,  and  the  pasterns  are  first 
flexed,  and  then  extended.  But  by  which  of  them  is  the  effect  principally  produced  1 
What  muscle,  or,  more  properly,  what  nerve  is  concerned  1  Instead  of  entering 
into  any  useless  controversy  on  this  point,  a  case  shall  be  related,  and  one  of  the 
most  interesting  there  is  on  record :  the  author  was  personally  cognisani  of  every 
particular. 

Guildford,  first  called  Roundhead,  and  then  Landlord,  was  foaled  in  1826.  He 
was  got  by  Hampden  out  of  a  Sir  Harry  Dimsdale  mare.  In  1828,  and  being  two 
years  old,  and  the  property  of  the  Duke  of  Richmond,  he  won  a  50/.  plate  at  Good 
wood.  In  1829,  and  belonging  to  Lord  W.  Lennox,  he  won  55  guineas  at  Hampton. 
Being  then  transferred  to  Mr.  Coleman,  he  won  50  guineas  at  Guildford ;  and  in 
the  same  year,  having  been  purchased  by  Mr.  Pearce,  he  won  GO  guineas  at  Basing- 
stoke. 

In  the  course  of  this  year  stringhalt  began  to  appear  in  a  slight  degree,  and  it  evi- 
dently, although  slowly,  increased.  There  soon  began  to  be  a  little  difficulty  in  get- 
ting him  off;  but  when  he  had  once  started,  neither  his  speed  nor  iris  stoutness  ap- 
peared to  be  in  the  slightest  degree  impaired.  He  continued  on  the  turf  until  1836, 
and  won  for  his  different  owners  seventeen  races,  the  produce  of  which,  exclusive  of 
bets,  amounted  to  1435/. 

The  difficulty  and  loss  of  advantage  in  starting  had  now  increased  to  a  degree" 
which  rendered  it  prudent  to  withdraw  him  from  the  turf,  and  he  came  into  the  'pos- 
session of  Dockeray,  who  used  him  for  the  purpose  of  leading  the  young  horses  that 
he  had  under  training.  This  is  well  known  to  be  hard  work,  and  his  rider  was  a 
man  of  some  weight.  In  addition  to  this,  he  was  generally  hunted  twice  in  the  week. 
His  first  starting  into  a  gallop  had  something  singular  about  it.  It  was  a  horrible 
kind  of  convulsive  action,  and  so  violent  that  he  frequently  knocked  off  his  shoes  on 
the  very  day  that  they  were  put  on :  but  when  he  got  a  little  warmed,  all  this  disap- 
peared. He  gallopped  beautifully,  and  was  a  very  sure  fencer.  The  sport,  however, 
being  over,  and  he  returning  to  a  slow  pace,  the  stringhalt  was  as  bad  as  ever. 

A*  length  the  old  horse  became  artful,  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  thiit  he  could 
be  made  to  lead.  Sometimes  he  refused  it  altogether.  In  consequence  of  this  he  was 
sent  to  St.  Martin's  Lane,  to  be  sold.  The  highest  bidding  for  him  was  3/.  14s.,  and 
the  hero  of  the  turf  and  the  field  was  doomed  to  the  omnibus.  There  he  was  cruelly 
used,  and  this  spasmodic  convulsion  of  his  hind  legs  sadly  aggravated  his  torture. 
The  skin  was  presently  rubbed  from  his  shoulders,  his  hips  and  haunches  were  bruised 
in  every  part,  and  his  stifles  were  continually  and  painfully  coming  in  contact  with 
the  pole. 

In  this  situation  he  was  seen  by  the  veterinary  surgeon  to  "  The  Society  for  the  Pre- 
vention of  Cruelty  to  Animals."  There  is  a  fund  at  the  disposal  of  that  society  for 
the  purchase  of  worn-out  horses,  who  are  immediately  released  from  their  misery  by 


108 


STRINGHALT. 


the  pole-axe  of  the  knacker.  The  horse  was  bought  for  this  purpose,  another  and 
laudable  motive  influencing  the  purchase, — the  wish  to  ascertain  what  light  the  dis- 
section of  an  animal  that  had  had  stringhalt  to  such  an  aggravated  extent,  and  for  so 
long  a  period,  would  cast  on  the  nature  of  this  disease. 

The  author  of  this  work  saw  him  a  little  while  before  he  was  slaughtered.  He 
was  still  a  noble-looking  animal,  and  seemed  to  possess  all  his  former  strength  and 
spirit  unimpaired  ;  hut  he  was  sadly  scarred  all  over,  in  consequence  of  his  being  put 
to  a  kind  of  work  for  which  his  spasmodic  complaint  so  entirely  incapacitated  him. 
So  aggravated  a  case  of  stringhalt  had  rarely  been  seen.  Both  hind  legs  were  affected, 
and  both  in  an  equal  degree ;  and  the  belly  was  forcibly  struck  by  the  pastern  joints 
every  time  the  hind  feet  were  lifted.  The  belly  and  the  pastern  joint  w^ere  both  de- 
nuded of  hair,  in  consequence  of  this  constant  battering. 

He  was  destroyed  by  the  injection  of  prussic  acid  into  the  jugular  vein,  and  the 
dissection  of  him  was  conducted  by  Professor  Spooner,  of  the  Royal  Veterinary  Col- 
lege. 

On  taking  off  the  skin,  all  the  muscles  presented  their  perfect  healthy  character. 
There  was  not  the  slightest  enlargement  or  discolouration  of  the  fascise.  The  mus- 
cles of  both  extremities  were  dissected  from  their  origins  to  their  tendinous  termina- 
tions, and  their  fibrous  structure  carefully  examined.  They  were  all  beautifully  de- 
veloped, presenting  no  inequality  or  irregularity  of  structure,  nor  aught  that  would 
warrant  the  suspicion  that  any  one  of  them  possessed  an  undue  power  or  influence 
beyond  the  others.  The  only  abnormal  circumstance  about  them  was  that  they  were 
of  a  rather  darker  yellow  in  colour  than  is  usually  found.  This  refened  to  them  gen- 
erally, and  not  to  any  particular  muscle  or  sets  of  muscles. 

The  lumbar,  crural,  and  sciatic  nerves  were  examined  from  the  spot  at  which  they 
emerge  from  the  spinal  cord  to  their  ultimate  distributions.  The  crural  and  lumbar 
nerves  were  perfectly  healthy.  The  sciatic  nerve,  at  the  aperture  through  which  it 
escapes  from  the  spine,  was  darker  in  colour  than  is  usual,  being  of  a  yellowish- 
brown  hue.  Its  texture  was  softened,  and  its  fibrilla;  somewhat  loosely  connected 
too-ether.  The  nerve  was  of  its  usual  size ;  but  on  tracing  it  in  its  course  through 
the  muscles  of  the  haunch,  several  spots  of  ecchymosis  presented  themselves,  and 
were  more  particularly  marked  on  that  part  of  the  nerve  which  is  connected  \^■ith  the 
sacro-sciatic  ligament.  As  the  nerve  approached  the  hock,  it  assumed  its  natural 
colour  and  tone ;  and  the  fibres  given  off  from  it  to  the  muscles  situated  inferior  to 
the  stifle-joint  were  of  a  perfectly  healthy  character. 

On  dissecting  out  a  portion  of  the  nerve  where  it  appeared  to  be  in  a  diseased  state, 
it  was  found  that  this  ecchymosis  was  confined  to  the  membranous  investiture  of  the 
nerve,  and  that  its  substance,  when  pressed  from  its  sheath,  presented  a  perfectly 
natural  character. 

The  cavity  of  the  cranium,  and  the  whole  extent  of  the  spinal  canal,  were  next  laid 
open.  The  brain  and  the  spinal  marrow  were  deprived  of  their  membranous  cover- 
ings, and  both  the  theca3  and  their  contents  diligently  examined.  There  was  no  lesion 
in  any  part  of  them,  not  even  at  the  lumbar  region. 

The  articulations  of  every  joint  of  the  hind  extremities,  then  underwent  inspection, 
and  no  disease  could  be  detected  in  either  of  them. 

Professor  Spooner  was  of  opinion  that  this  peculiar  affection  was  not  referrible  to 
any  diseased  state  of  the  brain  or  spinal  cord,  nor  to  any  local  affection  of  the  mus- 
cles of  the  limbs,  but  simply  to  a  morbid  affection  of  the  sciatic  nerve.  He  had  not 
dissected  a  single  case  of  stringhalt  in  which  he  had  not  found  disease  of  this  nerve, 
which  mainly  contributes  to  supply  the  hind  extremities  with  sensation  and  the  power 
of  voluntary  motion. 

Now  comes  a  very  important  question.  "What  connexion  is  there  between  strings 
halt  and  the  supposed  value  or  deterioration  of  the  horse  ?  Some  experienced  prac- 
titioners have  maintained  that  it  is  a  pledge  of  more  than  usual  muscular  power.  It 
is  a  common  saying  that  "  there  never  was  a  horse  with  stringhalt  that  was  incapa- 
ble of  doing  the  work  required  of  him."  Most  certainly  we  continually  meet  with 
horses  having  stringhalt  that  pleasantly  discharge  all  ordinary,  and  even  extraordi- 
nary, ser\'ice";  and  although  stringhalt  is  excess  or  irregular  distribution  of  nervous 
power,  it  at  least  shows  the  existence  of  that  power,  and  the  capability  in  the  mul^ 


PALSY.  109 

cular  system  of  being  acted  upon  by  it.  Irregular  distributions  of  vital  energy  aro 
not,  however,  things  to  be  desired.  They  argue  disease  and  derangement  of  the  sys- 
tem, and  a  predisposition  to  greater  derangement.  They  materially  interfere  with  the 
speed  ot  the  horse.  This  was  decidedly  the  case  with  regard  to  the  poor  fellow 
whose  history  has  been  related. 

Stringhalt  is  decided  unsoundness.  It  is  an  irregular  supply  of  the  nervous  influ- 
ence, or  a  diseased  state  of  the  nervous  or  muscular  system,  or  both.  It  prevents  us 
from  suddenly  and  at  once  calling  upon  the  horse  for  the  full  exercise  of  his  speed 
and  power,  and  therefore  it  is  unsoundness ;  but  generally  speaking,  it  so  little  inter- 
feres with  the  services  of  the  animal,  that  although  an  unsoundness,  it  would  not 
weigh  a  great  deal  against  other  manifest  valuable  qualities. 

CHOREA. 

This  is  a  convulsive,  involuntary  twitching  of  some  muscle  or  set  of  muscles.  A 
few,  and  very  few,  cases  of  it  in  the  horse  are  recorded.  Professor  Gohier  relates 
one  in  which  it  attacked  both  fore  legs,  and  especially  the  left,  but  the  affection  was 
not  constant.  During  five  or  six  minutes  the  spasms  were  most  violent,  so  that  the 
horse  was  scarcely  able  to  stand.  The  convulsions  then  became  weaker,  the  inter- 
val between  them  increased,  and  at  length  they  disappeared,  leaving  a  slight  but  tem- 
porary lameness.  All  means  of  cure  were  fruitlessly  tried,  and  the  disease  continued 
until  the  horse  died  of  some  other  complaint.  In  another  case  it  followed  sudden 
suppression  of  the  discharge  of  glanders  and  disappearance  of  the  enlarged'  glalids. 
This  also  was  intennittent  during  the  life  of  the  animal. 

FITS,    OR    EPILEPSY. 

The  stream  of  nervous  influence  is  sometimes  rapid,  or  the  suspensions  are  consid 
erable.  This  is  the  theory  of  Fits,  or  Epilepsy.  Fortunately  the  horse  is  not  often 
afflicted  with  this  disease,  although  it  is  not  unknown  to  the  breeder.  The  attack  is 
not  sudden.  The  animal  stops  —  trembles — looks  vacantly  around  him,  and  ialls. 
Occasionally  the  convulsions  that  follow^  are  slight;  at  other  tiroes  they  are  terrible. 
The  head  and  fore  part  of  the  horse  are  most  affected,  and  the  contortions  are  very 
singular.  In  a  few  minutes  the  convulsions  cease;  he  gets  up;  looks  around  him 
with  a  kind  of  stupid  astonishment ;  shakes  his  ears ;  urines ;  and  eats  or  drinks  as 
if  nothing  had  happened. 

The  only  hope  of  cure  consists  in  discovering  the  cause  of  the  fits  ;  and  an  expe- 
rienced practitioner  must  be  consulted,  if  the  animal  is  valuable.  Generally  speaking, 
however,  the  cause  is  so  difficult  to  discover,  and  the  habit  of  having  fits  is  so  soon 
formed,  and  these  fits  will  so  frequently  return,  even  at  a  great  distance  of  time,  that 
he  who  values  his  own  safety,  or  the  lives  of  his  family,  will  cease  to  use  an  epilep- 
tic horse. 

PALSY. 

The  stream  of  nervous  influence  is  sometimes  stopped,  and  thence  results  palsy. 
Tlie  power  of  the  muscle  is  unimpaired,  but  the  nervous  energy  is  deficient.  In  the 
human  being,  general  palsy  sometimes  occurs.  The  whole  body  —  ever}"-  organ  of 
motion  and  of  sense  is  paralysed.  The  records  of  our  practice,  however,  do  not 
aff'ord  us  a  single  instance  of  this;  but  of  partial  paralysis  there  are  several  cases,' 
and  most  untractable  ones  they  were.  The  cause  of  them  may  be  altoorether  unknown. 
In  the  human  being  there  is  yet  another  distinction,  Hemiplegia  and  Paraplegia.  In 
the  former  the  affection  is  confined  to  one  side  of  the  patient ;  in  the  latter  the  poste- 
rior extremity  on  both  sides  is  affected.  Few  cases  of  hemiplesfia  occur  in  the  horse, 
and  they  are  more  manageable  than  those  of  paraplegria ;  but  if  the  affection  is  not 
removed,  they  usually  degenerate  into  paraplegia  before  the  death  of  the  animal.  It 
would  appear  singular  that  this  should  be  the  most  common  form  of  palsy  in  the 
human  being,  and  so  rarely  seen  in  the  quadruped.  There  are  some  considerations, 
however,  that  will  partly  account  for  this.  Palsy  in  the  horse  usually  proceeds  from 
injury  of  the  spinal  cord;  and  that  cord  is  more  developed,  and  far  larger  than  in  iho 
human  being.  It  is  more  exposed  to  injury,  and  to  injury  that  will  affect  not  one  sido 
only  but  the  whole  of  the  cord. 
10 


110  KHEUMATISM. 

Palsy  in  the  horse  jciieially  attacks  tlie  hind  extremities.  The  reason  of  this  is 
plain.  The  fore  lin.bs  are  attached  to  the  trunk  by  a  dense  mass  of  highly  elastic 
substance.  This  was  placed  between  the  shoulder-blade  and  the  ribs  for  the  purpose 
if  preventing  that  concussion,  which  would  be  annoying  and  even  dangerous  to  the 
norse  or  his  rider.  Except  in  consequence  of  a  fall,  there  is  scarcely  the  possibility 
.-^f  any  serious  injury  to  the  anterior  portion  of  the  spine.  The  case  is  very  diiferent 
with  regard  to  the  hind  limbs  and  their  attachment  to  the  trunk ;  they  are  necessa- 
rily liable  to  many  a  shock  and  sprain  injurious  to  the  spine  and  its  contents.  The 
loins  and  the  back  oftenest  exhibit  the  lesions  of  palsy,  because  there  are  some  of 
the  most  violent  muscular  eftbrts,  and  there  is  the  greatest  movement  and  the  least 
support.  It  may  consequently  be  taken  as  an  axiom  to  guide  the  judgment  of  the 
practitioner  that  palsy  in  the  horse  almost  invariably  proceeds  from  disease  or  injury 
of  the  spine. 

On  inquiry  it  is  almost  invariably  found  that  the  horse  had  lately  fallen,  or  had 
been  worked  exceedingly  hard,  or  that,  covered  with  perspiration,  he  had  been  left 
exposed  to  cold  and  wet.  It  commences  generally  in  one  hind  leg,  or  perhaps  both 
are  equally  aflected.  The  animal  can  scarcely  walk — he  walks  on  his  fetlocks 
instead  of  his  soles— he  staggers  at  every  motion.  At  length  he  falls.  He  is  raised 
with  difficulty,  or  he  never  rises  again.  The  sensibility  of  the  part  seems  for  a  while 
to  be  dreadfully  increased ;  but,  in  general,  this  gradually  subsides — it  sinks  below 
the  usual  standard — it  ceases  altogether. 

If  he  is  examined  after  death,  there  will  usually,  about  the  region  of  the  loins,  be 
inflammation  of  the  membranes  of  the  spinal  cord,  or  of  the  cord  itself.  The  medul- 
lary matter  will  be  found  of  a  yellow  colour,  or  injected  with  spots  of  blood,  or  it  will 
be  softened,  and  have  become  semifluid. 

The  treatment  is  simple  enough.  It  should  commence  with  bleeding,  and,  as  has 
been  already  recommended  in  inflammatory  cases,  until  the  circulation  is  evidently 
aflected  —  until  the  pulse  begins  to  falter  or  the  horse  to  reel.  To  this  should  follow 
a  dose  of  physic — strong  compared  with  the  size  of  the  animal.  The  loins  should  be 
covered  with  a  mustard  poultice  frequently  renewed.  The  patient  should  be  warmly 
clothed,  supplied  plentifully  with  mashes,  but  without  a  grain  of  corn  in  them;  and 
frequent  injections  should  be  had  recourse  to.  This  will  soon  render  it  evident 
whether  the  patient  will  recover  or  die.  If  favourable  symptoms  appear,  the  horse 
must  not  be  in  the  slightest  degree  neglected,  nor  the  medical  treatment  suspended. 
There  is  no  disease  in  which  the  animal  is  more  liable  to  a  relapse,  or  where  a  relapse 
would  be  so  fatal.  No  misapprehension  of  the  disease,  or  false  humanity,  should 
induce  the  attendant  to  give  the  smallest  quantity  of  corn  or  of  tonic  medicine. 
Palsy  in  the  horse  is  an  inflammatory  complaint,  or  the  result  of  inflammation. 

If  the  heat  and  tenderness  are  abating,  and  the  animal  regains,  to  a  slight  degree, 
the  use  of  his  limbs,  or  if  it  is  becoming  a  case  of  chronic  palsy,  an  extensive  and 
stimulating  charge  over  the  loins  should  be  immediately  applied.  It  will  accomplish 
three  purposes  :  there  will  be  the  principle  of  counter-irritation — a  defence  against  the 
cold — and  a  useful  support  of  the  limbs. 

RHEUMATISM. 

It  is  only  of  late  years  that  this  has  been  admitted  into  the  list  of  the  diseases  of 
the  horse,  although  it  is  in  truth  a  very  common  aff"ection.  It  is  frequent  in  old 
horses  that  have  been  early  abused,  and  among  younger  ones  whose  powers  have 
been  severely  taxed.  The  lameness  is  frequently  excessive,  and  the  pain  is  evidently 
excruciating.  The  animal  dares  not  to  rest  the  slightest  portion  of  its  weight  on  the 
limb,  or  even  to  touch  the  ground  with  his  toe.  He  is  heaving  at  the  flanks,  sweatr 
ing  profusely,  his  countenance  plainly  indicative  of  the  agony  he  feels ;  but  there  is 
at  first  no  heat,  or  swelling,  or  tenderness.  With  proper  treatment,  the  pain  and  the 
lameness  gradually  disappear;  but  in  other  instances  the  fasciae  of  the  muscles 
become  thickened  —  the  ligaments  are  also  thickened  and  rigid  —  the  capsules  of  the 
joint  are  loaded  with  a  glairy  fluid,  and  the  joint  is  evidently  enlarged.  Tliis  is 
simply  rheumatism ;  but  if  it  is  neglected,  palsy  soon  associates  itself  with,  or  suc- 
ceeds to,  the  complaint ;  and  the  loss  of  nervous  power  follows  the  difficulty  or  pain 
of  moving. 


NEUROTOMY.  HI 

Every  horseman  will  recollect  cases  in  which  thfe  animal  that  seemed  on  the  pie- 
ceding  day  to  be  perfectly  sound  becomes  decidedly  lame,  and  limps  as  though  he 
had  lost  the  use  of  his  limbs ;  yet  there  is  no  thickening  of  the  tendons,  nor  any 
external  inflammatory  action  to  show  the  seat  of  the  complaint.  Mr.  Cooper,  of 
Coleshill,  relates  a  case  very  applicable  to  the  present  subject.  A  farmer  purchased 
A  horse,  to  all  appearance  sound,  and  rode  him  home  —  a  distance  of  ten  miles.  He 
was  worked  on  the  two  following  days,  without  showing  the  least  lameness.  On 
the  third  day  it  was  with  great  ditiicult\'  that  he  managed  to  limp  out  of  the  stable. 
Mr.  Cooper  was  sent  for  to  examine  him.  The  horse  had  clean  legs  and  excellent 
feet.  The  owner  would  have  him  blistered  all  around.  It  was  done.  The  horse 
was  turned  out  to  grass  for  two  months,  and  came  up  perfectly  sound.  The  weather 
soon  afterwards  became  wet  and  cold,  and  the  horse  again  was  lame ;  in  fact,  it 
presently  appeared  that  the  disease  was  entirely  influenced  by  the  changes  of  the 
atmosphere.  "Thus,"  adds  Mr.  C;  '"in  the  summer  a  horse  of  this  description  will 
be  mostly  sound,  while  in  the  winter  he  will  be  generally  lame." 

An  account  of  acute  rheumatism,  by  Mr.  Thompson,  of  Beith,  is  trt)  valuable  to  be 
omitted  : — "  I  have  had,"  says  he,  "  fourteen  cases  of  this  disease.  The  muscles  of 
the  shoulders  and  arms  were  generally  the  parts  affected.  The  cure  was  e&cted  in 
a  few  days,  and  consisted  of  a  good  bleeding  from  the  jugular,  and  a  sharp  -purge. 

"  One  of  these  cases  was  uncommonly  severe.  The  disease  was  in  the  back  and 
loins.  The  horse  brought  forward  his  hind-legs  under  his  flanks,  roached  his  back, 
and  drew  up  his  flanks  with  a  convulsive  twitch  accompanied  by  a  piteous  groan, 
almost  every  five  minutes.  The  sympathetic  fever  was  alarming,  the  pulse  was  90, 
and  there  was  obstinate  constipation  of  the  bowels.  The  horse  literally  roared  aloud 
if  any  one  attempted  to  shift  him  in  the  stall,  and  groaned  excessively  when  lying. 
He  was  bled  almost  to  fainting ;  and  three  moderate  doses  of  aloes  were  given  in  the 
course  of  two  days.  Injections  were  administered,  and  warm  fomentations  were 
frequently  applied  to  the  back  and  loins.  On  the  third  day  the  physic  operated 
briskly,  accompanied  by  considerable  nausea  and  reduction  of  the  pulse.  From  that 
time  the  animal  gradually  recovered. 

"  These  horses  are  well  fed,  and  always  in  good  condition ;  but  they  are  at  times 
worked  without  mercy,  wliich  perhaps  makes  them  so  liable  to  these  attacks." 

NEUROTOMY. 

To  enable  the  horse  to  accomplish  many  of  the  tasks  we  exact  from  him,  we  have 
nailed  on  his  feet  an  iron  defence.  Without  the  protection  of  the  shoe,  he  would  not 
only  be  unable  to  travel  over  our  hard  roads,  but  he  would  speedily  become  useless 
to  us.  While,  however,  the  iron  protects  his  feet  from  being  battered  and  bruised,  it 
is  necessarily  inflexible.  It  cramps  and  confines  the  hoof,  and  often,  without  great 
care,  entails  on  our  valuable  servant  bad  disease  and  excessive  torture. 

The  division  of  the  nerve,  as  a  remedy  for  intense  pain  in  any  part  of  the  frame, 
was  systematically  practised  by  human  surgeons  more  than  a  century  ago.  Mr. 
Moorecroft  has  the  honour  of  introducing  the  operation  of  neurotomy  in  the  veterinary 
school. 

He  had  long  devoted  his  powerful  energies  to  the  discovery  of  the  causes  and  the 
cure  of  lameness  in  the  fore-foot  of  the  horse.  It  was  a  subject  worthy  of  him,  for  it 
involved  the  interest  of  the  proprietor  and  the  comfort  of  the  slave.  He  found  that, 
partly  from  the  faulty  construction  of  the  shoe,  and  more  from  the  premature  and 
cruel  exaction'of  labour,  the  horse  was  subject  to  a  variety  of  diseases  of  the  foot :  all 
of  them  accompanied  by  a  greater  or  less  degree  of  pain  —  often  of  a  very  intense 
nature,  and  ceasing  only  with  the  life  of  the  animal. 

He  frequently  met  with  a  strangely  formidable  disease,  in  what  was  called  "  coffin- 
joint  lameness,"  but  to  which  ]Mr.  James  Turner  afterwards  gave  the  very  appropriate 
name  of  "  navicular-joint  disease."  It  was  inflammation  of  the  synodal  membrane, 
either  of  the  flexor  tendon  or  navicular  bone,  or  both,  where  the  tendon  plays  over 
that  bone ;  and  it  was  accompanied  by  pain,  abrasion,  and  gradual  destruction  of 
these  parts. 

For  a  long  time  he  was  foiled  in  every  attempt  which  he  made  to  remove  or  even 
to  alleviate  the  disease.     At  length  he  turned  his  thoughts  to  the  probability  of  sub 


112  NEUROTOMY. 

duing  the  increased  sensibility  of  the  part,  by  diminishing  the  proportion  of  nervous 
influence  distributed  en  the  foot.  He  laid  bare  one  of  the  metacarpal  nerves,  and 
divided  it  Avith  a  pair  of  scissors.  There  was  always  an  immediate  and  decided 
diminution  of  the  lameness,  and,  sometimes,  the  horse  rose  perfectly  ^sound.  This 
happy  result,  however,  was  not  always  permanent,  for  the  lameness  returned  after 
the  lapse  of  a  few  weeks,  or  on  much  active  exertion.  He  next  cut  out  a  small  piece 
of  the  nerve.  The  freedom  from  lameness  was  of  longer  duration,  but  it  eventually 
returned. 

He  then  tried  a  bolder  experiment.  He  excised  a  portion  of  the  nerves  going  both 
to  the  inner  and  outer  metacarpals.  We  transcribe  his  own  account  of  the  result  of 
the  first  case  of  complete  neurotomy — excision  of  the  nerve  on  both  sides  of  the  leg — 
that  ever  was  performed. 

"  The  animal,  on  rising,  trotted  boldly  and  without  lameness,  but  now  and  then 
stumbled  with  the  foot  operated  on.  The  wounds  healed  in  a  few  days,  and  the 
patient  was  put  to  grass.  Some  weeks  afterwards  a  favourable  account  was  received 
of  her  soundness ;  but  she  was  soon  brought  again  to  us,  on  account  of  a  large  sore 
on  the  bottom  of  the  foot  operated  on,  and  extending  from  the  point  of  the  frog  to  the 
middle  and  back  part  of  the  pastern.  The  mare,  in  galloping  over  some  broken  glass 
bottles,  had  placed  her  foot  upon  a  fragment  of  the  bottom  of  one  of  them,  and  which 
had  cut  its  way  through  the  frog  and  tendon  into  the  joint,  and  stuck  fast  in  the  joint 
for  some  seconds,  while  the  animal  continued  its  course  apparently  regardless  of 
Injury.  The  wound  bled  profusely,  but  the  mare  was  not  lame.  Many  days  had 
elapsed  before  I  saw  her,  and  large  masses  of  loose  flesh  were  cut  from  the  edges  of 
the  wound,  without  the  animal  showing  the  slightest  sign  of  suffering  pain.  The 
processes  usually  attending  sores  went  on,  with  the  same  appearances  that  took  place 
in  sores  of  parts  not  deprived  of  sensibility.  Such  extensive  injury,  however,  had 
been  done  to  the  joint  as  rendered  the  preservation  of  free  motion  in  it  very  impro- 
bable, even  were  the  opening  to  close,  which  was  a  matter  of  doubt,  and  therefore 
she  was  destroyed.  It  appeared  clearly  from  this,  that  hy  the  destruction  of  serisihility 
the  repairing  powers  of  the  part  were  not  injured;  but  that  the  natural  guard  against 
injury  being  taken  away  by  the  division  of  both  the  nerves,  an  accident  was  rendered 
destructive  which,  in  the  usual  condition  of  the  foot,  might  have  been  less  injurious."* 

The  cut  in  the  next  page  gives  a  view  of  the  nerve  on  the  inside  of  the  leg,  as  it 
approaches  the  fetlock.  It  will  be  seen  that  branches  are  given  off  above  the  fetlock, 
which  go  to  the  fore  part  of  the  foot  and  supply  it  with  feeling.  The  continuation 
of  the  nerve  below  the  fellock  is  given  principally  to  the  quarters  and  hinder  part  of 
the  foot.  The  grand  consideration,  then,  with  the  operator  is  —  does  he  wisli  to 
deprive  the  Avhole  of  the  foot  of  sensation,  or  is  the  cause  of  lameness  principally  in 
the  hinder  part  of  the  foot,  so  that  he  can  leave  some  degree  of  feeling  in  the  fore 
part,  and  prevent  that  alteration  in  the  tread  and  going  of  the  horse,  which  the  horse- 
man so  much  dislikes  1 

The  horse  must  be  cast  and  secured,  and  the  limb  to  be  operated  on  removed  from 
tne  hobbles  and  extended  —  the  hair  having  been  previously  shaved  from  the  part. 
The  operator  then  feels  for  the  throl)bing  of  the  artery,  or  the  round  firm  body  of  the 
nerve  itself,  on  the  side  of  the  shank  bone  or  the  larger  pastern.  The  vein,  artery, 
and  nerve  here  run  close  together,  the  vein  nearest  to  the  front  of  the  leg,  then  the 
artery,  and  the  nerve  behind.  He  cautiously  cuts  through  the  skin  for  an  inch  and 
a  half  in  length.  The  vessels  will  then  be  brought  into  view,  and  the  ner\-e  will  be 
distinguished  from  them  by  its  lying  behind  the  others,  and  by  its  whiteness.  A 
crooked  needle,  armed  with  silk,  is  then  passed  under  it,  in  order  to  raise  it  a  little. 
It  is  dissected  from  the  cellular  substance  beneath,  and  about  three  quarters  of  an  inch 
of  it  cut  out, — the  first  incision  being  made  at  the  upper  part,  in  which  case  the  second 
incision  will  not  be  felt.  The  horse  must  then  be  turned,  and  the  operation  per- 
formed on  the  other  side ;  for  there  is  a  nervous  trunk  on  both  sides.  The  wounds 
are  now  closed  with  strips  of  adhesive  plaster,  a  bandage  placed  over  them,  the  head 
tied  up  for  a  couple  of  days,  and  the  animal  kept  rather  low,  and  as  quiet  as  pos- 
sible. The  incisions  will  generally  rapidly  heal ;  and  in  three  weeks  or  a  month, 
and  sometimes  earlier,  the  horse  will  be  fit  for  work. 

*  Veterinarian,  vol.  ix.  p.  363. 


NEUROTOMY. 


113 


A  The  metacarpal  nerve  on  the  inside  of  the  off  leg  at  the  edge 
of  the  shank  bone,  and  behind  the  vein  and  artery. 

B  The  continuation  of  the  same  nerve  on  the  pastern,  and  pro- 
ceeding downward  to  supply  the  back  part  of  the  fool  with 
feeling. 

C  The  division  of  the  nerve  on  the  fetlock  joint. 

D  The  branch  which  supplies  with  feeling  the  fore  part  of  the 
foot. 

E  The  artery  between  the  vein  and  nerve. 
K  F  The  continuation  of  the  artery  on  the  pastern,  close  to,  and 
before  the  nerve. 

G  The  vein  before  the  artery  and  nerve. 

H  The  same  vein  spreading  over  the  pastern. 

I    One  of  the  flexor  tendons,  the  perforatus  (perforated). 

J  The  deeper  flexor  tendon,  the  perforans  (perforating,  contained 
within  the  other). 

K  The  tendinous  band  in  which  the  flexors  work. 

L  One  of  the  extensors  of  the  foot. 

M  The  internal  or  sensible  frog. 

N  The  posterior  lateral  hgament. 

O  The  fleshy  or  sensible  lamina  covering  the  coffin  bone,  the 
horny  crust  being  removed. 

P   The  horny  crust. 

Q  The  sole. 

For  ring-bone — the  side  cartilages  becoming  bony,  and  there  being  partial  stiffness 
of  the  pastern  and  coffin  joints — the  operation  of  nerving  will  probably  be  beneficial. 
The  sense  of  pain  being  taken  away,  the  animal  will  use  these  parts  more,  and  they 
will  gradually  recover  their  natural  action  and  motion.  For  the  same  reason,  in  old 
contraction  of  the  feet,  it  is  highly  beneficial.  The  torture  occasioned  by  the  pressure 
of  the  horny  crust  on  the  sensible  parts  within  being  no  longer  felt,  and  the  foot  com- 
ing fully  and  firmly  in  contact  with  the  ground,  not  only  is  lameness  relieved,  but  the 
elasticity  and  form  of  the  foot  partially  restored.  Where  lameness  has  long  existed, 
unattended  with  heat  of  the  foot  or  alteration  of  shape,  and  the  seat  of  which  could 
not  be  ascertained,  although  probably  existing  betweot  the  navicular  bone  and  the 
back  tendon  that  plays  over  it,  neurotomy  may  be  resorted  to  with  decided  advantage. 

IMischief,  however,  will  result  from  the  operation  if  the  pastern  or  coffin  joints  are 
perfectly  stiff,  because  the  concussion  occasioned  by  the  forcible  contact  of  the  foot 
with  the  ground,  and  unbroken  by  the  play  of  the  joints,  must  necessarily  still  more 
injure  the  bone.  When  the  sole  of  the  foot  is  convex  ox  pumiced,  the  effect  of  neuro- 
tomy will  be  most  destnictive.  The  sole  scarcely  able  to  bear  the  pressure  of  the 
coffin-bone,  even  when  pain  induces  the  animal  to  put  his  foot  as  gently  as  possible 
on  the  ground,  being  forced  below  its  natural  situation,  would  be  speedily  worn  through 
and  destroyed.  So  if  inflammation  existed,  although  its  pain  might  be  removed,  yet 
its  progress  would  be  quickened  by  the  bruising  to  which  the  parts  might  be  sub- 
jected ;  and  more  especially  would  this  be  the  case,  if  there  was  any  ulceration  of 
the  ligaments  or  cartilages. 

The  unfettered  shoe  of  Mr.  Turner  being  adopted,  at  least  so  far  as  we  can  have  it 
nfettered  —  attached  to  the  foot  on  one  side  alone,  and  the  inner  quarter  being  left 
free  —  the  foot  gradually  regains  its  original  healthy  form,  and,  when,  in  process  of 
time,  a  new  portion  of  nerve  is  produced,  and  the  sensibility  of  the  foot  re-established, 
the  horse  (continues  to  be  sound.  To  some  extent,  immediate  good  effect  is  produced 
as  it  regards  the  actual  disease.  We  remove  that  general  constitutional  irritability 
which  long-continued  pain  occasions,  and  which  heightens  and  perpetuates  local  dis- 
ease. We  obtain  for  the  patient  an  interval  of  repose,  and  every  local  ailment  soon 
•uhsides  or  disappears,  and  the  whole  constitution  become  invigorated. 

Mr.  Percivall  relates  two  valuable  cases  of  this.  A  mare  with  contracted  feet  wae 
10*  P 


114  NEUROTOMY. 

never  subject  to  periodical  (pstrum,  and  iier  owner  lamented  in  vain  that  he  could  not 
breed  from  her.  She  underwent  the  operation  of  neurotomy,  and  became  an  excellent 
l.irood  mare.  A  stallion  with  many  a  good  point  about  him  was  useless  in  the  stud  : 
lie  was  suffering  from  some  disease  in  the  feet.  A  portion  of  the  nerve  was  excised — 
his  constitution  underwent  a  complete  change,  and  he  became  sire  to  a  numerous  and 
valuable  progeny. 

By  the  operation  of  neurotomy  we  destroy  pain ;  and  we  jnay  safely  calculate  on 
the  simple  effect  of  that,  whether  local  or  constitutional ;  and,  limiting  our  expecta 
tions  to  this,  we  shall  rarely  be  disappointed. 

The  operation  of  neurotomy  having  been  performed,  has  the  veterinary  surgeon 
nothing  else  to  Aol  He  has  got  rid  of  the  pain  which  attended  the  ossified  cartilage 
—  the  ring-bone  and  the  anchylosis  of  the  pastern  and  the  colTm-joints ;  shall  he  be 
satisfied  with  the  benefit  he  has  obtained,  great  as  it  is  1  He  will,  or  he  should  now 
try  whether  his  former  means  and  appliances  have  not  more  power.  He  will  see 
whether,  by  means  of  his  blister  or  his  firing-iron — the  effect  of  which  humanity  for- 
bade him  to  put  to  the  full  test  before  —  he  cannot  rouse  the  absorbents  to  increased 
and  more  efficient  action,  and  not  only  arrest  the  progress  of  the  bony  tumour,  but 
remove  it.  He  will  not  merely  suffer  the  usefulness  of  his  patient  to  depend  on  the 
continued  suspension  of  feeling,  but  he  will  assure  it  by  the  partial  or  total  removal 
of  the  morbid  growth. 

In  contraction  of  the  foot,  shall  he  be  satisfied  with  removing  the  agony  occasioned 
by  the  constant  pressure  of  the  horn  on  the  sensitive  substance  interposed  between  it 
and  the  coffin-bone  1  Shall  he  leave  future  improvement  to  the  slow  process  of 
nature,  or  shall  he  not  take  advantage  of  the  insensibility  which  he  has  produced,  and 
pare  the  sole  thoroughly  out,  and  rasp  the  quarters  to  the  very  quick,  and  apply  the 
unfettered  shoe  ]  When  he  has  produced  a  disposition  to  contraction,  and  some  degree 
of  it,  should  he  not  actively  blister  the  coronets,  and  use  all  other  fitting  means  to 
hasten  the  growth  of  the  horn  to  its  pristine  dimensions  and  its  original  quality  1 

In  navicular  disease,  after  he  has  removed,  by  the  application  of  neurotomy,  that 
irritation  which  had  so  much  to  do  with  the  perpetuation,  if  not  the  origin,  of  the 
complaint,  should  he  not,  with  the  assured  hope  of  success,  pass  his  seton  needle 
through  the  frog,  in  order  to  get  rid  of  every  remaining  lurking  tendency  to  inflamma- 
tion !  The  blister  and  the  firing-iron  will  have  as  much  power  in  abating  inflamma- 
tion and  producing  a  healthy  state  of  the  foot,  after  that  foot  had  been  rendered  insen- 
sible to  pain,  as  it  had  before.  We  should  fearlessly  say  that  it  would  have  much 
more  effect,  one  grand  source  of  irritation  having  been  removed.  The  veterinary  sur 
geon  and  the  owner  of  the  horse  are  becoming  more  and  more  convinced  of  this  ;  and 
the  dawning  of  a  better  day  has  commenced. 

The  principle  of  neurotomy  is  plain  and  simple — it  is  the  removal  of  pain.  Taken 
on  this  ground,  it  is  a  noble  operation.  It  is  that  in  which  everj^  friend  of  humanity 
will  rejoice.  It  may  be  abused.  If  no  auxiliary  means  are  adopted — if  in  canker  or 
quittor,  or  inflammation  of  the  laminae,  no  means  are  used  to  lessen  the  concussion 
and  the  pressure — the  destruction  of  the  part  and  the  utter  ruin  of  the  horse  are  the 
inevitable  consequences.  The  primary  result  is  the  removal  of  pain.  It  is  for  the 
operator  to  calculate  the  bearing  of  this  on  the  actual  disease,  and  the  future  usefulness 
of  the  animal. 

On  the  question  of  the  reproduction  of  the  nerves  there  is  no  doubt.  A  horse  is 
lame,  and  he  undergoes  the  operation  of  neurotomy.  At  the  expiration  of  a  cc-tain 
time  the  lameness  returns,  and  he  is  probably  destroyed.  In  the  majority  of  cases  it 
is  found  that  the  nerves  had  united,  or  rather  that  a  new  veritable  ner\'ouK  substance 
had  been  interposed.  The  time  at  which  this  is  effected  is  unknown.  There  have 
not  been  any  definite  experiments  on  the  point. 

Can  the  horse  that  has  undergone  the  operation  of  neurotomy  be  aftei  wards  passea 
as  sound!  Most  certainly  not.  There  is  altered,  impaired  structure;  there  is 
impaired  action  ;  and  there  is  the  possibility  of  the  return  of  lameness  at  some  indefi- 
nite period.  He  has  been  diseased.  He  possibly  is  diseased  now  ;  but  the  pain 
being  removed,  there  are  no  means  by  which  the  mischief  can  always  be  indicated. 
Beside,  by  the  very  act  of  neurotomy,  he  is  peculiarly  exposed  to  various  injuries  and 
affections  of  the  foot  from  which  he  would  otherwise  escape. 


INSANITY.  1^5 


INSANITY. 


There  is  no  doubt  that  tlie  animals  which  we  have  subjugated  possess  many  of  tho 
same  mentiil  faculties  as  the  human  being — volition,  memory,  attachment,  gratitude, 
resentment,  fear,  and  hatn^J.  Who  has  not  witnessed  the  plain  and  manifest  display 
of  these  principles  and  feelings  in  our  quadruped  dependants  ?  The  simple  possession 
of  these  faculties  implies  that  they  may  be  used  for  purposes  good  or  bad,  and  that, 
as  in  the  human  being,  they  may  be  deranged  or  destroyed  by  a  multitude  of  causes 
which  it  is  not  necessary  to  particularise.  In  the  quadmped  as  in  the  biped,  the  lesion 
or  destruction  of  a  certain  part  of  the  brain  may  draw  alter  it  the  derangement,  or  dis- 
turbance, or  perversion  of  a  certain  faculty  of  the  mind.  It  is  only  because  the  menteil 
faculties,  and  good  as  well  as  bad  properties  of  the  inferior  beings,  have  been  so 
lately  observed  and  acknowledged,  that  any  doubt  on  this  point  can  for  a  moment  be 
entertained.  The  disordered  actions,  the  fury,  the  caprices,  the  vic^^s,  and  more  par- 
ticularly the  frenzy  and  total  abandomnent  of  reason,  which  are  occasionally  shovra 
by  the  brute,  are  in  the  highest  degree  analogous  to  certain  acts  of  insanity  in  man. 
It  is  merely  to  complete  our  subject  that  they  are  here  introduced. 

The  reader  is  indebted  to  Professor  Rodet,  of  Toulouse,  for  the  anecdotes  which 
'follow: — A  horse,  seven  years  old,  was  remarkable  for  an  habitual  air  of  stupidity, 
and  a  peculiar  wandering  expression  of  countenance.  When  he  saw  anything  that 
he  had  not  been  accustomed  to,  or  heard  any  sudden  or  unusual  noise,  whether  it  was 
near  or  at  a  distance,  or  sometimes  when  his  corn  was  thrown  into  the  manger  with- 
out the  precaution  of  speaking  to  him  or  patting  him,  he  was  frightened  to  an  almost 
incredible  degree ;  he  recoiled  precipitately,  every  limb  trembled,  and  he  struggled 
violently  to  escape.  After  several  useless  efforts  to  get  away,  he  would  work  him- 
self into  the  highest  degree  of  rage,  so  that  it  was  dangerous  to  approach  him.  This 
state  of  excitement  was  followed  by  dreadful  convulsions,  which  did  not  cease  until 
he  had  broken  his  halter,  or  otherwise  detached  himself  from  his  trammels.  He 
would  then  become  calm,  and  suffer  himself  to  be  led  back  to  his  stall :  nor  would 
anything  more  be  seen  but  an  almost  continual  inquietude,  and  a  wandering  and  stupid 
expression  of  countenance.  He  had  belonged  to  a  brutal  soldier,  who  had  beaten  him 
shamefully,  and  before  which  time  he  had  been  perfectly  quiet  and  tractable. 

A  Piedmontese  officer  possessed  a  beautiful  and  in  other  respects  serviceable  mare, 
but  which  one  peculiarity  rendered  exceedingly  dangerous — ^that  was  a  decided  aver- 
sion to  paper,  which  she  recognised  the  moment  she  saw  it,  and  even  in  the  dark  if 
two  leaves  were  rubbed  together.  The  effect  produced  by  the  sight  or  sound  of  it 
was  so  prompt  and  violent,  that  she  several 'times  unhorsed  her  rider.  She  had  not 
the  slightest  fear  of  objects  that  would  terrify  most  horses.  She  regarded  not  the 
music  of  the  band,  the  whistling  of  the  balls,  the  roaring  of  the  cannon,  the  fire  of  the 
bivouacs,  or  the  glittering  of  arms.  The  confusion  and  noise  of  an  engagement 
made  no  impression  upon  her;  the  sight  of  no  other  white  object  affected  her.  No 
other  sound  was  regarded;  but  the  view  or  the  rustling  of  paper  roused  her  to 
madness. 

A  mare  was  perfectly  manageable  and  betrayed  no  antipathy  to  the  human  being, 
nor  to  other  animals,  nor  to  horses,  except  they  were  of  a  light-grey  colour ;  but  the 
moment  she  saw  a  grey  horse,  she  rushed  towards  it,  and  attacked  it  with  the  greatest 
fur)'.  It  was  the  same  at  all  times,  and  everywhere.  She  was  all  that  could  be 
wished  on  the  parade,  on  the  route,  in  the  ranks,  in  action,  and  in  the  stable ;  but  if 
she  once  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  grey  or  v.-hite  horse,  she  rested  not  until  she  had 
thrown  her  rider  or  broken  her  halter,  and  then  she  rushed  on  her  imagined  foe  with 
the  greatest  {\iry.  She  generally  contrived  to  seize  the  animal  by  the  head  or  throat, 
and  held  him  so  fast  that  she  would  suffocate  him,  if  he  were  not  promptly  released 
from  her  bite. 

Another  mare  exhibited  no  terror  except  of  white  inanimate  objects,  as  white  man- 
tles or  coats,  and  particularly  white  plumes.  She  would  fly  from  them  if  she  could  ; 
but  if  she  was  unable  to  accomplish  this,  she  would  rush  furiously  upon  them,  strike 
at  them  with  her  fore  feet,  and  tear  them  with  her  teeth. 

These  instances  are  selected  from  various  others,  because  they  appioach  so  nearly 
to  what  would  be  termed  insanity  in  the  human  being.    It  is  confined  to  one  object, — 


116  DISEASES    OF   THE  EYE,   &c. 

it  is  a  species  of  monomania,  and  as  decided  insanity  as  ever  the  bi]icd  discovered. 
One  of  these  horses,  the  second,  was  hy  long  and  kind  attention  divested  ol  this  insane 
terror,  and  became  perfectly  quiet  and  useful ;  but  the  other  three  bid  defiance  to  all 
means  of  cure  and  to  coercion  among  the  rest.  If  sufficient  attention  were  paid  to  the 
subject,  many  of  the  obstinate  caprices  and  inexplicable  aversions  which  we  can 
neither  conquer  nor  change  would  be  classed  under  the  term  insanity.  There  cannot 
be  a  more  remarkable  analogy  than  that  which  sometimes  exists  between  the  insanity 
of  man  and  these  singularly  capricious  fancies  in  animals.  The  subject  is  worthy  of 
attention.  Has  the  principle  of  hereditary  predisposition  been  applied  to  any  of  these 
anomalies  1 

DISEASES   OF  THE  EYE. 

The  diseases  of  the  eye  constitute  a  very  important,  hut  a  most  unsatisfactory  divi- 
sion of  our  work,  for  the  maladies  of  this  organ,  although  few  in  number,  are  frequent 
in  their  appearance.     They  are  sadly  obstinate,  and  often  baffle  all  skill. 

We  have  spoken  of  fracture  of  the  orbit,  and  its  treatment.  Occasionally  a  wound 
is  inflicted  by  a  passionate  or  careless  servant.  The  eye  itself  is  rarely  injured.  It 
is  placed  on  a  mass  of  fat,  and  it  turns  most  readily,  and  the  prong  of  the  fork  glances 
off;  but  the  substance  round  the  eye  may  be  deeply  wounded,  and  very  considerable 
inflammation  may  ensue.  This  should  be  abated  by  poultices,  and  bleeding,  and 
physic ;  but  no  probe  should  be  used  imder  the  foolish  idea  of  ascertaining  the  depth 
of  the  wound  in  the  lid,  supposing  that  there  should  be  one,  for,  from  the  constant 
motion  of  the  eye,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  pass  the  probe  into  the  original  wound, 
and  the  effort  to  accomplish  it  would  give  a  great  deal  of  pain,  and  increase  the 
inflammation. 

The  eyelids  are  subject  to  occasional  inflammation  from  blows  or  other  injuries. 
Fomentation  with  warm  water  will  be  serviceable  here. 

The  horse  has  occasionally  a  scaly  eruption  on  the  edges  of  the  eyelids,  attended 
with  great  itching,  in  the  effort  to  allay  which,  by  rubbing  the  part,  the  eye  may  be 
blemished.  The  nitrated  ointment  of  quicksilver,  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of 
lard,  may  be  slightly  rubbed  on  the  edges  of  the  lids  with  considerable  good  effect. 

The  eyelids  will  sometimes  become  (Edematous.  Horses  that  are  fed  in  low  and 
humid  pastures  are  subject  to  this.  It  is  also  the  consequence  of  inflammation  badly 
treated.  The  eyelids  are  composed  of  a  lax  stnicture,  and  the  tissue  is  somewhat 
deficient  in  vitality — hence  this  disposition  to  enfiltration.  Sometimes  the  collection 
of  fluid  accunmlates  so  rapidly,  and  so  extensively,  that  the  eyes  are  closed.  They 
should  be  well  bathed  with  warm  water  mingled  with  an  aromatic  tincture.  The 
cellular  substance  of  the  lids  will  thus  be  disposed  to  contract  on  their  contents  and 
cause  their  absorption. 

Old  carriage  horses  are  subject  to  this  oedema;  and  it  frequently  accompanies  both 
chronic  and  common  ophthalmia. 

Weakness  and  dropping  of  the  upper  lid  is  caused  by  diminution  or  loss  of  power 
in  its  muscles.  Drj'  frictions  and  aromatic  lotions  will  frequently  restore  the  tone  of 
the  parts. 

The  eyelids  are  subject  to  occasional  injury  from  their  situation  and  office.  In 
small  incised  wounds  of  them  great  care  should  be  taken  that  the  divided  edges  unite 
by  the  first  intention.  This  will  hasten  the  cure,  and  prevent  deformity.  If  any  of 
the  muscles  are  divided,  it  is  usually  the  ciliary  or  orbicularis  palpebrarum.  This 
lesion  must  be  healed,  if  possible,  by  the  first  intention,  and  either  by  means  of  adhe 
sive  plaster  or  the  suture.     The  suture  is  probably  the  preferable  agent. 

Suppurating  wounds  in  the  eyelids  may  be  the  consequence  of  the  necessary  abstrac- 
tion of  a  considerable  surface  of  the  skin,  in  the  removal  of  warts  c- tumours.  The 
principal  thing  to  be  attended  to  is  the  frequent  removal  of  the  pus  by  means  of  tew  or 
cotton  wool.     The  rest  may  generally  be  left  to  nature. 

Inversion  of  the  lids  is  of  very  rare  occurrence  in  the  horse. 

Warts  are  sometimes  attached  to  the  edges  of  the  lids,  and  are  a  source  of  great 
irritation.  When  rubbed  they  bleed,  and  the  common  opinion  is  true — th?t  th«>y  are 
propagated  by  the  blood.  They  should  be  taken  off  with  a  sharp  pair  of  scisjtiorP,  aiw3 
their  roots  touched  with  the  lunar  caustic. 


SPECIFIC    OPHTHALMIA.  -^ij 

The  membrane  which  covers  the  Haw  is  subject  to  inflam..iati  n.  It  is,  indeed,  a 
continuation  of  tlie  conjunctiva,  the  inflammation  of  wliich  constitutes  ophthalmia 
An  account  of  this  inflammation  will  be  better  postponed  until  the  nature  and  treat 
ment  of  ophthalmia  come  under  particular  notice. 

The  Haw,  or  jMembranu  JMctita?is,  is  subject  to  inflammation  peculiar  to  itself,  aris- 
ing from  the  introduction  of  foreign  bodies,  or  from  blows  or  other  accidents.  The 
entire  substance  of  the  haw  becomes  inflamed.  It  swells  and  protrudes  from  the 
inner  angle  of  the  eye.  The  heat  and  redness  gradually  disappear,  but  the  membrane 
often  continues  to  protrude.  The  inflammation  of  this  organ  often  assumes  a  chronic 
character  in  a  verj'  short  time,  on  account  of  the  structure  of  the  parts,  which  are  in 
general  little  susceptible  of  reaction. 

The  ordinary  causes  of  this  disease  in  the  horse  are  repeated  and  periodical  at- 
tacks of  ophthalmia,  and  blows  on  the  part.  Young  and  old  horses  are  most  subject 
to  it. 

Emollient  applications,  bleeding,  and  restricted  diet  will  be  proper  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  disease,  and,  the  inflammation  being  abated,  slight  astrino-ents  will 
be  useful  in  preventing  the  engorgement  of  the  part.  Rose-water  with  subacetate  of 
lead  will  form  a  proper  collyrium.  If  the  protruding  body  does  not  diminish  after 
proper  means  have  been  tried,  and  for  a  sufficient  period,  it  must  be  removed  with  a 
curved  pair  of  scissors.  No  danger  will  attend  this  operation  if  it  is  performed  in 
time  ;  but  if  it  is  neglected,  ulceration  of  the  part  and  the  growth  of  funo-ous  ve"-eta- 
tions  will  give  a  serious  character  to  the  aff"air.  A  second  operation  may  also  be 
necessary,  and  even  a  third,  and  fungus  hcematodcs  will  probably  be  established. 

Ulceration  and  caries  of  the  cartilage  will  sometimes  be  accompanied  by  ulcera- 
tion of  the  conjunctiva.  This  will  frequently  prove  a  very  serious  aflair,  demanding, 
at  least,  the  removal  of  the  haw. 

The  Caruncula  Lacr}mialis,  or  Tubercle,  by  means  of  which  the  tears  are  directed 
into  the  canal  through  which  they  are  to  escape  from  the  nostril,  is  sometimes  en- 
larged in  consequence  of  inflammation,  and  the  Puncta  Lacrymalia,  or  conduits  into 
which  the  tears  pass  from  the  eye,  are  partially  or  completely  closed.  The  applica- 
tion of  warm  and  emollient  lotions  will  generally  remove  the  collected  mucus  or  the 
inflammation  of  the  parts ;  but  if  the  passage  of  a  stylet  or  other  more  complicated 
means  are  required,  the  assistance  of  a  veterinary  surgeon  should  be  immediately 
obtained.  The  lacrjnnal  sac  into  which  the  tears  pass  from  the  puncta  has  occasion- 
ally participated  in  the  inflammation,  and  been  distended  and  ruptured  by  the  tears 
and  mucus.  This  lesion  is  termed  Fistula  Lacrymalis.  It  has  occasionally  existed 
in  colts,  and  will  require  immediate  and  peculiar  treatment. 

COMMON    INFLAMMATION    OF   THE   EYE. 

The  conjunctiva  is  occasionally  the  seat  of  great  disease,  and  that  which  is  tO) 
often  destructive  to  the  eye.  Inflammation  of  the  eye  may  be  considered  under  two 
forms — the  common  and  manageable,  and  the  specific  and  fatal.  The  Common  In- 
flammation is  generally  sudden  in  its  attack.  The  lids  will  be  found  swelled  and 
the  eyes  partially  closed,  and  some  weeping.  The  inside  of  the  lid  will  be  red, 
some  red  streaks  visible  on  the  white  of  the  eye,  and  the  cornea  slightly  dim.  This 
is  occasionally  connected  with  some  degree  of  catarrh  or  cold ;  but  it  is  as  often 
unaccompanied  by  this,  and  depends  on  external  irritation,  as  a  blow,  or  the  presence 
of  a  bit  of  hay-seed  or  oat-husk  within  the  lid,  and  towards  the  outer  corner  w-here 
the  haw  cannot  reach  it :  therefore  the  lids  should  alwaj's  be  carefully  examined  as 
to  this  possible  source  of  the  complaint.  The  health  of  the  animal  is  generally  un- 
affected— he  feeds  well,  and  performs  his  work  with  his  usual  spirit.  Cooling  appli- 
cations to  the  eye,  as  the  Goulard's  extract  or  tincture  of  opium,  with  mash-diet,  and 
gentle  physic,  will  usually  abate  the  evil ;  or  the  inflammation  will  subside  without 
medical  treatment. 

SPECIFIC  OPHTHALMIA,  OR  IVIOON-BLINDNESS. 

Should  three  or  four  days  pass,  and  the  inflammation  not  be  abated,  we  may  begin 
to  suspect  that  it  is  Ophihahma,  especially  if  the.  eye  is  very  impatient  of  light,  and 
the  cornea  is  considerably  clouded.     The  aqueous  humour  then  often  loses  its  trans- 


118 


SPECIFIC    OPHTHALMIA. 


parency even  the  iris  changes  its  colour,  and  the  pupil  is  exci  iniingly  contractti 

The  veterinary  surgeon  has  now  an  obstinate  disease  to  combat,  and  one  that  will 
generally  maintain  its  'ground  in  spite  of  all  his  eflorts.  For  three,  or  four,  or  f^ve 
weeks,  the  inflammation  will  remain  undiminished ;  or  if  it  appears  to  yield  on  one 
day,  it  will  return  with  redoubled  violence  on  the  next.  At  length,  and  often  uncon- 
nected with  any  of  the  means  that  have  been  used,  the  eye  begins  to  bear  the  light, 
Ihe  redness  of  the  membrane  of  the  lid  disappears,  the  cornea  clears  up,  and  the  only 
vestige  of  disease  which  remains  is  a  slight  tliickening  of  the  lids  and  apparent  un- 
easiness when  exposed  to  a  very  strong  light. 

If  the  owner  imagines  that  he  has  got  rid  of  the  disease,  he  will  be  sadly  disap- 
pointed, for,  in  the  course  of  six  weeks  or  two  months,  either  the  same  eye  under- 
goes a  second  and  similar  attack,  or  the  other  one  becomes  affected.  All  again 
seems  to  pass  over,  except  that  the  eye  is  not  so  perfectly  restored,  and  a  slight, 
deeply-seated  cloudiness  begins  to  appear;  and  after  repeated  attacks,  and  alterna- 
tions of  disease  from  eye  to  eye,  the  affair  terminates  in  opacity  of  the  lens  or  its  cap- 
sule, attended  with  perfect  blindness  either  of  one  eye  or  both.  This  affection  was 
formerly  known  by  the  name  of  moon-blindness,  from  its  periodical  return,  and  some 
supposed  influence  of  the  moon.  That  body,  however,  has  not,  and  cannot  have  any- 
thing to  do  with  it. 

What  is  the  practitioner  doing  all  this  while  ?  He  is  an  anxious  and  busy,  but 
almost  powerless  spectator.  He  foments  the  eyes  with  warm  water,  or  applies  cold 
lotions  with  the  extract  of  lead  or  opium,  or  poultices  to  which  these  drugs  may  be 
added ;  he  bleeds,  not  from  the  temporal  artery,  for  that  does  not  supply  the  orbit  of 
the  eye,  but  from  the  angular  vein  at  the  inner  corner  of  the  eye,  or  he  scarifies  the 
lining  of  the  lid,  or  subtracts  a  considerable  quantity  of  blood  from  the  jugular 
vein.  The  scarifying  of  the  conjunctiva,  which  may  be  easily  accomplished  with- 
out a  twitch,  by  exposing  the  inside  of  the  lids,  and  drawing  a  keen  lancet  slightly 
over  them,  is  the  most  effectual  of  all  w^ays  to  abate  inflammation,  for  we  are  then 
immediately  unloading  the  distended  vessels.  He  places  his  setons  in  the  cheek, 
or  his  rowels  under  the  jaw ;  and  he  keeps  the  animal  low^,  and  gives  physic  or 
fever  medicine  (digitalis,  nitre,  and  emetic  tartar.)  The  disease,  however,  ebbs  and 
flows,  retreats  and^ttacks,  until  it  reaches  its  natural  termination,  blindness  of  one 
or  both  eyes. 

The  horse  is  more  subject  to  this  disease  from  the  age  of  four  to  six  years  than 
at  any  other  period.  He  has  then  completed  his  growth.  He  is  full  of  blood,  and 
liable  to  inflammatory  complaints,  and  the  eye  is  the  organ  attacked  from  a  peculiar 
predisposition  in  it  to  inflammation,  the  nature  or  cause  of  which  cannot  always  be 
explained.  Every  affection  of  the  eye  appearing  about  this  age  must  be  regarded 
with  much  suspicion. 

It  is  a  common  opinion  that  black  horses  are  more  subject  to  blindness  than  others. 
There  is  considerable  doubt  about  this,  or  rather  it  is  probable  that  that  colour  has  no 
influence  either  in  producing  or  aggravating  the  disease. 

As  this  malady  so  frequently  destroys  the  sight,  and  there  are  certain  periods  when 
the  inflammation  has  seemingly  subsided  and  the  inexperienced  person  would  be 
deceived  into  the  belief  that  all  danger  is  at  an  end,  the  eye  should  be  most  carefully 
observed  at  the  time  of  purchase,  and  the  examiner  should  be  fully  aware  of  all  the  minute 
indications  of  previous  or  approaching  disease.  They  are  a  slight  thickening  of  the 
lids,  or  puckering  towards  the  inner  corner  of  the  eye;  a  difference  in  the  apparent 
size  of  the  eyes;"' a  cloudiness,  although  perhaps  scarcely  perceptible,  of  the  surface 
of  the  cornea,  or  more  deeply  seated,  or  a  hazy  circle  round  its  edge ;  a  gloominess 
of  eye  generally,  and  dulness  of  the  iris ;  or  a  minute,  faint,  dusky  spot  in  the  cen- 
tre, with  or  without  minute  fibres  or  lines  diverging  from  it. 

The  cause  of  this  inflammation  is  undoubtedly  a  strong  predisposition  to  it  in  the  eye 
of  the  horse,  but  assisted  by  the  heated  and  empoisoned  air  of  many  stables.  The 
he?ted  air  has  much  to  do  with  the  production  of  the  disease;  the  empoisoned  aii  a 
great  deal  more:  for  every  one  must  have  observed,  on  entering  a  close  stable  early 
in  the  morning,  strong  fumes  of  hartshorn  which  were  painful  to  his  eyes  and  caused 
the  tears  to  fl(7w.  What  must  be  the  constant  action  of  this  on  the  eyes  of  the  horse? 
The  dung  of  the  horse,  and  the  litter  of  the  stables,  when  becoming  prjtrid,  emit 


SPECIFIC    OPHTHALMIA.  -[19 

'umes  of  volatile  alkali  or  hartshorn.  Often,  very  soon  after  thej  are  voided,  they 
oegin  to  yield  an  immense  quantity  of  this  pungent  gas.  If  we  are  scarcely  able  to 
bear  this  when  we  stand  in  the  stable  for  only  a  few  minutes,  we  need  not  wonder  at 
she  prevalence  of  inflammation  in  the  eye  of  the  stabled  horse,  nor  at  the  difficulty  ot 
abating  intlamraation  while  this  organ  continues  to  be  exposed  to  such  painful  excite- 
ment. Stables  are  now  much  better  ventilated  than  they  used  to  be,  and  ophthalmia 
is  far  from  being  so  prevalent  as  it  was  tifty  years  ago. 

The  farmer  may  not  be  aware  of  another  cause  of  blindness,  to  which  his  horse 
is  more  particularly  exposed,  viz.,  confinement  in  a  dark  stable.  Many  stables  in  the 
country  have  no  glazed  windows,  but  there  is  a  flap  which  is  open  for  a  few  hours  in 
'he  day,  or  while  the  carter  is  employed  in  the  stable,  and  when  that  is  shut  down 
almost  total  darkness  prevails.  Let  our  reader  consider  what  are  his  sensations 
when  be  suddenly  emerges  from  a  dark  room  into  the  full  glare  of  light.  He  is 
dazzled  and  bewildered,  and  some  time  passes  before  his  vision  is  distinct.  Let  this 
be  repeated  several  times  daily,  and  what  will  be  the  consequence  1  The  sight  will 
be  disordered,  or  the  eye  irreparably  injured.  Then  let  him  think  of  his  poor  horse, 
who  often  stumbles  and  starts  through  no  fault  of  his  own,  although  he  is  corrected 
for  his  blundering,  but  because  his  eyes  are  necessarily  weakened  by  these  sudden 
transitions,  and  disposed  to  take  on  sudden  inflammation  with  all  its  fatal  results. 

The  propagation  of  various  diseases,  and  this  more  than  any  other,  from  the  sire  to 
his  progeny,  has  not  been  sufficiently  considered  by  breeders.  Let  a  stallion  that  is 
blind,  or  whose  sight  is  defective,  possess  every  other  point  and  quality  that  can  be 
wished,  yet  he  is  worse  than  useless ;  for  a  very  considerable  proportion  of  his  off- 
spring will  most  assuredly  inherit  weak  eyes  or  become  totally  blind.  There  is  no 
tact  better  established  than  this. 

Mr.  Baker  of  Reigate  puts  this  in  a  very  strong  point  of  view.  He  was  called 
upon  to  examine  a  foal  only  a  few  days  old,  which  seemed  to  have  some  affection  of 
the  head,  as  from  its  birth  it  was  totally  unconscious  of  any  object,  although  it  ap- 
peared to  the  owner  to  have  good  eyes.  It  ran  its  head  against  the  waif  and  the 
slanders  by,  in  such  a  way  as  to  convince  the  surgeon  that  it  was  quite  blind,  and  on 
examining  the  pupil  of  each  eye,  he  found  them  greatly  dilated  and  motionless,  but 
beyond  this  tlrere  was  no  unhealthy  appearance. 

He  inquired  about  the  sire,  and  found  that  his  ^nsion  was  very  defective,  and  that 
of  all  the  stock  which  he  got  in  that  part  of  the  country  not  one  colt  escaped  the  dire- 
ful effects  of  his  imperfect  sight.  He  persuaded  the  owner  to  have  the  youngster 
destroyed,  and  '.  tracing  the  optic  nerve  in  its  passage  from  the  base  of  the  brain,  he 
found  it  in  a  complete  state  of  atrophy.  There  v/as  scarcely  any  nervous  substance 
within  the  tube  that  led  from  the  brain  to  the  eye. 

The  most  frequent  consequences  of  this  disease  are  cloudiness  of  the  eye,  and 
cataract.  The  cloudiness  is  singular  in  its  nature.  It  will  change  in  twenty-four 
hours  from  the  thinnest  film  to  the  thickest  opacity'-,  and,  as  suddenly,  the  eye  will 
nearly  regain  its  perfect  transparency,  but  only  to  lose  it,  and  as  rapidly,  a  second 
time. 

The  most  barbarous  methods  have  been  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  removing  this 
cloudiness.  Chalk,  and  salt,  and  sugar,  and  even  pounded  glass  have  been  introduced 
into  the  eye  mechanically  to  rub  off  tlie  film.  It  was  forgotten  that  the  cloudiness 
was  the  effect  of  inflammation  —  that  means  so  harsh  and  cruel  were  very  likely  to 
recall  that  inflammation  —  that  these  rough  and  sharp  substances  must  of  necessity 
inflict  excruciating  pain  ;  and  that,  after  all,  it  generally  was  not  a  film  on  the  surface 
of  the  cornea,  but  a  dimness  pervading  its  substance,  and  even  sinking  deep  within 
it,  and  therefore  not  capable  of  being  removed.  Where  the  cloudiness  can  be  remov- 
ed, it  will  be  best  effected  by  first  abating  inflammation,  and  then  exciting  the  absorb 
ents  to  take  up  the  grey  deposit,  by  washing  the  eye  with  a  very  weak  solution  of 
corrosive  sublimate. 

Opacity  of  the  lens  is  another  consequence  of  inflammation.  A  white  speck  ap- 
pears on  the  centre  of  the  lens,  which  gradually  spreads  over  it,  and  completely  cov- 
ers i( .  It  is  generally  so  white  and  pearly  as  not  to  be  mistaken — at  other  times  it  is 
morft  hazy,  deceiving  the  inexperienced,  and  occasioning  doubt  in  the  mind  of  profes 
sional  men.     We  have  seen  many  instances  in  which  the  sight  has  been  considerably 


120  SPECIFIC    OPHTHALMIA. 

affected  or  almost  lost,  and  yet  the  horse  has  been  pronounced  sound  by  very  fair 
judges.  The  eye  must  be  exposed  to  the  light,  and  yet  under  the  kind  of  shelter 
which  has  been  already  described,  in  order  to  discover  the  defect.  The  pupil  of  the 
horse  is  seldom  black,  like  that  of  the  human  being,  and  its  greyish  hue  conceals  the 
recent  or  thin  film  that  may  be  spreading  over  the  lens. 

Confirmed  cataract  in  the  eye  of  the  horse  admits  of  no  remedy,  for  two  obvious 
reasons :  the  retractor  muscle  draws  the  eye  back  so  powerfully  and  so  deeply  into 
the  socket,  that  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to  perform  any  operation;  and,  could 
an  operation  be  performed,  and  the  opaque  lens  removed,  the  sight  would  be  so 
imperfect,  from  the  rays  of  light  not  being  sufficiently  converged,  that  the  horse 
would  be  worse  to  us  than  a  blind  one.  The  man  who  has  undergone  the  operation 
of  couching  may  put  a  new  lens  before  his  eye,  in  the  form  of  a  convex  spectacle ; 
but  we  cannot  adapt  spectacles  to  the  eye  of  the  horse,  or  fix  them  there. 

Since  the  publication  of  the  first  edition  of  "The  Horse,"  some  controversy  has 
taken  place  with  regard  to  the  occasional  appearance  and  disappearance  of  cataract 
without  any  connexion  with  the  common  moon-blindness.  Mr.  Clay  deposed  in  evi- 
dence, that  cataracts  might  be  formed  in  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks  —  that  he  had 
known  many  instances  in  which  they  had  been  completed  in  less  time,  and  without 
any  previous  apparent  disease  of  the  eyRS ;  and  that  he  had  detected  them  when  the 
owners  had  not  the  slightest  suspicion  of  disease  in  the  eye.* 

]Mr.  Cartwright  adds,  that  he  has  known  two  similar  cases.  The  first  was  of  a 
horse  that  had  two  cataracts  in  each  eye — two  of  them  of  the  size  of  a  large  pin's 
head,  and  the  other  two  treble  that  size.  There  was  no  vestige  of  former  inflamma- 
tion; and  the  person  who  bred  him  said  that  he  never  had  been  subject  to  inflamma- 
tion of  the  eye.  In  December  1831,  these  cataracts  were  plain  enough;  but  in  the 
autumn  of  1832,  they  had  completely  vanished. 

In  November  1832,  Mr.  Cartwright  saw  a  five-years  old  mare,  and  detected  a  cata- 
ract in  the  right  eye,  of  the  size  of  a  coriander  seed.  He  advised  the  owner  to  get 
rid  of  her,  thinking  that  she  would  go  blind  ;  but,  being  a  useful  animal,  he  kept  her. 
In  August  1833,  Mr.  Cartwright  saw  her  again.  The  cataract  had  disappeared  and 
the  eyes  were  perfect.f 

That  excellent  veterinarian,  Mr.  Percivall,  had  a  somewhat  similar  case.  A  gen- 
tleman brought  a  horse  one  morning  to  the  hospital,  in  consequence  of  its  having  fallen 
in  his  way  to  town,  and  grazed  his  eyebrow.  On  examining  him  carefully,  the  cornea 
was  partially  nebulous,  and  a  cataract  was  plainly  visible.  Neither  of  these  defects 
was  sufficient  to  attract  the  notice  of  any  unprofessional  observer,  and  both  were 
unconnected  with  the  slight  bruise  produced  by  the  fall.  The  owner  was  told  that 
the  corneal  opacity  might  possibly  be  removed  ;  but  as  for  the  cataract,  he  might 
regard  this  as  beyond  the  reach  of  medicine.  He  returned  with  his  horse  on  the  fifth 
day,  saying  that  the  physic  had  operated  well,  and  that  he  thought  the  eye  was  as 
clear  as  ever.  Mr.  Percivall  examined  the  eye,  and  could  discover  no  relic  either  of 
the  corneal  opacity  or  of  the  cataract. 

The  opinion  respecting  cataract  is  therefore  essentially  modified.  It  is  not  necessa- 
rily the  result  of  previous  inflammation,  although  in  the  great  majority  of  cases  it  is 
so,  nor  does  it  always  lead  to  blindness.  Still  it  is  a  serious  thing  at  all  times,  and, 
although  existing  in  the  minutest  degree,  it  is  unsoundness,  and  very  materially  lessens 
the  value  of  the  horse. 

"  Were  I  asked,"  says  Mr.  Percivall,  "  how  the  practitioner  could  best  distinguish 
a  cataract  of  the  above  description  from  that  which  is  of  ordinary  occurrence,  and 
known  by  us  all  to  constitute  the  common  termination  of  periodical  ophthalmia,  I 
should  say  that  the  unusually  lucid  and  healthy  aspect  which  every  other  part  of  tlie  eye 
presents  is  our  best  diagnostic  sign;  the  slightest  indication,  however,  or  the  slightest 
suspicion  of  prior  or  present  inflammation,  being  a  reason  for  coming  to  a  different 
conclusion.  As  to  the  period  of  time  a  cataract  of  this  species,  supposing  it  to  be 
membranous,  would  require  for  its  formation,  I  should  apprehend  that  its  production 
might  be.  as  its  disappearance  often  would  seem  to  be,  the  work  of  a  very  short  inter- 
val, perhaps  not  more  than  five  or  six  days."     As  to  the  cause  and  treatment  of  it, 

*  Veterinarian,  vol.  vii.  p.  41.  t  Vetermarian,  vol.  vii.  p.  44. 


GUTTA  SERENA  — DISEASES    OF  THE   EAR.  121 

we  are  at  present  completely  in  the  dark.     If  it  does  not  soon  disappear,  the  hydriodatft 
of  potash  adiiiiaistered  internally  might  offer  the  best  prospect  of  success. 

GUTTA  SERENA. 

Another  species  of  blindness,  and  of  which  mention  was  made  when  describing  the 
retina,  is  Gutta  Serena,  commonly  called  glass  eye.  The  pupil  is  more  than  usually 
dilated  :  it  is  immovable,  and  bright,  and  glassy.  This  is  palsy  of  the  optic  nerve,  or 
its  expansion,  the  retina ;  and  is  usually  produced  by  determination  of  blood  to  the 
head.  We  have  described  it  as  a  consequence  of  staggers.  So  much  pressure  has 
been  occasioned  on  the  base  of  the  brain,  that  the  nerve  has  been  injured,  and  Us  func- 
tion destroyed.  The  treatment  of  Gutta  Serena  is  quite  as  difficult  as  that  of  cataract. 
We  have  heard  of  successful  cases,  but  we  never  saw  one ;  nor  should  we  be  disposed  to 
incur  much  expense  in  endeavouring  to  accomplish  impossibilities.  Reasoning  from 
the  cause  of  the  disease,  we  should  bleed  and  physic,  and  administer  the  strychnine 
in  doses,  commencing  at  half  a  grain,  and  not  exceeding  two  grain*,  morning  and 
night — very  carefully  watching  it.  If  we  succeed,  it  must  be  by  constitutional  "treat- 
ment.    As  to  local  treatment,  the  seat  of  disease  is  out  of  our  reach. 

DISEASES   OF  THE   EAR. 

Wounds  of  the  ear  are  usually  the  consequence  of  careless  or  brutal  treatment. 
The  twitch  may  be  applied  to  it,  when  absolute  necessity  requires  this  degree  of 
coercion  ;  but  troublesome  ulcers  and  bruises  have  been  the  consequence  of  the  abuse 
of  this  species  of  punishment,  and  more  especially  has  the  farrier  done  irreparable 
mischief  when  he  has  brutally  made  use  of  his  plyers. 

These  bruises  or  wounds  will  generally  —  fortunately  for  the  animal,  and  fortu- 
nately, perhaps,  for  the  brute  that  inflicted  the  injur)- — speedily  heal ;  but  occasionally 
sinuses  and  abscesses  will  result  that  bid  defiance  to  the  most  skilful  treatment.  A 
simple  laceration  of  the  cartilage  is  easily  remedied.  The  divided  edges  are  brought 
into  apposition,  and  the  head  is  tied  up  closely  for  a  few  days,  and  all  is  well ;  but, 
occasionally,  ulceration  of  the  integument  and  cellular  substance,  and  caries  of  the 
cartilage,  will  take  place — deep  sinuses  will  be  formed,  and  the  wound  will  bid  defi- 
ance to  the  most  skilful  treatment.  The  writer  of.  this  work  had  once  a  case  of  this 
kind  under  his  care  more  than  two  months,  and  he  was  at  length  compelled  to  cut  off 
the  ear,  the  other  ear  following  it,  for  the  sake  of  uniformity  of  appearance.  The 
lunar  caustic,  or  the  muriate  of  antimony,  or  the  heated  iron,  must  be  early  employed, 
or  the  labour  of  the  practitioner  will  be  in  vain. 

It  has  been  the  misfortune  of  the  same  person  to  witness  two  cases  in  which  the 
auditory  passage  was  closed  and  the  faculty  of  hearing  destroyed,  by  blows  on  the 
ear  violently  inflicted.  No  punishment  can  be  too  severe  for  these  brutes  in  human 
shape.  Whenever  there  is  considerable  swelling  about  the  root  of  the  ear,  and  the 
fluctuation  of  a  fluid  within  can  be  detected,  it  should  be  immediately  opened  with  a 
lancet,  and  the  purulent  fluid  liberated. 

Tlie  abscess  usually  begins  to  fonn  about  the  middle  of  the  conch,  or  rather  nearer 
the  base  than  the  point.  The  incision  should  be  of  considerable  length,' or  the  openinor 
will  close  agfain  in  four-and-twenty  hours.  The  purulent  matter  having  been  evacu- 
ated, the  incision  should  not  be  permitted  to  close  until  the  parietes  of  the  ulcer  have 
adhered  to  each  other,  and  the  abscess  is  obliterated. 

The  size  and  the  carrj'ing  of  the  ear  do  not  always  please.  The  ears  may  be  largei 
and  more  dependent  than  fashion  requires  them  to  be,  and  this  is  remedied  by  parmg 
or  clipping  them  to  the  requisite  size.  On  either  side  of  the  projection  of  the  occipital 
bone,  and  in  a  straight  line  forward  and  backward,  a  fold  of  the  skin  is  pinched  up 
and  cut  away.  The  divided  edges  on  either  side  are  then  brought  too-ether,  and  con- 
fined by  two  or  three  stitches  —  they  presently  unite,  and  the  owner  has  a  better- 
looking  horse,  and  soon  forgets  or  cares  not  about  the  punishment  which  he  has 
inflicted  on  him. 

The  ears  of  other  horses  may  be  supposed  to  be  too  close  to  each  other.  This  fault 
IS  corrected  by  another  piece  of  cruelty.  Similar  slips  of  skin  are  cut  away  on  the 
outside  of  the  base  of  the  ear,  and  in  the  same  direction.  The  edges  of  the  wouno 
11  Q  ° 


122  THE  ANATOMY  AND    DISEASES   OF 

are  then  brought  together,  confined  by  sutures,  and  the  ears  are  drawn  further  apar* 
from  each  other,  and  have  different  directions  given  to  them.  A  very  slight  examina- 
tion of  either  of  tlie  horses  will  readily  detect  the  imposition. 

DEAFNESS. 

Of  the  occasional  existence  of  this  in  the  horse,  there  is  no  doubt  The  beautiful 
play  of  the  ears  has  ceased,  and  the  horse  hears  not  the  voice  of  his  master,  or  the 
sound  of  the  whip.  Much  of  the  apparent  stupidity  of  a  few  horses  is  attributable  to 
their  imperfect  hearing.  It  occasionally  appears  to  follov/  the  decline  of  various  dis- 
eases, and  especially  of  those  that  affect  the  head  and  the  respiratory  passages.  It 
has  been  the  consequence  of  brutal  treatment  closing  the  conduit  of  the  ear,  or  rup- 
turing the  tympanum ;  and  it  is  certainly,  as  in  other  domesticated  animals,  tho 
accompaniment  of  old  age. 

In  the  present  state  of  veterinary  knowledge,  it  is  an  incurable  complaint ;  the  only 
thing  that  can  be  done  is  not  to  punish  the  poor  slave  for  his  apparent  stupidity,  pro- 
duced perhaps  by  over-exertion  in  our  service,  or,  at  least,  the  natural  attendant  of 
the  close  of  a  life  devoted  to  us. 


CHAPTER    IV. 
THE  ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NOSE  AND  MOUTH. 

"We  now  proceed  to  a  description  of  the  /ace,  or  lower  part  of  the  head  of  the  Horse. 
The  nasal  bones,  or  bones  of  the  nose  (j  j,  p.  70,  and  a,  p.  72),  are  connected  with  the 
frontal  bones  above,  and  with  the  lacrymal,  i  i,  and  the  bones  of  the  upper  jaw,  /  /, 
on  either  side.  They  are  united  together  by  a  plain  suture,  which  is  a  continuation 
of  the  frontal,  and  they  terminate  in  a  point  at  the  nostril  (/),  p.  70).  They  are 
rounded  and  arched  above,  because  they  are  exposed  to  occasional  violence  and  injury, 
which  the  arch-form  will  enable  them  best  to  resist ;  and  at  the  base  of  the  arch, 
where  the  main  strength  should  be,  they  are  overlapped  by  the  upper  jaw-bone,  as  the 
temporal  bone  overlaps  the  base  of  the  parietal.  These  bones  form  a  principal  part 
of  the  face ;  and  the  length,  or  shortness,  and  the  character  of  the  face,  depend  upon 
them.  Sometimes  there  is  an  appearance  of  two  little  arches,  with  a  depression 
between  them  along  the  sutures.  This  is  often  found  in  the  blood-horse  with  his  com- 
paratively broad  head  and  face.  The  single  elevated  arch  is  found  in  the  long  and 
narrow  face  of  the  heavy  draught-horse. 

The  nasal  bones  pursue  their  course  down  the  face,  in  some  horses  in  a  straight 
line — in  others,  there  is  a  slight  prominence  towards  the  upper  part,  while  in  a  con- 
siderable number,  a  depression  is  observed  a  little  lower  down.  Some  persons  have 
imagined  that  this  deviation  in  the  line  of  the  face  affords  an  indication  of  the  temper 
of  the  animal,  and  there  may  be  a  little  truth  in  this.  The  horse  with  a  straight  pro- 
file may  be  good  or  bad  tempered,  but  not  often  either  to  any  great  excess.  The  one 
with  the  prominent  Roman  nose  w  ill  generally  be  an  easy,  good-tempered  kind  of 
beast — hardy — ready  enough  to  feed,  not  always,  perhaps,  so  ready  to  work,  but  may 
be  made  to  do  his  duty  without  any  cruel  urging,  and  having  no  extraordinary  preten- 
sion to  speed  or  blood.  On  the  other  hand,  a  depression  across  the  centre  of  tlie  nose 
generally  indicates  some  breeding,  especially  if  the  head  is  small,  but  occasionally 
accompanied  by  a  vicious,  uncontrollable  disposition. 

There  is  another  way,  however,  in  which  the  nasal  bones  do  more  certainly  indicate 
the  breed,  viz.,  by  their  comparative  length  or  shortness.  There  is  no  surer  criterion 
of  a  well-bred  horse,  than  a  broad  angular  forehead,  prominent  features,  and  a  short 
face;  nor  of  a  horse  with  little  breeding,  than  a  narrow  forehead,  small  features,  and 
lengthened  nose.  The  comoarative  development  of  the  head  and  face  indicates,  with 
little  error,  the  preponderance  of  the  animal  or  intellectual  principle. 

Fracture  of  the  nasal  bones  of  the  horse  will  sometimes  occur  from  fallinsr,  orakick 


THE   NOSE   AND   MOUTH. 


123 


from  the  companion,  or  the  brutality  of  the  attendant.  It  is  generally  ful lowed  by 
laceration  of  the  lining  membrane  of  the  nostrils,  and  by  haemorrhage.  The  hajnior- 
rhage  may  usually  be  arrested  by  the  application  of  cold  water  externally.  In  spon- 
taneous haemorrhage  this  does  not  often  succeed  until  a  considerable  quantity  of  blood 
is  lost. 

In  cases  of  fracture  of  the  nasal  bones,  the  assistance  of  a  veterinary  surgeon  ia 
indispensable.  He  alone  knows  the  precise  anatomy  of  the  parts,  and  will  have 
recourse  to  the  elevator  or  the  trephine,  as  circumstances  may  require. 

The  owner  nnist  not  be  too  sanguine  with  regard  to  cases  of  tins  kind,  for  ozena, — 
ulceration  attended  by  a  peculiar  and  almost  insufferable  stench — is  too  often  the  con- 
sequence, or  foundation  may  be  laid,  for  the  appearance,  of  glanders. 

Spontaneous  bleeding  from  the  nose  must  be  carefully  attended  to.  It  may  proceed 
from  over-fulness  of  the  capillaries  of  the  membrane  of  the  nose,  or  determination  of 
blood  to  the  head,  or  general  plethora  of  the  system.  Those  that  are  overfed  and 
overfat  are  most  liable  to  it,  as  troop-horses,  brewers'  horses,  and  horses  kept  for 
pleasure.  It  is  not  common  in  young  horses,  or  in  such  as  are  out  of  condition,  or 
worked  hardly.  It  is  always  desirable  to  know  whence  the  bleeding  proceeds — if 
from  the  nostril  alone,  it  will  usually  be  confined  to  one  side — if  from  the  lungs,  the 
discharge  is  from  both  nostrils,  and  generally  mingled  with  mucus,  or  spume, — ^there 
is  also  a  quickened  respiration,  and  more  or  less  cough. 

If  it  is  apparently  connected  with  some  slight  cause,  a  dose  of  physic  and  quietness 
for  a  day  or  two  will  be  sufficient,  and,  if  necessary,  a  slight  solution  of  alum  may  be 
injected  up  the  nostril.  If  the  bleeding  is  apparently  from  the  lungs,  a  more  serious 
evacuation  will  be  required. 

These  bones  form  the  roof  of  an  important  cavity  (see  a,  p.  72).  The  sides  are 
constituted  above  by  the  nasal  bones,  and,  lower  down,  by  the  upper  jaw-bones,  {supe- 
rior maxillaries),  while  plates  from  these  latter  bones  project  and  compose  the  palate, 
which  is  both  the  floor  of  the  nose  and  the  roof  of  the  mouth  (/,  p.  72).  Above  (near 
fig.  8),  not  visible  in  our  cut,  is  a  bone  called  the  palatine,  although  it  contributes  very 
little  to  the  formation  of  the  palate.  It  is  the  termination  of  the  palate,  or  the  border 
of  the  opening  where  the  cavities  of  the  mouth  and  nose  meet  (fig.  8).  The  frontal 
sinuses,  h,  and  large  vacuities  in  the  upper  jaw-bone,  and  in  the  aethmoid,  /,  and  sphe 
noid  bones,  k,  communicate  with  and  enlarge  the  cavity  of  the  nose. 


This  "wity  is  divided  into  two  parts  by  a  cartilage  called  the  Septum  (see  a,  p.  72). 
It  is  of  f-onsiderable  thickness  and  strength,  and  divides  the  cavity  of  the  nose  into 
two  equnl  parts.  It  is  placed  in  the  centre  for  the  purpose  of  strength,  and  it  is  formed 
of  cartilage,  in  order  that,  by  its  gradual  yielding  resistance,  it  may  neutralize  almost 
any  force  that  may  he  applied  to  it. 

When  we  open  the  nostril,  we  see  the  membrane  by  which  the  cartilage,  and  the 
whole  of  the  cavity  of  the  nose,  is  lined,  and  by  the  colour  of  which,  much  more 
than  by  that  of  the  lining  of  the  eyelids,  w'e  judge  of  the  degree  of  fever,  and  par- 


124  THE   ANATOMY   AND    DISEASES    OF 

ticularly  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  or  any  of  the  air-passages.  The  cut  on  the 
preceding  page  shows  the  ramifications  of  the  blood-vessels,  both  arterial  and  venous, 
on  the  m'embrane  of  the  nose.  It  beautifully  accounts  for  the  accurate  connexion 
which  we  trace  between  the  colour  of  the  nasal  membrane,  and  various  diseases  or 
states  of  the  circulation.  By  the  sore  places  or  ulcerations  discovered  on  this  mem- 
brane, we  likewise  determine  respecting  the  existence  of  glanders  ;  and  the  interposi- 
tion of  the  septum  is  a  wise  and  benevolent  provision  to  hinder  the  spread  of  the 
mischief,  by  cutting  off  all  communication  with  the  neighbouring  parts,  and  also  to 
preserve  one  nostril  pervious,  when  the  other  is  diseased  or  obstructed.  The  nasal 
cavity  is,  on  either  side,  occupied  by  two  bones,  which,  from  their  being  rolled  up 
somewhat  in  the  form  of  a  turban,  are  called  the  turbinated  or  turban-shaped  bones, 
V  s,  p.  72;  part  of  the  cartilage  is  cut  away  in  our  cut  in  order  to  display  them.  They 
are  as  thin  as  gauze,  and  perforated,  like  gauze,  with  a  thousand  holes.  Between 
them  are  left  sufficient  passages  for  the  air. 

If  they  were  unrolled,  they  would  present  a  verj'  considerable  surface ;  and  on 
every  part  of  tliem  is  spread  the  substance  or  pulp  of  the  olfactory,  or  first  pair  of 
nerves.  Tliese  bones,  lined  with  delicate  membranes,  and  covered  by  the  olfactory 
nerves,  are  the  seat  of  smell ;  and  they  are  thus  expanded,  because  the  sense  of  smell 
in  the  horse  must,  to  a  very  considerable  degree,  supply  the  place  of  the  sense  of 
touch  and  the  lessons  of  experience  in  the  human  being.  By  this  alone  he  is  enabled 
to  select,  amongst  the  nutritive  and  poisonous  herbage  of  the  meadow,  that  which 
would  support  and  not  destroy  him.  The  troops  of  wild  horses  are  said  to  smell  the 
approach  of  an  enemy  at  a  very  considerable  distance.  In  his  domestic  state,  the 
horse  does  not  examine  the  different  food  which  is  placed  before  him  with  his  eye, 
but  with  his  nose ;  and  if  the  smell  displeases  him,  no  coaxing  will  induce  him  to 
eat.  He  examines  a  stranger  by  the  smell,  and,  by  very  intelligible  signs,  expresses 
the  opinion  which  he  forms  of  him  by  tliis  inquisition.  The  horse  will  evidently 
recognise  his  favourite  groom  when  he  has  nothing  else  to  indicate  his  approach  but 
the  sense  of  smell.  These  cavities  are  likewise  organs  of  voice.  The  sound  re- 
verberates through  them,  and  increases  in  loudness,  as  through  the  windings  of  a 
French  horn. 

The  extension  of  the  nostril  at  the  lower  part  of  these  cavities  is  an  important  part 
of  the  face,  and  intimately  connected  with  breeding,  courage,  and  speed.  The  horse 
can  breathe  only  through  the  nose.  All  the  air  which  goes  to  and  returns  from  the 
lungs  must  pass  through  the  nostrils.  In  the  common  act  of  breathing,  these  are 
sufliciently  large ;  but  when  the  animal  is  put  on  his  sjjeed,  and  the  respiration  is 
quickened,  these  passages  must  dilate,  or  he  will  be  much  distressed.  The  expanded 
nostril  is  a  striking  feature  in  the  blood-horse,  especially  when  he  has  been  excited 
and  not  over-blown.  The  sporting  man  will  not  forget  the  sudden  effect  which  is 
given  to  the  countenance  of  the  hunter,  when  his  ears  become  erect,  and  his  nostrils 
dilate  as  he  first  listens  to  the  cry  of  the  hounds,  and  snorts,  and  scents  them  afar  off. 
The  painful  and  spasmed  stretching  of  this  part,  in  the  poor,  over-driven  post-horse, 
will  show  how  necessary  it  is  that  the  passage  to  the  lungs  should  be  free  and  open. 
Tlie  nostril  should  not  only  be  large,  but  the  membranous  substance  which  covers  the 
entrance  into  the  nose  should  be  thin  and  elastic,  that  it  may  more  readily  yield  when 
the  necessity  of  the  animal  requires  a  greater  supply  of  air,  and  afterwards  return  to 
its  natural  dimensions.  Tlierefore,  nature,  which  adapts  the  animal  to  his  situation 
and  use,  has  given  to  the  cart-horse,  that  is  seldom  blown,  a  confined  nostril,  and 
surrounded  by  much  cellular  snbstance,  and  a  thick  skin;  and  to  the  horse  of  more 
breeding,  whose  use  consists  in  his  speed  and  his  continuance,  a  wider  nostril,  and 
one  much  more  flexible. 

Tlie  inliabitants  of  some  countries  were  accustomed  to  slit  the  nostrils  of  their 
horses,  that  they  might  be  less  distressed  in  the  severe  and  long-continued  exertion 
of  their  speed.  The  Icelanders  do  so  to  the  present  day.  There  is  no  necessity  for 
this,  for  nature  has  made  ample  provision  for  all  the  ordinary  and  even  extraordinary 
exertion  we  can  require  from  the  horse. 

Some  very  powerful  muscles  proceed  from  different  parts  of  the  face  to  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  nostrils,  in  order  to  draw  them  back  and  dilate  them.  Four  of  these  aie 
given  in  the  following  cut,  which  is  inserted  to  complete  our  present  subject,  and  which 


THE  NOSE  AND   MOUTH. 


125 


will  be  often  referred  to  in  the  course  of  our  work ;  /,  /n,  o,  and  p,  are  muscles  em- 
ployed for  this  purpose. 

THE  MrSCLES,  NERTES,  AND  BLOOD-VESSELS  OF  THE  HEAD  AND  rPPEK  PAKT  OF  THE  NECK. 


a  The  upper  part  of  the  ligament  of  the  neck. 

b  The  levator  humeri  (elevator  of  the  shoulder),  arising  from  the  tubercle  of  the  occiput,  th» 
mastoid  (nipple-shaped)  process  of  the  temporal  bone,  and  the  transverse  processes 
(cross  projections)  of  the  four  first  bones  of  the  neck,  and  the  ligament  of  the  neck,  ana 
going  to  the  muscles  of  the  shoulders,  and  the  upper  bone  of  the  arm :  to  draw  for- 
ward the  shoulder  and  arm  ;  or  turn  the  head  and  neck ;  and,  when  the  two  levatora 
act,  to  depress  the  head. 

c  The  tendon  cominon  to  the  complexus  major  (larger  comphcated),  and  splenius  (sphnt-hke) ; 
to  the  mastoid  process  of  the  temporal  bone,  to  hold  up  the  head,  or,  the  muscles  on 
one  side  alone  acting,  to  turn  it. 

d  The  sterno-maxiUaris  (belonging  to  the  breast-bone)  and  upper  jaw,  from  the  cartilage  in 
front  of  the  chest  to  the  angle  of  the  lower  jaw :  to  bend  the  head,  or,  if  one  only 
acts,  to  bend  it  on  one  side. 

e  The  stt/lo-maxillaris.  from  the  styloid  (pencil-shaped)  or  coracoid  (beak-shaped)  process  of 
the  occiput,  to  the  angle  of  the  jaw :  to  pull  the  jaw  backward  and  open  it. 

/The  subscapulo  hijoideus,  from  under  the  shoulder-blade,  to  the  body  of  the  os  hyoides  (the 
bone  at  the  root  of  the  tongue  formed  like  a  Greek  u,  v) :  to  draw  back  that  bone. 

g  The  masseter  (chewing);  a  most  powerful  muscle,  constituting  the  cheek  of  the  horse:— 
from  the  upper  jaw  bone  into  the  rough  surface  round  the  angle  of  the  lower :  in  con- 
junction with  the  temporal  muscle  to  close  the  mouth  and  chew  the  food. 

£  The  orbicularis  (circular)  surrounding  the  eye  and  closing  the  lids. 

i  The  zygomalicus,  from  the  zygomatic  arch  and  masseter  to  the  corner  of  the  mouth,  to 
draw  back  the  angle  of  the  mouth. 

k  The  buccinator  (trumpeter),  from  the  inside  of  the  mouth  and  cheeks,  to  the  angle  of  the 
mouth,  to  draw  it  back. 

{  The  vasalis  lahii  superioris  (belonging  to  the  nose  and  upper  lip),  from  a  depression  at  the 
junction  of  the  superior  ma.\illary  and  malar  bones,  to  the  angle  of  the  nostril :  to  raise 
the  lip,  and  dilate  the  nostrils. 

m  Dilator  7iaris  lateralis  (side  dilator  of  the  nostril),  reversed  to  show  the  vessels  and  nerves 
which  it  covers,  going  from  the  covering  of  the  nasal  and  frontal  bones,  to  the  angle 
of  the  mouth,  and  side  of  the  nostril :  to  retract  the  upper  lip  and  dilate  the  nostrils. 

n  Dilator  maanus  (great  dilator),  assisting  in  the  same  office. 

o  Depressor  labii  inferioris  (puller  down  of  the  under  lip),  to  the  sides  of  the  under  Up  :  to  pub 
it  down. 

p  Orbicularis  oris  (circular  muscle  of  the  mouth),  surrounding  the  mouth:  to  close  the  lipa 
and  dUate  the  nostrils. 

q  The  upper  portion  of  the  parotid  gland  (gland  near  the  ear)  reversed,  to  show  the  blood  ves- 
sels  and  nerves  beneath  it. 

r  The  parotid  duct  piercing  the  cheek,  to  discharge  the  sahva  into  the  mouth, 
11* 


126  NASAL   POLYPUS. 

s  Tlie  maxillary  gland  (gland  of  the  lower  jaw)  with  hs  duct. 

t  The  jugular  (neck)  vein,  after  the  two  branches  have  united. 

sc  At  this  letter,  the  submaxillary  artery,  a  branch  of  the  jugular,  and  the  parotid  duct,  paaa 

under  and  within  tne  angle  of  the  lower  jaw  ;  they  come  out  again  at  w,  and  climb  up 

the  cheek  to  be  distributed  over  the  face, 
ti  The  vein  and  artery,  passing  under  the  zygomatic  arch. 
X  A  branch  of  the  filth  pair,  the  sensitive  nerve  of  the  face,  emerging  from  under  the  parotid 

gland. 
y  The  main  branch  of  the  portio  dura  (hard  portion)  of  the  seventh  pair,  the  motor  (moving) 

nerve  of  the  face  coming  out  from  beneath  the  parotid  gland,  to  spread  over  the  face, 
s  Branches  of  both  nerves,  wiih  small  blood-vessels. 

There  are  also  four  distinct  cartilages  attached  to  the  nostrils,  which,  hy  their 
elasticity,  bring  back  the  nostrils  to  their  former  dimensions,  as  soon  as  the  muscles 
cease  to  act.  Tlie  bones  of  the  nose  (a  a,  p.  70,  and  p.  72)  are  also  sharpened  off  to 
a  point,  to  give  wider  range  for  the  action  of  the  muscles ;  while  the  cartilages  are 
so  contrived,  as  not  only  to  discharge  the  office  we  have  mentioned,  but  to  protect 
this  projection  of  bone  from  injury. 

There  are  two  circumstances,  which,  more  than  any  others,  will  enable  the  veteri- 
nary surgeon,  and  the  owner  of  a  horse,  accurately  to  judge  of  the  character  and 
degree  of  many  diseases,  and  to  which  very  few  persons  pay  sufficient  attention ; 
these  are  the  pulse,  of  which  we  shall  presently  speak,  and  the  colour  of  the  mem- 
brane of  the  nose.  It  is  the  custom  of  most  veterinary  surgeons  and  horsemen  to  lift 
the  upper  eyelid,  and  to  form  their  opinion  by  the  colour  which  its  lining  presents. 
If  it  is  very  red,  there  is  considerable  fever ; — if  it  is  of  a  pale  pinkish  hue,  there  is 
little  danger.  The  nose,  however,  is  more  easily  got  at ; — the  surface  presented  to 
the  view  is  more  extensive ; — its  sympathy  with  almost  all  the  important  organs  Is 
greater ; — and  the  changes  produced  by  disease  are  more  striking  and  more  conclu- 
sive. Let  iiie  reader  nrst  make  himself  well  acquainted  with  the  uniform  pale  pink 
appearance  ot  mat  'portion  of  the  membrane  which  covers  the  lower  part  of  the  car- 
tilaginous partition  between  the  nostrils,  when  the  horse  is  in  health  and  quiet;  then 
the  increased  blush  'if  red,  betokening  some  excitement  of  the  system — the  streaked 
appearance  of  inflammation  commenced,  and  threatening  to  increase — the  intense 
florid  red,  of  acute  inflammation — the  pale  ground  with  patches  of  vi\id  red,  showing 
the  half-subdued,  but  still  existing  fever — the  uniform  colour,  although  somewhat 
redder  than  natural,  predicting  a  return  to  healthy  circulation — the  paleness  approach- 
ing to  white,  marking  the  stage  of  debility,  and  sometimes  intermingled  with  radia- 
tions of  crimson,  inducing  the  suspicion  of  lurking  mischief;  and  the  dark  livid 
colour  of  approaching  stagnation  of  the  vital  current.  These,  with  all  their  shades 
of  difference,  will  be  the  guides  to  his  opinion  and  treatment,  which  every  one,  who 
has  studied  them,  will  highly  appreciate. 

NASAL    POLYPUS. 

By  the  polypus,  is  meant  an  excrescence  or  tumour,  varying  in  size,  structure,  and 
consistence,  and  attached  by  a  pedicle  to  a  mucous  surface.  The  true  polypus  is 
attached  to  mucous  membranes,  and  is  usually  found  in  the  nostrils,  the  pharynx,  the 
uterus,  or  the  vagina.  Tumours  have  been  seen  hanging  loose  in  the  veins  and  ven- 
tricles of  the  heart ;  and  in  the  larger  blood-vessels  there  have  been  accumulations  of 
the  fibrine  of  the  blood,  with  peduncular  attachments. 

Tlie  nasal  polypus  usually  adheres  to  some  portion  of  the  superior  turbinated  bone, 
or  it  has  come  from  some  of  the  sinuses  connected  with  that  cavity.  It  escaped, 
while  small,  through  the  valvular  opening  under  the  superior  turbinated  bone,  into  the 
cavity  of  the  nose,  and  there  attained  its  full  growth. 

No  better  account,  however,  can  be  given  of  the  cause  of  their  appearance,  than 
that  of  tumours  in  other  parts  of  the  body.  They  evidently  have  a  constitutional 
origin:  they  are  frequently  hereditary,  and  the  animal  in  which  they  have  once 
appeared,  is  subject  to  a,  return  of  them. 

By  some  means,  probably  the  increasing  weight  of  the  tumour,  and  being  in  a 
dependent  situation,  the  polypus  is  gradually  detached  from  its  base,  and  forces  with 
it  the  soft  and  easily  distensible  membrane  of  the  nose.  As  it  continues  to  descend, 
this  portion  of  membrane  is  farther  elongated,  and  forms  the  pedicle  or  loot  of  tne 


NASAL  GLEET,  OR  DISCHARGE  FROM  THE  NOSE.  -37 

Uiraour : — if  that  may  be  termed  a  root  which  is  a  mere  duplicate  of  its  investing 
membrane. 

The  polypus,  when  it  hangs  free  in  the  nasal  cavity,  is  usually  of  a  pyriform.  or 
pear-like  shape ;  and  it  varies  in  weight,  from  a  few  drachms  to  three  or  four  pounds. 

How  is  the  surgeon  to  proceed  ?  Can  he  lay  hold  of  the  polypus  by  the  finger,  or 
the  forceps,  or  (for  these  tumours  do  not  possess  much  sensibility)  the  tenaculum  I 
To  ascertain  this,  he  will  cast  the  horse,  and  fix  the  head  in  a  position  to  take  the 
greatest  advantage  of  the  light.  If  he  cannot  fairly  get  at  the  tumour  by  any  of 
these  means,  he  will  let  it  alone.  It  will  continue  to  grow — the  membrane  consti- 
tuting the  pedicle  will  be  lengthened — and  the  polypus  will  at  length  descend,  and 
be  easily  got  at.     Time  and  patience  will  effect  wonders  in  this  and  many  similar 


Supposing  it  to  have  grown,  and  the  surgeon  is  endeavouring  to  extract  it,  he  must 
not  use  any  great  force.  It  must  not  be  torn  out  by  the  root.  The  tumour  must  be 
gently  brought  dowij,  and  a  ligature  passed  round  the  pedicle,  as  higR  up  as  it  can 
conveniently  be  placed.  If  the  polypus  can  then  be  returned  to  the  nose,  the  animal 
will  suffer  very  little  inconvenience ;  and  in  a  few  days  it  will  slough  off,  and  the 
pedicle  will  contract,  and  gradually  disappear. 

If  the  polypus  is  so  large  that  it  cannot  be  well  returned  after  it  has  been  brought 
down,  we  must,  notwithstanding,  use  the  ligature,  passing  it  round  the  pedicle  su1li- 
ciently  tightly  to  cut  off  the  supply  of  blood  to  the  tumour.  We  may  then  imme- 
diately excise  it.  Except  the  pedicle  is  exceedingly  thick,  there  will  be  little  or  no 
hasmorrhage.  Should  some  bleeding  occur,  it  will  probably  soon  stop,  or  may  be 
stopped  by  the  cautery,  which  should,  however,  be  avoided  if  possible;  for  our  object 
is  to  produce  as  little  irritation  as  may  be  in  the  membrane,  and  the  actual  cautery 
will  be  applied  with  considerable  difficulty  in  the  cavity  of  the  nose. 

In  very  bad  cases,  when  the  tumour  cannot  be  drawn  out  of  the  nose,  it  may  be 
necessary  to  slit  up  the  ala  or  side  of  the  nostril.  It  will  be  better,  however,  not  to 
cut  through  the  false  nostril ;  for  that  consists  of  a  duplicature  of  such  thin  integu- 
ment, that  the  stitches  can  hardly  be  retained  in  it,  when  the  horse  will  be  continually 
snorting  at  the  least  inconvenience.  It  will  also  be  difficult  to  bring  the  edges  of  this 
thin  membrane  accurately  together  again;  or  if  this  be  effected,  there  is  scarcely  life 
enough  in  it  for  the  parts  readily  to  unite.  The  false  nostril  should  be  avoided,  and 
the  incision  made  along  the  lateral  edge  of  the  nasal  bone,  beginning  at  its  apex  or 
point.  The  flap  will  then  conveniently  turn  down,  so  as  to  expose  the  cavity  beneath ; 
and  there  will  be  sufficient  muscular  substance  to  secure  an  almost  certain  union  by 
the  first  intention.  The  nostril  being  opened,  the  pedicle  will  probably  be  displayed, 
and  a  ligature  may  be  passed  round  it,  as  already  recommended  ;  or  if  it  is  not  actu 
ally  in  sight,  it  may  probably  gradually  be  brought  within  reach. 

NASAL  GLEET,  OR  DISCHARGE  FROM  THE  NOSE. 

Tliere  is  a  constant  secretion  of  fluid  to  lubricate  and  moisten  the  membrane  that 
lines  the  cavity  of  the  nose,  and  which,  under  catarrh  or  cold,  is  increased  in  quantity, 
and  altered  in  appearance  and  consistence.  This  will  properly  belong  to  the  account 
of  catarrh  or  cold  ;  but  that  which  is  immediately  under  consideration',  is  a  continued 
and  oftentimes  profuse  discharge  of  thickened  mucus,  when  every  symptom  of  catarrh 
and  fever  has  passed  away.  If  the  horse  is  at  grass,  the  discharge  is  almost  as  green 
as  the  food  on  which  he  lives  ; — or  if  he  is  stabled,  it  is  white,  or  straw-coloured,  or 
brown,  or  even  bloody,  and  sometimes  purulent.  It  is  either  constantly  running,  or 
snorted  out  in  masses  many  times  a  day ;  teazing  the  horse,  and  becominp-  a  perfect 
nuisance  in  the  stable,  and  to  the  rider.  This  has  been  known  to  continue  several 
months,  and  eventually  to  destroy  the  horse. 

If  the  discharge  is  not  oflfensive  to  the  smell,  nor  mixed  with  purulent  matter,  it  is 
probably  merely  an  increased  and  somewhat  vitiated  secretion  from  the  cavities  of  the 
nose;  and,  all  fever  having  disappeared,  will  frequently  yield  to  small  doses  of  blue 
vitriol,  given  twice  in  the  day.  If  fever  or  cough  remains,  the  cough  medicine  that 
will  hereafter  be  described  must  be  combined  with  the  tonic.  If  Ihe  discharge  is 
mingled  with  pus,  and  very  offensive,  the  vegetable  tonics,  gentian  and  ginger,  may 
Be  added  to  the  copper ;  but  there  is  now  reason  to  apprehend  that  the  discharge  will 


128  OZENA. 

not  be  controlled,  and  will  terminate  in  glanders.  Turning  into  a  salt  marsh  wiU 
occasionally  effect  a  cure,  when  both  the  mineral  and  the  vegetable  tonics  havo 
tailea. 

OZENA. 

Ozena  is  ulceration  of  the  membrane  of  the  nose,  not  always  or  often  visible,  but 
recognised  by  the  discharge  of  muco-purulent  matter,  and  the  peculiar  fcctor  from 
which  the  disease  derives  its  name.  It  resembles  glanders,  in  being  confined,  in  most 
instances,  to  one  nostril,  and  the  submaxillary  gland  on  the  same  side  being  enlarged; 
but  differs  from  it  in  the  gland  not  being  adherent,  and  the  discharge,  from  its  earliest 
stage,  being  purulent  and  stinking. 

There  is  sometimes  a  fcetid  discharge  from  the  nostril,  in  consequence  of  inflamma- 
tion of  the  lungs,  or  produced  by  some  of  the  sequelae  of  pheumonia ;  distinguished, 
however,  from  ozena,  by  its  usually  flowing  irregularly,  being  coughed  up  in  great 
quantities,  more  decidedly  purulent,  and  the  gland  or  glands  seldom  affected.  The 
discharge  from  ozena  is  constant,  muco-purulent,  and  attended  by  enlargement  of  the 
glands.  It  is  of  immense  consequence  that  we  should  be  enabled  to  distinguish  the 
one  from  the  other ;  for  while  ozena  may,  sometimes  at  least,  be  manageable,  the 
other  is  too  frequently  the  precursor  of  death. 

The  cause  of  ozena  cannot  always  be  discovered.  Chronic  inflammation  of  the 
membrane  may  assume  another  and  malignant  character.  In  severe  catarrh,  the 
membrane  may  become  abraded,  and  the  abrasions  may  degenerate  into  foul  and  fcetid 
ulcers.  It  is  not  an  unfrequent  consequence  of  epidemic  catarrh.  It  has  been  pro- 
duced by  caustic  applications  to  the  lining  membrane  of  the  nose.-  It  has  followed 
haemorrhage,  spontaneous,  or  the  consequence  of  injury. 

In  some  cases,  and  those  as  obstinate  as  any,  it  cannot  perhaps  be  traced  to  any 
probable  cause,  and  the  health  of  the  animal  has  not  appeared  to  be  in  the  slightest 
degree  aff'ected. 

The  membrane  of  the  nose  is  highly  sensitive  and  irritable,  and  an  ulcer,  in  what- 
ever way  formed  on  it,  does  not  readily  heal.  It  often  runs  on  to  gangrene,  and 
destroys  not  only  the  membrane,  but  the  bone  beneath,  and  even  the  cartilaginous 
septum.  This  is  rarely  the  case  in  glanders;  and  the  ravages  of  the  chancrous  ulcer? 
are  usually  confined  to  the  membrane.  The  ulceration  proceeds  to  a  certain  point — 
its  progress  is  then  arrested,  usually  by  nature  alone — the  discharge  gradually  lessens 
— it  loses  its  oflTensive  character,  and  at  length  ceases. 

Local  applications  are  seldom  available  in  the  treatment  of  this  disease ;  for  we 
know  not  the  situation  of  the  ulcer ;  and  if  we  did,  we  probably  could  not  get  at  it. 
Some  have  recommended  setons.  Where  are  they  to  be  applied  ]  If  the  seat  of 
ulceration  is  unknown,  the  seton  may  only  give  useless  pain.  Several  pnsi-mortevt 
examinations  have  shown  that  the  frontal  sinuses  are  a  frequent  seat  of  the  disease. 
Yet  what  injection  could  we  use?  An  emollient  one  would  be  thrown  away.  A 
stimulating  injection  might  convert  ozena  into  glanders.  Other  examinations  have 
shown  that  the  superior  portion  of  the  central  meatus  was  diseased.  What  instru- 
ment can  be  contrived  to  reach  that  1  Internal  medicines  are  almost  thrown  away  in 
this  complaint:  yet  something,  perhaps,  may  be  done  under  the  form  of  a  local  appli- 
cation. The  discarded  nose-bag  (undervalued  at  least  by  too  many  practitioners) 
will  alford  the  means  of  employing  an  emollient  fomentation.  The  steam  from  a 
bran-mash,  scalding  liot,  will  probably  reach  every  part  of  the  nasal  cavity,  and  so 
aflTord  some  chance  of  being  beneficially  applied  to  the  ulcer.  It  will,  at  least, 
thoroughly  cleanse  the  part.  By  means  of  the  nose-bag  and  the  warm  mash,  the 
chloride  of  time  may  be  introduced  into  the  cavity;  not  only  combining  with  the 
extricated  gases,  and  removing  the  fcetor,  but  arresting  the  tendency  to  decomposition. 
Then  there  is  a  digestive  —  a  gentle  stimulus  to  abraded  and  ulcerated  surfaces, 
rousing  them  to  healthy  action,  and  without  too  much  irritating  them  —  turpentine. 
This  may  be  applied  in  the  form  of  vapour,  and,  in  the  best  of  all  ways,  by  using 
the  fresh  yellow  deal  shavings  instead  of  bran.  This  digestive  may  be  brought  into 
contact  with  every  part  of  the  Schneiderian  membrane,  and  has  been  serviceable. 

There  is  another  resource,  and  one  that  bids  fairer  to  be  successful  than  any  nthci 
with  which  we  are  acquainted  —  the  spring  grass.     It  is  the  finest  alterative,  depura 


GLANDERS.  129 

live,  and  restorative,  in  our  whole  materia  mcdica ;  and  if  it  is  accessible  in  the  foms 
of  a  salt  marsh,  there  is  no  better  chance  of  doing  good. 

GLANDERS. 

The  most  formidable  of  all  the  diseases  to  which  the  horse  is  subject,  is  Glanders. 
It  has  been  recognised  from  the  time  of  Hippocrates,  of  Cos ;  and  few  modern  veteri- 
nary writers  have  given  a  more  accurate  or  complete  account  of  its  s3'mptoms,  than 
is  to  be  found  in  the  works  of  the  father  of  medicine.  Three-and-twenty  hundred 
years  have  rolled  on  since  then,  and  veterinary  practitioners  are  not  yet  agreed  as  to 
the  tissue  primarily  aSected,  nor  the  actual  nature  of  the  disease :  we  only  know  that 
it  is  at  the  present  day,  what  it  was  then,  a  loathsome  and  an  incurable  malady. 

We  shall  therefore,  in  treating  of  this  disease,  pursue  our  course  slowly  and 
cautiously. 

The  earliest  symptom  of  Glanders  is  an  increased  discharge  from  the  nostril,  small 
in  quantity,  constantly  flowing,  of  an  aqueous  character,  and  a  little  mucus  mingling 
with  it. 

Connected  with  this  is  an  error  too  general,  and  highly  mischievous  with  regard  to 
the  character  of  this  discharge  in  the  earliest  stage  of  the  disease,  when,  if  ever,  a 
cure  might  be  effected,  and  when,  too,  the  mischief  from  contagion  is  most  frequently 
produced.  The  discharge  of  glanders  is  not  sticky  when  it  maj'-  be  first  recognised. 
It  is  an  aqueous  or  mucous,  but  small  and  constant  discharge,  and  is  thus  distinguished 
from  catarrh,  or  nasal  gleet,  or  any  other  defluxion  from  the  nostril.  It  should  be 
impressed  on  the  mind  of  every  horseman  that  this  small  and  constant  defluxion, 
overlooked  by  the  groom  and  by  the  owner,  and  too  often  by  the  veterinary  surgeon, 
is  a  most  suspicious  circumstance. 

Mr.  James  Turner  deserves  much  credit  for  having  first  or  chiefly  directed  the  atten- 
tion of  horsemen  to  this  important  but  disregarded  symptom.  If  a  horse  is  in  the 
highest  condition,  yet  has  this  small  aqueous  constant  discharge,  and  especially  from 
one  nostril,  no  time  should  be  lost  in  separating  him  from  his  companions.  No  harm 
will  be  done  by  this,  although  the  defluxion  should  not  ultimately  betray  lurking  mis- 
chief of  a  worse  character. 

Mr.  Turner  relates  a  case  very  much  in  point.  A  farmer  asked  his  opinion  respect- 
ing a  mare  in  excellent  condition,  with  a  sleek  coat,  and  in  full  work.  He  had  had 
her  seven  or  eight  months,  and  during  the  whole  of  that  time  there  had  been  a  dis- 
charge from  tlie  right  nostril,  but  in  so  slight  a  degree  as  scarcely  to  be  deemed  worthy 
of  notice.  He  now  wanted  to  sell  her,  but,  like  an  honest  man,  he  wished  to  know 
whether  he  might  warrant  her.  Mr.  Turner  very  properly  gave  it  as  his  opinion,  that 
the  discharge  having  existed  for  so  long  a  time,  he  would  not  be  justified  in  sending 
her  into  the  market.  A  farrier,  however,  whose  ideas  of  glanders  had  always  been 
connected  with  a  sticky  discharge  and  an  adherent  glancf,  bought  her,  and  led  her 
away. 

Three  months  passed  on,  when  Mr.  Turner,  examining  the  post-horses  of  a  neigh- 
bouring inn,  discovered  that  two  of  them  were  glandered,  and  two  more  farcied,  while, 
standing  next  to  the  first  that  was  attacked,  and  his  partner  in  work,  was  his  old 
acquaintance,  the  farmer's  mare,  with  the  same  discharge  from  her  nostril,  and  who 
had,  beyond  question,  been  the  cause  of  all  the  mischief. 

The  peculiar  viscidity  and  gluiness  which  is  generally  supposed  to  distinguish  the 
discharge  of  glanders  from  all  other  mucous  and  prevalent  secretions  belongs  to  the 
second  stage  of  the  disease,  and,  for  many  months  before  this,  glanders  may  have 
existed  in  an  insidious  and  highly  contagious  form.  It  must  be  acknowledged,  how- 
ever, that,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  some  degree  of  stickiness  does  characterise  the 
discharge  of  glanders  from  a  very  early  period. 

It  is  a  singular  circumstance,  for  which  no  satisfactory  account  has  yet  been  given, 
that  when  one  nostril  alone  is  attacked,  it  is,  in  a  great  majority  of  cases,  the  near,  or 
eft.  M.  Dupuy.  the  director  of  the  veterinary  school  at  Toulouse,  gives  a  very  sin- 
gular account  of  this.  He  says,  that  out  of  eighty  cases  of  glanders  that  came  under 
his  notice,  only  one  was  affected  in  the  right  nostril.  The  difference  in  the  affected 
nostril  does  not  exist  to  so  great  an  extent  in  Great  Britain ;  but,  in  two  horses  out  of 
tliree,  or  tiiree  out  of  four,  the  discharge  is  from  the  left  nostril  alone.     We  migh^. 

B 


130         ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NOSE  AND  MOUTH. 

account  for  the  left  leg  failing  oftener  than  the  right,  for  we  mount  and  dismount  on 
the  left  side ;  the  horse  generally  leads  with  it,  and  there  is  more  weaj  and  tear  of 
that  limb  :  but  we  cannot  satisfactorily  account  for  this  usual  affection  of  the  left  nos- 
tril. It  is  true  that  the  reins  are  held  in  the  left  hand,  and  there  may  be  a  little  more 
bearing  and  pressure  on  the  left  side  of  the  mouth ;  but  this  applies  only  to  saddle- 
horses,  and  even  with  them  does  not  sufficiently  explain  the  result. 

This  discharge,  in  cases  of  infection,  may  continue,  and  in  so  slight  a  degree  as  to 
be  scarcely  perceptible,  for  many  months,  or  even  two  or  three  years,  unattended  by 
any  other  disease,  even  ulceration  of  the  nostril,  and  yet  the  horse  being  decidedly 
glundered  from  the  beginning,  and  capable  of  propagating  the  malady.  In  process 
of  time,  however,  pus  mingles  with  the  discharge,  and  then  another  and  a  characteris- 
tic sympi.om  appears.  Some  of  this  is  absorbed,  and  the  neighbouring  glands  become 
affected.  If  there  is  discharge  from  both  nostrils,  the  glands  within  the  under  jaw 
will  be  on  both  sides  enlarged.  If  the  discharge  is  from  one  nostril  only,  the  swelled 
gland  will  be  found  on  that  side  alone.  Glanders,  however,  will  frequently  exist  at 
an  early  stage  without  these  swelled  glands,  and  some  other  diseases,  as  catarrh,  will 
prodtice  them.  Then  we  must  look  out  for  some  peculiarity  about  these  glands,  and 
we  shall  readily  find  it.  The  swelling  may  be  at  first  somewhat  large  and  diffused, 
but  the  surrounding  enlargement  soon  goes  off,  and  one  or  two  small  distinct  glands 
remain ;  and  they  are  not  in  the  centre  of  the  channel,  but  adhere  closely  to  the  jaw  on 
the  affected  side. 

The  membrane  of  the  nose  should  now  be  examined,  and  will  materially  guide  our 
■opinion.  It  will  either  be  of  a  dark  purplish  hue,  or  almost  of  a  leaden  colour,  or  of 
any  shade  between  the  two;  or  if  there  is  some  of  the  redness  of  inflammation,  it  will 
have  a  purple  tinge :  but  there  will  never  be  the  faint  pink  blush  of  health,  or  the 
intense  and  vivid  red  of  usual  inflammation.  Spots  of  ulceration  will  probably  appear 
on  the  membrane  covering  the  cartilage  of  the  nose — not  mere  sore  places,  or  streaks 
of  abrasion,  and  quite  superficial,  but  small  ulcers,  usually  approaching  to  a  circular 
form,  deep,  and  with  the  edges  abrupt  and  prominent.  When  these  appearances  are 
observed,  there  can  be  no  doubt  about  the  matter.  Care  should  be  taken,  however,  to 
ascertain  that  these  ulcers  do  actually  exist,  for  spots  of  mucus  adhering  to  the  mem- 
brane have  been  more  than  once  taken  for  them.  The  finger  should,  if  possible,  be 
passed  over  the  supposed  ulcer,  in  order  to  determine  whether  it  can  be  wiped  away; 
und  it  should  be  recollected,  as  was  hinted  when  describing  the  duct  that  conveys  the 
tears  to  the  nose,  that  the  orifice  of  that  duct,  just  within  the  nostril,  and  on  the  inner 
side  of  it,  has  been  mistaken  for  a  chancrous  ulcer.  This  orifice  is  on  the  continua- 
tion of  the  common  skin  of  the  muzzle  which  runs  a  little  way  up  the  nostril,  while 
the  ulcer  of  glanders  is  on  the  proper  membrane  of  the  nose  above.  The  line  of  sepa- 
ration between  the  two  is  evident  on  the  slightest  inspection. 

"When  ulcers  begin  to  appear  on  the  membrane  of  the  nose,  the  constitution  of  the 
horse  is  soon  evidently  affected.  The  patient  loses  flesh  —  his  belly  is  tucked  up^ 
his  coat  unthrifty,  and  readily  coming  off — the  appetite  is  impaired — tlie  strength  fails 
—cough,  more  or  less  urgent,  may  be  heard — the  discharge  from  the  nose  will  increase 
in  quantity;  it  will  be  discoloured,  bloody,  offensive  to  the  smell  —  the  ulcers  in  the 
nose  will  become  larger  and  more  mnnerous,  and  the  air-passages  being  obstracted,  a 
grating,  choking  noise  will  be  heard  at  every  act  of  breathing.  There  is  now  a 
peculiar  tenderness  about  the  forehead.  The  membrane  lining  the  frontal  sinuses  is 
inflamed  and  ulcerated,  and  the  integument  of  the  forehead  becomes  thickened  and 
somewhat  swelled.  Farcy  is  now  superadded  to  glanders,  or  glanders  has  degene- 
rated into  farcy,  and  more  of  the  absorbents  are  involved. 

At  or  before  this  time  little  tumours  appear  about  the  muscles,  and  face,  and  neck 
following  the  course  of  the  veins  and  the  absorbents,  for  they  run  side  by  side;  and 
these  the  tumours  soon  ulcerate.  Tumours  or  buds,  still  pursuing  the  path  of  the 
absorbents,  soon  appear  on  the  inside  of  the  thighs.  They  are  connected  together  by 
a  corded  substance.  This  is  the  inflamed  and  enlarged  lympliatic ;  and  ulceration 
quickly  follows  the  appearance  of  these  buds.  The  deeper-seated  absorbents  are  next 
affected ;  and  one  or  both  of  the  hind-legs  swell  to  a  great  size,  and  become  stiff,  and 
hot,  and  tender.  The  loss  of  flesh  and  strength  is  more  marked  every  day.  Th« 
membrane  of  the  nose  becomes  of  a  dirty  livid  colour.     The  membrane  of  the  mouth 


GLANDERS.  '  131 

Is  strangely  pallid.  The  eye  is  infiltrated  with  a  yellow  fluid ;  and  the  discharge 
from  the  nose  becomes  more  profuse,  and  insuflerably  offensive.  The  anima.  presents 
one  mass  of  putrefaction,  and  at  last  dies  exhausted. 

The  enlargement  of  the  submaxillary  glands,  as  connected  with  this  disease,  may, 
perhaps,  require  a  little  farther  consideration.  A  portion  of  the  fluid  secreted  by  the 
membrane  of  the  nose,  and  altered  in  character  by  the  peculiar  inflammation  there 
existing,  is  absorbed ;  and,  as  it  is  conveyed  along  the  lymphatics,  in  order  to  arrive 
at  the  place  of  its  destination,  it  inflames  them,  and  causes  them  to  enlarge  and  sup- 
purate. There  is,  however,  a  peculiarity  accompanying  the  inflammation  which  they 
take  from  the  absorption  of  the  virus  of  glanders.  They  are  rarely  large,  except  at 
first,  or  hot,  or  tender;  but  they  are  characterised  by  a  singular  hardness,  a  proximity 
to  the  jaw-bone,  and,  frequently,  actual  adhesion  to  it.  The  adhesion  is  produced  by 
the  intlammatory  action  going  forward  in  the  gland,  and  the  effusion  of  coagulable 
lymph.  This  hardness  and  adhesion  accompanying  discharge  from  the  nostril,  and 
being  on  the  same  side  with  the  nostril  whence  the  discharge  proceeds,  afford  proof 
not  to  be  controverted  that  the  horse  is  glandered.  Notwithstanding  this,  however, 
there  are  cases  in  wliich  the  glands  are  neither  adherent  nor  much  enlarged,  and  yet 
there  is  constant  discharge  from  one  or  both  nostrils.  The  veterinary  surgeon  would 
have  little  hesitation  in  pronouncing  them  to  be  cases  of  glanders.  He  will  trust  to 
the  adhesion  of  the  gland,  but  he  will  not  be  misled  by  its  looseness,  nor  even  by  ita 
absence  altogether. 

Glanders  have  often  been  confounded  with  strangles,  and  by  those  who  ought  to 
have  known  better.  Strangles  are  peculiar  to  young  horses.  The  early  stage 
resembles  common  cold,  with  some  degree  of  fever  and  sore  throat  —  generally  with 
distressing  cough,  or  at  least  frequent  wheezing ;  and  when  the  enlargement  appears 
beneath  the  jaw,  it  is  not  a  single  small  gland,  but  a  swelling  of  the  whole  of  the 
substance  between  the  jaws,  growing  harder  towards  the  centre,  and,  after  a  while, 
appearing  to  contain  a  fluid,  and  breaking.  In  strangles,  the  membrane  of  the  nose 
will  be  intensely  red,  and  the  discharge  from  the  nose  nrofuse  and  purulent,  or  mixed 
with  matter  almost  from  the  first.  When  the  tumour  has  burst,  the  fever  will  abate, 
and  the  horse  will  speedily  get  well. 

Should  the  discharge  from  the  nose  continue,  as  it  sometimes  does,  for  a  consider- 
able time  after  the  horse  has  recovered  from  strangles,  there  is  no  cause  for  fear. 
Simple  strangles  need  never  degenerate  into  glanders.  Good  keep,  and  small  doses 
of  ton',',!  medicine,  will  gradually  perfect  the  cure. 

G'/.nders  have  been  confounded  with  catarrh  or  cold;  but  the  distinction  between 
ther^.  is  plain  enough.  Fever,  and  loss  of  appetite  and  sore  throat,  accompany  cold — 
the  '/uidding  of  the  food  and  gulping  of  tile  water  are  sufficient  indications  of  the 
la*V5i  of  these ;  the  discharge  from  the  nose  is  profuse,  and  perhaps  purulent ;  the 
gfa/itJa  under  the  jaw,  if  swelled,  are  moveable,  there  is  a  thickening  around  them, 
aod  they  are  tender  and  hot.  With  proper  treatment  the  fever  abates ;  the  cough 
disappears  ;  the  swellings  under  the  throat  subside ;  and  the  discharge  from  the  nose 
gradually  ceases,  or,  if  it  remains,  it  is  usually  very  different  from  that  which 
characterises  glanders.  In  glanders,  there  is  seldom  cough  of  any  consequence,  and 
generally  no  cough  at  all. 

A  running  from  the  nose,  small  in  quantity,  and,  from  the  smallness  of  its  quantity, 
drying  about  the  edges  of  the  nostril,  and  presenting  some  appearance  of  stickiness, 
will,  in  a  few  cases,  remain  after  severe  catarrh,  and  especially  after  the  influenza  of 
spring ;  and  these  have  gradually  assumed  the  character  of  glanders,  and  more  par- 
ticularly when  they  have  been  accompanied  by  enlarged  glands  and  ulceration  in  the 
nose.  Here  the  aid  of  a  judicious  veterinary  surgeon  is  indispensable;  and  he  will 
sometimes  experience  considerable  difficulty  in  deciding  the  ease.  One  circumstance 
will  principally  guide  him.  No  disease  will  ruu  on  to  glanders  which  has  not,  to  a 
considerable  and  palpable  degree,  impaired  and  broken  down  the  constitution ;  and 
every  disp.ase  ihnt  does  this  will  run  on  to  glanders.  He  will  look  then  to  the  general 
state  and  condition  of  the  horse,  as  well  as  to  the  situation  of  the  glands,  the  nature 
of  the  discharge,  and  the  character  of  the  ulceration. 

If,  after  all,  he  is  in  doubt,  an  experiment  may  be  resorted  to,  which  wears  indeed 
the  appearance  of  cruelty,  and  which  only  the  safety  of  a  valuable  animal,  or  of  a 


132       ANATOMY  AND   DISEASES  OF  THE  NOSE  AND  MOUTH. 

whole  team,  can  justify.  He  will  inoculate  an  ass,  or  a  horse  already  condemned 
to  the  hounds,  with  the  matter  discharged  from  the  nose.  If  the  horse  is  glandcred, 
the  symptoms  of  glanders  or  farcy  will  appear  in  the  inoculated  animal  in  the  course 
of  a  few  days. 

The  post  mortem  examination  of  the  horse  will  remove  every  doubt  as  to  the 
character  of  the  disease.  The  nostril  is  generally  more  or  less  blanclied,  with  spots 
or  lines  of  inflammation  of  considerable  intensity.  Ulceration  is  almost  invariably 
found,  and  of  a  chancrous  character,  on  the  septum,  and  alsa  on  the  ajthmoid  and 
turbinated  bones.  The  ulcers  evidently  follow  the  course  of  the  absorbents,  some- 
times almost  confined  to  the  track  of  the  main  vessel,  or,  if  scattered  over  the 
membrane  generally,  thickest  over  the  path  of  the  lymphatic.  The  sethmoid  and 
turbinated  bones  are  often  filled  with  pus,  and  sometimes  eaten  through  and  carious; 
but,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  the  ulceration  is  confined  to  the  external  membrane, 
although  there  may  be  pus  within.  In  aggravated  cases  the  disease  extends  through 
all  the  cells  of  the  face  and  head. 

The  path  of  the  disease  down  the  larynx  and  windpipe  is  easily  traced,  and  the 
ulcers  follow  one  line — that  of  the  absorbents.  In  aggravated  cases,  this  can  generally 
be  traced  on  to  the  lungs.  It  produces  inflammation  in  these  organs,  characterised 
in  some  cases  by  congestion ;  but  in  other  cases,  the  congestion  having  gone  on  to 
hepatisation,  in  which  the  cellular  texture  of  the  lungs  is  obliterated.  Most  frequently, 
when  the  lungs  are  affected  at  all,  tubercles  are  found  —  miliary  tubercles  —  minute 
granulated  spots  on  the  surface,  or  in  the  substance  of  the  lungs,  and  not  accompanied 
by  much  inflammation.  In  a  few  cases  there  are  larger  tubercles,  which  soften  and 
burst,  and  terminate  in  cavities  of  varying  size. 

In  some  cases,  and  showing  that  glanders  is  not  essentially  or  necessarily  a  disease 
of  the  lungs,  there  is  no  morbid  affection  whatever  in  those  organs. 

The  history  thus  given  of  the  symptoms  of  glanders  will  clearly  point  out  its 
nature.  It  is  an  affection  of  the  membrane  of  the  nose.  Some  say,  and  at  their  head 
is  Professor  Dupuy,  that  it  is  the  production  of  tubercles,  or  minute  tumours  in  the 
upper  cells  of  the  nose,  which  may  long  exist  undetected,  except  by  a  scarcely  per- 
ceptible running  from  the  nostril,  caused  by  the  irritation  which  they  occasion.  These 
tubercles  gradually  become  more  numerous;  they  cluster  together,  suppurate  and 
break,  and  small  ulcerations  are  formed.  The  ulcers  discharge  a  poisonous  matter, 
which  is  absorbed  and  taken  up  by  the  neiglibouring  glands,  and  this,  with  greater  or 
less  rapidity,  vitiates  the  constitution  of  the  animal,  and  is  capable  of  communicatmg 
the  disease  to  others.  Some  content  themselves  with  saying  that  it  is  an  inflamma- 
tion of  the  membrane  of  the  nose,  which  may  assume  an  acute  or  chronic  form,  or  in 
a  very  short  time,  or  exceedingly  slowly,  run  on  to  ulceration. 

It  is  inflammation,  whether  specific  or  common,  of  the  lining  membrane  of  the  nose 
—  possibly  for  months,  and  even  for  years,  confined  to  that  membrane,  and  even  to 
a  portion  of  it — the  health  and  the  usefulness  of  the  animal  not  being  in  the  slightest 
degree  impaired.  Then,  from  some  unknown  cause,  not  a  new  but  an  intenser  action 
is  set  up,  the  inflammation  more  speedily  runs  its  course,  and  the  membrane  becomes 
ulcerated.  The  inflammation  spreads  on  either  side  down  the  septum,  and  the  ulcera- 
tion at  length  assumes  that  peculiar  chancrous  form  which  characterises  inflammation 
of  the  absorbents.  Even  then,  when  the  discharge  becomes  gluey,  and  sometimes 
after  chancres  have  appeared,  the  horse  is  apparently  well.  There  are  hundreds  of 
glandered  horses  about  the  country  with  not  a  sick  one  among  them.  For  months  or 
years  this  disease  may  do  no  injury  to  the  general  health.  The  inflammation  is  purely 
local,  and  is  only  recognised  by  the  invariable  accompaniment  of  inflammation  and 
increased  secretion.  Its  neighbours  fill  around,  but  the  disease  alTects  not  the  nninial 
whence  it  came.  At  length  a  constitutional  inflammation  appears ;  farcy  is  established 
in  its  most  horrible  form,  and  death  speedily  closes  the  scene. 

What,  then,  is  the  cause  of  this  insidious  dreadful  disease?  Although  we  maybe 
m  a  manner  ])owerless  as  to  the  removal  of  the  malady,  yet  if  we  can  trace  its  cause 
and  manner  of  action,  we  may  at  least  be  able  to  do  something  in  the  way  of  preven- 
tion. Much  has  been  accomplished  in  this  way.  Glanders  does  not  commit  one* 
tenth  part  of  the  ravages  which  it  did  thirty  or  forty  years  ago,  and,  generally  speak- 


GLANDERS. 


133 


inp:,  it  is  now  only  found  as  a  frequent  and  prevalent  disease  where  neglect,  and  filth, 
and  want  of  ventilation  exist. 

Glanders  may  be  either  bred  in  the  horse,  or  communicated  by  coutagion.  What 
we  have  farther  to  remark  on  this  malady  will  be  arranged  under  these  two  heads. 

Improper  stable  management  we  believe  to  be  a  far  more  frequent  cause  of  slan- 
ders than  contagion.  The  air  which  is  necessary  to  respiration  is  changed  and  em- 
poisoned in  its  passage  through  the  lungs,  and  a  fresh  supply  is  necessary  for  the 
support  of  life.  That  supply  may  be  sufficient  barely  to  support  life,  but  not  to  pre- 
vent the  vitiated  air  from  again  and  again  passing  to  the  lungs,  and  producing  irrita 
lion  and  disease.  The  membrane  of  the  nose,  possessed  of  extreme  sensibility  for  the 
purposes  of  smell,  is  easily  irritated  by  this  poison,  and  close  and  ill-ventilated  stables 
oftenest  witness  the  ravages  of  glanders.  Professor  Coleman  relates  a  case  which 
proves  to  demonstration  the  rapid  and  fatal  agency  of  this  cause.  "  In  the  expedition 
to  Quiberon,  the  horses  had  not  been  long  on  board  the  transports  before  it  became 
necessary  to  shut  down  the  hatchways  for  a  few  hours ;  the  consequence  of  this  was, 
that  some  of  them  were  suffocated,  and  that  all  the  rest  were  disembarked  either 
glandered  or  farcied." 

In  a  close  stable,  the  air  is  not  only  poisoned  by  being  repeatedly  breathed,  but 
there  are  other  and  more  powerful  sources  of  mischief.  The  dung  and  the  urine  are 
snlfered  to  remain  fermenting,  and  giving  out  injurious  gases.  In  many  dark  and 
ill-managed  stables,  a  portion  of  the  dung  may  be  swept  away,  but  the  urine  lies 
for  days  at  the  bottom  of  the  bed,  the  disgusting  and  putrefying  nature  of  which  is 
ill-concealed  by  a  little  fresh  straw  which  the  lazy  horsekeeper  scatters  over  the  top. 

The  stables  of  the  gentleman  are  generally  kept  hot  enough,  and  far  too  hot, 
although,  in  many  of  them,  a  more  rational  mods  of  treatment  is  beginning  to  be 
adopted ;  but  they  are  lofty  and  roomy,  and  the  horses  are  not  too  much  crowded 
together,  and  a  most  scrupulous  regard  is  paid  to  cleanliness.  Glanders  seldom  pre- 
vail there.  The  stables  of  the  farmer  are  ill-managed  and  filthy  enough,  and  the 
ordure  and  urine  sometimes  remain  from  week  to  week,  until  the  horse  lies  on  a  per- 
fect dunghill.  Glanders  seldom  prevail  there  ;  for  the  same  carelessness  which  per- 
mits the  filth  to  accumulate  leaves  many  a  cranny  for  the  wind  to  enter  and  sweep 
away  the  deleterious  fumes  from  this  badly-roofed  and  unceiled  place. 

The  stables  of  the  horse-dealer  are  hot  enough  ;  but  a  principle  of  strict  cleanliness 
is  enforced,  for  there  must  be  nothing  to  offend  the  eye  or  the  nose  of  the  customer, 
and  iliere  glanders  are  seldom  found  ;  but  if  the  stables  of  many  of  our  post-horses, 
and  of  those  employed  on  our  canals,  are  examined,  almost  too  low  for  a  tall  horse 
to  stand  upright  in  them — too  dark  for  the  accumulation  of  filth  to  be  perceived — too 
far  from  the  eye  of  the  master — ill-drained  and  ill-paved  —  and  governed  by  a  false 
principle  of  economy,  which  begrudges  the  labour  of  the  man,  and  the  cleanliness 
and  comfort  of  the  animal ;  these  will  be  the  very  hotbeds  of  the  disease,  and  in 
many  of  these  establishments  it  is  an  almost  constant  resident. 

Glanders  may  be  produced  by  anything  that  injures^  or  for  a  length  of  time  acts 
upon  and  weakens,  the  vital  energy  of  this  membrane.  They  have  been  known  to 
follow  a  fracture  of  the  bones  of  the  nose.  They  have  been  the  consequence  of 
violent  catarrh,  and  particularly  the  long-continued  discharge  from  the  nostrils,  of 
which  we  have  spoken.  They  have  been  produced  by  the  injection  of  stimulating 
and  acrid  substances  up  the  nostril.  Everything  that  weakens  the  constitution  gen- 
erally will  lead  to  glanders.  It  is  not  only  from  bad  stable  management,  but  from  the 
hardships  which  they  endure,  and  the  exhausted  state  of  their  constitution,  that  post 
and  machine  horses  are  so  subject  to  glanders ;  and  there  is  scarcely  an  inflammatory 
disease  to  which  the  horse  is  subject  that  is  not  occasionally  wound  up  and  terminated 
by  the  appearance  of  glanders. 

Among  the  causes  of  glanders  is  want  of  regular  exercise.  The  connexion, 
although  not  evident  at  first  glance,  is  too  certain.  When  a  horse  has  been  worked 
with  peculiar  severity,  and  is  become  out  of  spirits,  and  falls  away  in  flesh,  and 
refuses  to  eat,  a  little  rest  and  a  few  mashes  would  make  all  right  again ;  but  the 
grooiT!  plies  him  with  cordials,  and  adds  fuel  to  fire,  and  aggravates  the  state  of  fever 
tbat  has  commenced.  What  is  the  necessary  consequence  of  this?  The  weakest 
goes  to  tha  wall,  and  either  the  lungs  or  the  feet,  or  this  membrane — that  of  the  nose 


134        ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NOSE  AND  MOUTH. 

— the  weakest  of  all,  exposed  day  after  day  to  the  stimulating,  debilitating  ii>fluenceB 
that  have  been  described,  becomes  the  principal  seat  of  inflammation  that  terminates 
in  glanders. 

It  is  in  this  way  that  glanders  have  so  frequently  been  known  to  follow  a  hard 
day's  chase.  The  seeds  of  the  disease  may  have  previously  existed,  but  its  progress 
will  be  hastened  by  the  general  and  febrile  action  excited  —  the  absurd  measures 
A'hich  are  adopted  not  being  calculated  to  subdue  the  fever,  but  to  increase  the  stim- 
L.lus. 

Every  exciting  cause  of  disease  exerts  its  chief  and  its  worst  influence  on  this  mem- 
brane. At  the  close  of  a  severe  campaign  the  horses  are  more  than  decimated  by 
this  pest.  At  the  termination  of  the  Peninsular  war  the  ravages  of  this  disease  were 
dreadful.  Every  disease  will  predispose  the  membrane  of  the  nose  to  take  on  the 
inflammation  of  glanders,  and  with  many,  as  strangles,  catarrh,  bronchitis,  and  pneu- 
monia, there  is  a  continuity  of  membrane,  an  association  of  function,  and  a  thousand 
sympathies. 

There  is  not  a  disease  which  may  not  lay  the  foundation  for  glanders.  AVeeks, 
and  months,  and  years,  may  intervene  between  the  predisposing  cause  and  the  actual 
evil ;  but  at  length  the  whole  frame  may  become  excited  or  debilitated  in  many  a  way, 
and  then  this  debilitated  portion  of  it  is  the  first  to  yield  to  the  attack.  Atmospheric 
influence  has  somewhat  to  do  with  the  prevalence  of  glanders.  It  is  not  so  frequent 
in  summer  as  in  the  winter,  partly  attributable,  perhaps,  to  the  different  state  of  the 
stable  in  the  summer  months,  neither  the  air  so  close  or  so  foul,  nor  the  alternations 
of  temperature  so  great. 

There  are  some  remarkable  cases  of  the  connexion  of  moisture,  or  moist  exhala- 
tions, that  deserve  record.  When  new  stabling  was  built  for  the  troops  at  Hythe, 
and  inhabited  before  the  walls  were  perfectly  dry,  many  of  the  horses  that  had  been 
removed  from  an  open,  dry,  and  healthy  situation,  became  affected  with  glanders ; 
but,  some  time  having  passed  over,  the  horses  in  these  stables  were  as  healthy  as  the 
others,  and  glanders  ceased  to  appear. ,  An  innkeeper  at  Wakefield  built  some  exten- 
sive stabling  for  his  horses,  and,  inhabiting  them  tod  soon,  lost  a  great  proportion  of 
his  cattle  from  glanders.  There  are  not  now  more  healthy  stables  in  the  place.  The 
immense  range  of  stables  under  the  Adelphi,  in  the  Strand,  where  light  never  enters, 
and  the  supply  of  fresh  air  is  not  too  abundant,  were  for  a  long  time  notoriously  un- 
healthy, and  many  valuable  horses  were  destroyed  by  glanders ;  but  now  they  are 
filled  with  the  finest  wagon  and  dray-horses  that  the  metropolis  or  the  country  con- 
tains, and  they  are  fully  as  healthy  as  in  the  majority  of  stables  above-ground. 

There  is  one  more  cause  to  be  slightly  mentioned — hereditary  predisposition.  This 
has  not  been  sufficiently  estimated,  with  regard  to  the  question  now  under  considera- 
tion, as  well  as  with  respect  to  everything  connected  with  the  breeding  of  the  horse. 
There  is  scarcely  a  disease  that  does  not  run  in  the  stock.  There  is  that  in  the  struc- 
ture of  various  parts,  or  their  disposition  to  be  aflfected  by  certain  influences,  which 
perpetuates  in  the  offspring  the  diseases  of  the  sire;  and  thus  contraction,  ophthalmia, 
roaring,  are  decidedly  hereditary,  and  so  is  glanders.  M.  Dupuy  relates  some  deci- 
sive cases.  A  mare,  on  dissection,  exhibited  every  appearance  of  glanders  ;  her  filly, 
who  resembled  her  in  form  and  in  her  vicious  propensities,  died  glandered  at  six  years 
old.  A  second  and  a  third  mare,  and  their  foals,  presented  the  same  fatal  proof  that 
glanders  are  hereditary. 

Glanders  are  highly  contagious.  The  farmer  cannot  be  too  deeply  impressed  with 
the  certainty  of  this.  Considering  the  degree  to  which  this  disease,  even  at  the  pre 
sent  day,  often  prevails,  the  legislature  would  be  justified  in  inlertVring,  by  soma 
severe  enactments,  as  it  has  done  in  the  case  of  the  small-pox  in  the  human  subject. 

The  early  and  marked  symptom  of  glanders,  is  a  discharge  from  the  nostrils  of  a 
peculiar  character;  and  if  that,  even  before  it  becomes  purulent,  is  rubbed  on  a 
wound,  or  on  a  mucous  surface,  as  the  nostrils,  it  will  produce  a  similar  disease.  If 
the  division  between  two  horses  were  sufficiently  high  to  prevent  all  smelling  and 
snorting  at  each  other,  and  contact  of  every  kind,  and  they  drank  not  out  of  the  same 
pail,  a  sound  horse  might  live  for  years,  uninfected,  by  the  side  of  a  glandered  one. 
The  matter  of  glanders  has  been  mixed  up  into  a  ball,  and  given  to  a  healthy  horse, 
without  effect.     Some  horses  have  eaten  the  hay  left  by  those  that  were  glandered, 


GLANDERS.  I35 

and  no  bad  consequence  has  followed  ;  but  others  have  been  speedily  infected.  The 
glanderous  matter  must  come  in  contact  with  a  wound,  or  fall  on  some  membrane, 
thin  and  delicate,  like  that  of  the  nose,  and  through  which  it  may  be  absorbed.  It 
is  easy,  then,  accustomed  as  horses  are  to  be  crowded  toorether,  and  to  recognise  each 
other  bj'  the  smell — eating  out  of  the  same  manger,  and  drinking  from  the  same  pail — 
to  imagine  that  the  disease  may  be  very  readily  communicated.  One  horse  has  passed 
another  when  he  was  in  the  act  of  snorting,  and  has  become  glandered.  Some  fillies 
have  received  the  infection  from  the  matter  blown  by  the  wind  across  a  lane,  when  a 
glandered  horse,  in  the  opposite  field,  has  claimed  acquaintance  by  neighing  or  snort- 
ing. It  is  almost  impossible  for  an  infected  horse  to  remain  long  in  a  stable  with 
others  without  irreparable  mischief. 

If  some  persons  underrate  the  danger,  it  is  because  the  disease  may  remain  unre- 
cognised in  the  infected  horse  for  some  months,  or  even  years,  and  therefore,  when  it 
appears,  it  is  attributed  to  other  causes,  or  to  after  inoculation.  No  glandered  horse 
should  be  employed  on  any  farm,  nor  should  a  glandered  horse  be  permitted  to  work 
on  any  road,  or  even  to  pasture  on  any  field.  Mischief  may  be  so  easily  and  exten- 
sively effected,  that  the  public  interest  demands  that  every  infected  animal  should  be 
summarily  destroyed,  or  given  over  for  experiment  to  a  veterinary  surgeon,  or  recog- 
nised veterinary  establishment. 

There  are  a  few  instances  of  the  spontaneous  cure  of  chronic  glanders.  The  dis- 
charge has  existed  for  a  considerable  time.  At  length  it  has  gradually  diminished, 
and  has  ceased ;  and  this  has  occurred  under  every  kind  of  treatment,  and  without 
'any  medical  treatment :  but  in  the  majority  of  these  supposed  cases,  the  matter  was 
only  pent  up  for  a  while,  and  then,  bursting  from  its  confinement,  it  flowed  again  in 
double  quantity :  or,  if  glanders  have  not  re-appeared,  the  horse,  in  eighteen  or  twenty- 
four  months,  has  become  farcied,  or  consumptive,  and  died.  These  supposed  cures 
are  few  and  far  between,  and  are  to  be  regarded  with  much  suspicion. 

As  for  medicine,  there  is  scarcely  a  drug  to  which  a  fair  trial  has  not  been  given, 
and  many  of  them  have  had  a  temporary  reputation ;  but  they  have  passed  away,  one 
after  the  other,  and  are  no  longer  heard  of.  The  blue  vitriol  and  the  Spanish-fly  have 
held  out  longest;  and  in  a  few  cases,  either  nature  or  these  medicines  have  done 
wonders,  but  in  the  majority  of  instances  they  have  palpably  failed.  The  diniodide 
of  copper  has  lately  acquired  some  reputation.  It  has  been  of  great  service  in  cases 
of  farcy,  but  it  is  not  to  be  depended  upon  in  glanders. 

Where  the  life  of  a  valuable  horse  is  at  stake,  and  the  owner  adopts  every  precau- 
tion to  prevent  infection,  he  may  subject  the  horse  to  medical  treatment;  but  every 
humane  man  will  indignantly  object  to  the  slitting  of  the  nostril,  and  the  scraping  of 
the  cartilage,  and  searing  of  the  gland,  and  firing  of  the  frontal  and  nasal  bones,  and 
to  those  injections  of  mustard  and  capsicum,  corrosive  sublimate  and  vitriol,  by  which 
the  horse  has  been  tortured,  and  the  practitioner  disgraced.  At  the  veterinary  school, 
and  by  veterinary  surgeons,  it  will  be  most  desirable  that  every  experiment  should  be 
tried  to  discover  a  remedy  for  this  pest ;  but,  in  ordinary  instances,  he  is  not  faithful 
to  his  own  interest,  or  that  of  his  neighbours,  who  does  not  remove  the  possibility  of 
danger  in  the  most  summary  way. 

If,  however,  remedial  measures  are  resorted  to,  a  pure  atmosphere  is  that  which 
should  first  be  tried.  Glanders  is  the  peculiar  disease  of  the  stabled  horse,  and  the 
preparation  for,  or  the  foundation  of  a  cure,  must  consist  in  the  perfect  removal  of 
every  exciting  cause  of  the  malady.  The  horse  must  breathe  a  cool  and  pure  atmo- 
sphere, and  he  must  be  turned  out,  or  placed  in  a  situation  equivalent  to  it. 

A  salt  marsh  is,  above  all  others,  the  situation  for  this  experiment:  but  there».is 
much  caution  required.  No  sound  horse  must  be  in  the  same  pasture,  or  a  nei?nDCPir- 
ing  one.  The  palings  or  the  gates  may  receive  a  portion  of  toe  matter,  wnicn  may 
harden  upon  them,  and,  many  a  month  afterwards,  be  a  source  of  mischief — nay,  the 
virus  may  cling  about  the  very  herbage,  and  empoison  it.  Cattle  and  sheep  should 
not  b^  trusted  with  a  glandered  horse  ;  for  the  experiments  are  not  sufficiently  numer- 
ous or  decided  as  to  the  exemption  of  these  animals  from  the  contagion  of  glanders. 

Supposing  that  glanders  have  made  their  appearance  in  the  stables  of  a  farmer,  is 
there  any  danger  after  he  has  removed  or  destroyed  the  infected  horse?  Certainly 
there  is ;  but  not  to  the  extent  that  is  commonly  supposed.    There  is  no  necessity  foi 


136         ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NOSE  AND  MOUTH. 

pulling  down  the  racks  and  mangers,  or  even  the  stable  itself,  as  some  have  done. 
The  poison  resides  not  in  the  breath  of  the  animal,  but  in  the  nasal  discharge,  and 
that  can  only  reach  certain  parts  of  the  stable.  If  the  mangers,  and  racks,  and  bales, 
and  partitions,  are  first  well  scraped,  and  scoured  with  soap  and  water,  and  then 
thoroughly  washed  with  a  solution  of  the  chloride  of  lime,  (one  pint  of  the  chloride 
to  a  pailfuU  of  water,)  and  the  walls  are  lime-washed,  and  the  head-gear  burned,  and 
the  clothing  baked  or  washed,  and  the  pails  newly  painted,  and  the  iron-work  exposed 
to  a  red  heat,  all  danger  will  cease. 

Little  that  is  satisfactory  can  be  said  of  the  prevention  of  glanders. 

The  first  and  most  effectual  mode  of  prevention  will  be  to  keep  the  stables  cool  and 
well  ventilated,  for  the  hot  and  poisoned  air  of  low  and  confined  stables  is  one  of  the 
most  prevalent  causes  of  glanders. 

Next  to  ventilation  stands  cleanliness  ;  for  the  foul  air  from  the  fermenting  litter, 
and  urine,  and  dung,  must  not  only  be  highly  injurious  to  health  generally,  but  irritate 
and  predispose  to  inflammation  that  delicate  membrane  whicK  is  the  primary  seat  of 
the  disease.  If  to  this  be  added  regular  exercise,  and  occasional  green  meat  during 
the  summer,  and  carrots  in  the  winter,  we  shall  have  stated  all  that  can  be  done  in 
the  way  of  prevention. 

Glanders  in  the  human  being.  —  It  cannot  be  too  often  repeated,  that  a  glandered 
horse  can  rarely  remain  among  sound  ones  without  serious  mischief  ensuing ;  and, 
worse  than  all,  the  man  who  attends  on  that  horse  is  in  danger.  The  cases  are  now 
becoming  far  too  numerous  in  which  the  groom  or  the  veterinary  surgeon  attending 
on  glandered  horses  becomes  infected,  and  in  the  majority  of  cases  dies.  It  is,  how- 
ever, somewhat  more  manageable  in  the  human  being  than  in  the  quadruped.  Some 
cases  of  recovery  from  farcy  and  glanders  stand  on  record  with  regard  to  the  human 
being,  but  they  are  few  and  far  between. 

FARCY. 

Farcy  is  intimately  connected  with  glanders;  they  will  run  into  each  other,  or 
their  symptoms  will  mingle  together,  and  before  either  arrives  at  its  fatal  termination 
its  associate  will  almost  invariably  appear.  An  animal  inocculated  with  the  matter 
of  farcy  will  often  be  afl[licted  with  glanders,  while  the  matter  of  glanders  will  fre- 
quently produce  farcy.  They  are  different  types  or  stages  of  the  same  disease. 
There  is,  however,  a  very  material  difference  in  their  symptoms  and  progress,  and 
this  most  important  one  of  all,  that  while  glanders  are  generally  incurable,  farcy,  in 
its  early  stage  and  mild  form,  may  be  successfully  treated. 

While  the  capillary  vessels  of  the  arteries  are  everywhere  employed  in  building  up 
the  frame,  the  absorbents  are  no  less  diligently  at  work  in  selecting  and  carrying 
away  every  useless  or  worn-out  portion  or  part  of  it.  There  is  no  surface  —  there  is 
no  assignable  spot  on  which  thousands  of  these  little  mouths  do  not  open.  In  the 
discharge  of  their  duty,  they  not  only  remove  that  which  is  become  useless,  and  often 
that  which  is  healthy,  but  that  which  is  poisonous  and  destructive.  They  open  upon 
the  surface  of  every  glanderous  chancre.  They  absorb  a  portion  of  the  virus  which 
is  secreted  by  the  ulcer,  and  as  it  passes  along  these  little  tubes,  they  suffer  from  its 
acrimonious  quality  ;  hence  the  corded  veins,  as  they  are  called  by  the  farrier,  or, 
more  properly,  the  thickened  and  inflamed  absorbents  following  the  course  of  the 
veins. 

At  certain  distances  in  the  course  of  the  absorbents  are  loose  duplicatures  of  the 
lining  membrane,  which  are  pressed  against  the  side  of  the  vessel  and  permit  the 
fluid  to  i)ass  in  a  direction  towards  the  chest,  but  belly  out  and  impede  or  arrest  its 
progress  from  the  chest.  The  virus  at  these  places,  and  the  additional  inflammation 
there  excited,  is  to  a  greater  or  less  degree  evident  to  the  eye  and  to  the  feeling. 
They  are  usually  first  observed  about  the  lips,  the  nose,  the  neck,  and  the  thighs. 
They  are  very  hard — even  of  a  scirrhous  hardness,  more  or  less  tender,  and  with 
perceptible  heat  about  them. 

The  poisonous  matter  being  thus  confined  and  pressing  on  the  part,  suppuration 
and  ulceration  ensue.  The  ulcers  have  the  same  character  as  the  glanderous  ones  on 
the  membrane  of  the  nose.  They  are  rounded,  with  an  elevated  edge  and  a  pale 
surface.    They  are  true  chancres,  and  they  discharge  a  virus  as  infectious  and  as 


FARCY.  137 

danrrerous  as  the  matter  of  p^landers.  While  they  remain  in  their  hard  prominent 
state,  they  are  called  hultons  or  farcy  buds ;  and  they  are  connected  together  by  the 
inflamed  and  carded  veins. 

In  some  cases  the  horse  will  droop  for  many  a  day  before  the  appearance  of  the 
corded  veins  or  buds — his  appetite  will  be  impaired — his  coat  will  stare — he  will  lose 
llesh.  The  poison  is  evidently  at  work,  but  has  not  gained  sufficient  power  to  cause 
the  absorbents  to  enlarge.  In  a  few  cases  these  buds  do  not  ulcerate,  but  become 
hard  and  difficult  to  disperse.  The  progress  of  the  disease  is  then  suspended,  and 
possibly  for  some  months  the  horse  will  appear  to  be  restored  to  health  ;  but  he 
bears  the  seeds  of  the  malady  about  him,  and  in  due  time  the  farcy  assumes  its 
virulent  form,  and  hurries  him  otF.  These  buds  have  sometimes  been  confounded 
with  the  little  tumours  or  lumps  termed  surfeit.  They  are  generally  higher  than 
these  tumours,  and  not  so  broad.  They  have  a  more  knotty  character,  and  are  prin- 
cipally found  on  the  inside  of  the  limbs,  instead  of  the  outside. 

Few  tilings  are  more  unlike,  or  more  perplexing,  than  the  different  forms  which 
farcy  assumes  at  different  times.  One  of  the  legs,  and  particularly  one  of  the  hinder 
legs,  will  suddenly  swell  to  an  enormous  size.  At  night  the  horse  will  appear  to  be 
perfectly  well,  and  in  the  morning  one  leg  will  be  three  times  the  size  of  the  other, 
with  considerable  fever,  and  scarcely  the  power  of  moving  the  limb. 

At  other  times  the  head  will  be  subject  to  this  enlargement,  the  muzzle  particularly 
will  swell,  and  an  off'ensive  discharge  will  proceed  from  the  nose.  Sometimes  the 
horse  will  gradually  lose  flesh  and  strength  ;  he  will  be  hide-bound  ;  many  eruptions 
will  appear  in  different  parts;  the  legs  will  swell;  cracks  will  be  seen  at  the  heels, 
and  an  inexperienced  person  may  conceive  it  to  be  a  mere  want  of  condition,  com- 
bined with  grease. 

By  degrees  the  affection  becomes  general.  The  virus  has  reached  the  termination 
of  the  absorbents,  and  mingles  with  the  general  circulating  fluid,  and  is  conveyed 
with  the  blood  to  every  part  of  the  frame.  There  are  no  longer  any  valves  to  impede 
its  progress,  and  consequently  no  knots  or  btids,  but  the  myriads  of  capillary  absorbents 
that  penetrate  every  part  become  inflamed,  and  thickened,  and  enlarged,  and  cease  to 
discharge  their  function.  Hence  arises  enlargement  of  the  substance  of  various  parts, 
swellings  of  the  legs,  and  chest,  and  head  —  sudden,  painful,  enormous,  and  dis- 
tinguished by  a  heat  and  tenderness,  which  do  not  accompany  other  enlargements. 

It  is  a  question  somewhat  difficult  to  answer,  whether  iiarcy  can  exist  without 
previous  glanders.  Probably  it  cannot.  There  is  the  long-continued  insidious  pro- 
gress of  glanders  —  the  time  which  may  elapse,  and  often  does,  before  the  owner  is 
aware  or  the  veterinary  surgeon  sure  of  it — the  possibility  that  minute  ulceration  may 
have  for  a  long  while  existed  in  some  of  the  recesses  of  the  nose  —  or  that  the  slight 
discharge,  undreaded  and  unrecognised,  yet  vitiated,  poisoned,  and  capable  of  com- 
municating the  disease,  may  have  been  long  travelling  through  the  frame  and  affecting 
the  absorbents,  and  preparing  for  the  sudden  display  of  farcy. 

One  thing,  however,  is  undeniable,  that  farcy  does  not  long  and  extensively  prevail 
without  being  accompanied  by  glanders  —  that  even  in  the  mild  stages  of  farcy, 
glanders  may  be  seen  if  looked  for,  and  that  it  never  destroys  the  animal  without 
plainly  associating  itself  with  glanders.  They  are,  in  fact,  stages  of  the  same 
disease. 

Glanders  is  inflammation  of  the  membrane  of  the  nose,  producing  an  altered  and 
poisonous  secretion,  and  when  sufficient  of  this  vitiated  secretion  has  been  taken  up 
to  produce  inflammation  and  ulceration  of  the  absorbents,  farcy  is  established.  Its 
progress  is  occasionally  very  capricious,  continuing  in  a  few  cases  for  months  and 
years,  the  vigour  of  the  horse  remaining  unimpaired  ;  and,  at  other  times,  running 
on  to  its  fatal  termination  with  a  rapidity  perfectly  astonishing. 

Farcy  has  been  confounded  with  other  diseases ;  but  he  must  he  careless  or  ignorant 
who  mistook  sprain  for  it.  The  inflammation  is  too  circumscribed  and  too  plainly 
connected  with  the  joint  or  the  tendon. 

It  may  be  readily  distinguished  from  grease  or  swelled  legs.  In  grease  there  is 
usually  sortie  crack  or  scurfiness,  a  peculiar  tenseness  and  redness  and  glossiness  of 
the  skin,  some  ichorous  discharge,  and  a  singular  spasmodic  catching  up  of  the  leg. 

In  farcy  the  engorgement  is  even  more  sudden  than  that  of  grease.  The  horse  is 
12*  s 


138        ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NOSE  AND  MOUTH. 

well  to-day,  and  to-morrow  he  is  gorged  from  the  fetlock  to  the  haunch,  and  although 
there  is  not  the  same  redness  or  glossiness,  there  is  great  tenderness,  a  burning  heat 
in  the  limb  and  much  general  fever.  It  is  simultaneous  inflammation  of  all  thd 
absorbents  of  the  limb. 

Surfeit  can  scarcely  be  confounded  with  farcy  or  glanders.  It  is  a  pustular  erup- 
tion— mrfeit-bunips,  as  they  are  called,  and  terminating  in  desquamation,  not  in  ulcer- 
ation, although  numerous,  yet  irregularly  placed,  and  never  following  the  course  of 
the  absorbents,  but  scattered  over  the  skin. 

Local  dropsy  of  the  cellular  membrane,  and  particularly  that  enlargement  beneath 
the  thorax  which  has  the  strange  appellation  of  tvater-farcy,  have  none  of  the  charac- 
ters of  real  farcy.  It  is  general  debility  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  and  not  inflamma- 
tion of  the  absorbents.  If  properly  treated,  it  soon  disappears,  except  that,  occasion- 
ally, at  the  close  of  some  serious  disease,  it  indicates  a  breaking  up  of  the  constitution. 
Farcy,  like  glanders,  springs  from  infection  and  from  bad  stable  management.  It 
is  produced  by  all  the  causeswhich  give  rise  to  glanders,  with  this  difference,  that  it 
is  more  frequently  generated,  and  sometimes  strangely  prevalent  in  particular  districts. 
It  will  attack,  at  the  same  time,  several  horses  in  the  same  ill-conducted  stable,  and 
others  in  the  neighbourhood  who  have  been  exposed  to  the  same  predisposing  causes. 
Some  have  denied  that  it  is  a  contagious  disease.  They  must  have  had  little  experi- 
ence. It  is  true  that  the  matter  of  farcy  must  come  in  contact  with  a  wound  or  sore, 
in  order  to  communicate  the  disease  ;  but  accustomed  as  horses  are  to  nibble  and  play 
with  each  other,  and  sore  as  the  corners  of  the  mouth  are  frequently  rendered  by  the 
bit,  it  is  easy  to  imagine  that  this  may  be  easily  effected  ;  and  experience  tells  us,  that 
a  horse  having  farcy  ulcers  cannot  be  suffered  to  remain  with  others  without  extreme 
risk. 

The  treatment  of  farcy  differs  with  the  form  that  it  assumes.  As  a  general  rule, 
and  especially  when  the  buttons  or  buds  are  beginning  to  appear,  a  mild  dose  of 
physic  should  first  be  administered.  The  buds  should  then  be  carefully  examined, 
and  if  any  of  them  have  broken,  the  budding-iron,  at  a  dull  red  heat,  should  be  applied. 
If  pus  should  be  felt  in  them,  showing  that  they  are  disposed  to  break,  they  should 
be  penetrated  with  the  iron.  These  wounds  should  be  daily  inspected,  and  if,  when 
the  slough  of  the  cautery  comes  off,  they  look  pale,  and  foul,  and  spongy,  and  dis- 
charge a  thin  matter,  they  should  be  frequently  washed  with  a  strong  lotion  of  corro- 
sive sublimate,  dissolved  in  rectified  spirit.  When  the  wounds  begin  to  look  red,  and 
the  bottom  of  them  is  even  and  firm,  and  they  discharge  a  thick  white  or  yellow  mat- 
ter, the  Friar's  balsam  will  usually  dispose  them  to  heal. 

As,  however,  the  constitution  is  now  tainted,  local  applications  will  not  be  suffi- 
cient, and  the  disease  must  be  attacked  by  internal  medicine  as  soon  as  the  physic 
has  ceased  to  operate. 

Corrosive  sublimate  used  to  be  a  favourite  medicine,  combined  with  tonics,  and 
repeated  morning  and  night  until  the  ulcers  disappeared,  unless  the  mouth  became 
sore  or  tlie  horse  was  violently  purged,  when  the  sulphate  of  copper  was  substituted 
for  the  corrosive  siihlimate.  During  this  treatment  the  animal  was  placed,  if  possible, 
in  a  large  box,  with  a  free  circulation  of  air ;  and  green  meat  or  carrots,  and  particu- 
larly the  latter,  were  given,  with  a  full  allowance  of  corn.  If  he  could  he  turned  out 
in  the  day,  it  was  deemed  highly  advantageous.  It  is  related  by  Mr.  Blaine,  that  a 
horse,  so  reduced  as  not  to  be  able  to  stand,  was  drawn  into  a  field  of  tares,  and  suf- 
fered to  take  his  chance.  Tlie  consequence  was,  that,  when  he  had  eaten  all  within 
his  reach,  he  contrived  to  move  about  and  search  for  more,  and  eventually  recovered. 
Many  horses  recover  under  the  use  of  the  sublimate,  but  the  great  majority  of  them 
die. 

Mr.  Vines  introduced  a  more  effective  medicine — canlharides,  m  combination  like- 
wise with  the  vegetable  bitters — as  a  cure  for  farcy  and  glanders.  It  cannot  be  denied, 
that  many  animals  labouring  imder  the  former,  and  a  few  under  the  latter,  were  to  all 
appearance  radically  cured.  The  medicine  was  suspended  for  a  while  if  affection  of 
the  kidneys  supervened. 

A  still  more  effectual  medicine  has  been  introduced  by  Professor  Morton,  namely, 
tJie  diniodide  nf  copper,  and  it  has  been  found  of  essential  service  in  f\ircy  and  in  dis- 
eases simulating  glanders.     He  says  that  its  action  is  that  of  a  stimulant  to  the 


THE  LIPS.  139 

absorbent  vessels,  and  a  tonic.  The  gentian  root  is  usually  combined  with  it.  Can- 
tliarides,  in  small  quantities,  may  be  advantageously  added.  An  indication  of  its 
influence  is  a  soreness  of  the  diseased  parts  arising  from  the  absorbent  vessels  being 
roused  into  increased  action:  the  agent  should  then  be  for  a  time  withheld.* 

Water-Farcy,  confounded  by  name  with  the  common  f;ircy,  and  by  which  much 
confusion  has  been  caused,  and  a  great  deal  of  mischief  done,  is  a  dropsical  affection 
of  the  skin,  either  of  the  chest  or  of  the  limbs,  and  belongs  to  another  part  of  our 
subject. 

THE  LIPS. 

The  lips  of  the  horse  are  far  more  important  organs  than  many  suppose.  They  are 
the  hands  of  the  animal ;  and  if  any  one  will  take  the  trouble  to  observe  the  manner 
in  which  he  gathers  up  his  corn  with  them,  and  collects  together  the  grass  before  he 
divides  it  with  his  nippers,  he  would  be  satisfied  that  the  horse  would  be  no  more 
able  to  convey  the  food  to  his  mouth  without  them,  than  the  human  being  could  with- 
out his  hands.  This  has  even  been  put  to  the  test  of  experiment.  The  nerves  which 
supply  the  lips  were  divided  in  a  poor  ass,  to  illustrate  some  point  of  physiology. 
The  sensibility  of  the  lips  was  lost,  and  he  knew  not  when  he  touched  his  food  with 
them.  The  motion  of  the  lips  was  lost,  and  he  could  not  get  the  oats  between  his 
teeth,  although  the  manger  was  full  of  them  :  at  length,  driven  by  hunger,  he  contrived 
to  lick  up  a  few  of  them  with  his  tongue ;  but  when  they  were  on  his  tongue,  the 
greater  part  of  them  were  rubbed  off  before  be  could  get  them  into  his  mouth. 

It  is  on  account  of  this  use  of  the  lips,  and  that  they  may  be  brought  into  contact 
with  the  food  without  inconvenience  or  injury  to  other  parts  of  the  face,  that  the 
heads  of  most  quadrupeds  are  so  lengthened.  Several  muscles  go  to  the  lips  from 
different  parts  of  the  jaw  and  face.  Some  of  them  are  shown  in  the  cut,  p.  125. 
The  orbicularis  or  circular  muscle,  p,  employed  in  pushing  out  the  lips  and  closing 
them,  and  enabling  the  horse  to  seize  and  hold  his  food,  is  particularly  evident;  and 
in  the  explanation  of  the  cut,  the  action  of  other  muscles,  i,  k,  m,  and  o,  was  de- 
scribed. The  nerves  likewise,  y,  taking  their  course  along  the  cheek,  and  principally 
supplying  the  lips  with  the  power  of  motion,  and  those,  r,  proceeding  from  the  fora- 
men or  hole  in  the  upper  jaw,  deserve  attention. 

The  lips  are  composed  of  a  muscular  substance  for  the  sake  of  strength,  and  a 

*  A  very  interesting  case  of  the  cure  of  farcy  in  the  human  being  occurred  in  January, 1840, 
in  the  practice  of  Mr.  Curtis,  a  respectable  surgeon  of  Camden  Town  : — 

"  Mr.  G.,  a  student  at  the  Veterinary  College,  had,  about  three  weeks  before,  received  a 
slight  wound  on  the  forefinger  of  the  right  hand,  while  dissecting  a  glandered  horse.  The 
wound  healed ;  but,  about  nine  days  afterwards,  a  small  abscess  formed  in  the  part,  which  he 
would  not  consent  to  have  opened ;  the  pus  was  therefore  absorbed,  and  the  finger  got  well, 
and  neither  the  lymphatics  nor  the  glands  appeared  to  be  affected. 

"Ten  days  afterwards,  he  was  attacked  with  giddiness  while  attending  the  lecture,  and 
obliged  to  leave  the  room.  He  immediately  applied  to  Mr.  Curtis.  He  had  three  blotches  of 
inflammation  of  the  skin  of  the  right  leg,  varying  in  extent  from  two  to  four  inches  in  diameter. 
The  leg  was  very  painful  when  he  walked;  and  he  had  also  some  small  blotches  on  the  left 
leg.  He  had  headache  and  thirst.  His  case  was  sufiiciently  plain  —  farcy  was  beginning  to 
develop  itself.     Aperient  medicine  was  administered. 

•'  On  the  following  day,  there  were  numerous  small  blotches  over  both  legs  and  thighs.  In 
many  of  them  the  centre  was  of  a  pale  green  colour,  having  a  somewhat  gangrenous  appear- 
ance. The  headache  was  worse;  there  was  a  sensation  of  weight  over  the  eyes,  and  tender- 
ness over  the  left  frontal. 

"  Mr.  Curtis  determined  to  put  him  under  a  course  of  iodine,  of  the  tincture  of  which  eight 
minims  were  ordered  every  fourth  hour,  the  bowels  being  kept  in  a  relaxed  state. 

"  On  the  fourth  day,  the  centre  of  the  blotches,  which  were  still  green,  appeared  to  form 
cavities,  containing  a  fluid,  from  about  the  size  of  a  shilling  to  that  of  a  half-crown.  The 
blotches  w^ere  surrounded  by  hard,  defined  edges,  covered  with  cuticle,  but  the  thickening  of 
which  was  gradually  disappearing^. 

"  Two  days  after  this,  the  fluid  in  the  cavities  was  absorbed,  but  round  their  edges  were 
lumps,  or  tubercles,  about  the  size  of  peas.  Several  weeks  passed  before  the  tubercles  quite 
disappeared. 

"  Mr.  Curtis  remarks,  that  so  far  as  a  single  case  will  go,  the  intractable  nature  of  this  dig 
ease  seems  to  arise  rather  from  neglect  in  its  early  stage,  than  from  any  impossibility  of  sub 
duing  it." — The  Veterinarian,  vol.  xiii.  p.  353. 


140        ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NOSE  AND  MOUTH. 

multitude  of  small  glanrls,  which  secrete  a  fluid  that  covers  the  inside  of  the  lips  and 
the  gums,  in  order  to  prevent  friction,  and  likewise  furnish  a  portion  of  the  moisture 
so  necessary  for  the  proper  chewing  of  the  food.  The  skin  covering  the  lips  is  ex- 
ceedingly thin,  in  order  that  their  peculiar  sensihility  may  be  preserved,  and  for  the 
same  purpose  they  are  scantily  covered  with  hair,  and  that  hair  is  fine  and  short. 
Long  hairs  or  feelers,  termed  the  beard,  are  superadded  with  the  same  intention. 
The  horse  is  guided  and  governed  principally  by  the  mouth,  and  therefore  the  lips 
are  endowed  with  very  great  sensibility,  so  that  the  animal  feels  the  slightest  motion 
of  the  hand  of  the  rider  or  driver,  and  seems  to  anticipate  his  very  thoughts.  The 
fineness  or  goodness  of  the  mouth  consists  in  its  exquisite  feeling,  and  that  depends  on 
the  thinness  of  this  membrane. 

The  lips  of  the  horse  should  be  thin,  if  the  beauty  of  the  head  is  regarded ;  yet, 
although  thin,  they  should  evidently  possess  power,  and  be  strongly  and  regularly 
closed.  A  firm,  compressed  mouth  gives  a  favourable  and  no  deceptive  idea  of  the 
muscular  power  of  the  animal.  Lips  apart  from  each  other  and  hanging  down,  indi- 
cate weakness  or  old  age,  or  dullness  and  sluggishness. 

The  depth  of  the  mouth,  or  the  distance  from  the  fore-part  to  the  angle  of  the  lips, 
should  be  considerable.  A  short,  protuberant  mouth  would  be  a  bad  finish  to  the 
tapering  face  of  the  blood-horse.  More  room  is  likewise  given  for  the  opening  of 
the  nostril,  which  has  been  shown  to  be  an  important  consideration.  The  bridle  will 
not  be  carried  well,  and  the  horse  will  hang  heavy  on  hand,  if  there  is  not  consider- 
able depth  of  mouth. 

The  comers  or  angles  of  the  lips  are  frequently  made  sore  or  wounded  by  the  small- 
ness,  or  shortness,  or  peculiar  twisting  of  the  snaffle,  and  the  unnecessary  and  cruel 
tightness  of  the  bearing-rein.  This  rein  was  introduced  as  giving  the  horse  a  grander 
appearance  in  harness,  and  placing  the  head  in  that  position  in  which  the  bit  most 
effectually  presses  upon  the  jaw.  There  is  no  possibility  of  safely  driving  without 
it,  for,  deprived  of  this  control,  many  horses  would  hang  their  heads  low,  and  be  dis- 
posed every  moment  to  stumble,  and  would  defy  all  pulling,  if  they  tried  to  run  away. 
There  is,  and  can  be  no  necessity,  however,  for  using  a  bearing-rein  so  tight  as  to 
cramp  the  muscles  of  the  head,  or  to  injure  and  excoriate  the  angles  of  the  lips. 

The  following  is  the  opinion  of  Nimrod,  and  to  a  more  competent  judge  we  could 
not  appeal : — "  As  to  the  universal  disuse  of  the  bearing-rein  with  English  horses,  it 
can  never  take  place.  The  charge  against  it  of  cruelty  at  once  falls  to  the  ground, 
because,  to  make  a  team  work  together  in  fast  work,  every  horse's  head  must  be  as 
much  restrained  by  the  coupling-rein  as  it  would  be  and  is  by  the  bearing-rein.  Its 
excellence  consists  in  keeping  horses'  mouths  fresh  —  in  enabling  a  coachman  to 
indultre  a  horse  with  liberty  of  rein,  without  letting  him  be  all  abroad,  which  he 
would  be  with  his  head  quite  loose,  and  of  additional  safety  to  the  coach-horse,  as 
proved  by  the  fact  of  either  that  or  the  crupper  always  giving  way  when  he  falls 
down.  There  are,  however,  teams  in  which  it  may  be  dispensed  with,  and  the  horses 
have  an  advantage  in  their  working  against  hills.  As  to  the  comparison  of  the  road 
coach-horses  on  the  Continent  and  our  own,  let  any  one  examine  the  knees  of  the 
French  dilio-ence  and  post  horses,  which  are  allowed  perfect  liberty  of  head,  and  he 
will  be  convinced  that  the  use  of  the  b«aring-rein  does  not  keep  them  on  their  legs."* 
The  mouth  is  injured  much  oftener  than  the  careless  owner  suspects  by  the  pres- 
sure of  a  sharp  bit.  Not  only  are  the  bars  wounded  and  deeply  ulcerated,  but  the 
lower  jaw,  between  the  tush  and  the  grinders,  is  sometimes  worn  even  to  the  bone, 
and  the  bone  itself  affected,  and  portions  of  it  torn  away.     It  may  be  necessarj"^  to 

*  New  Sporting  Magazine,  vol.  xiii.  p.  99. 

The  author  of  the  "  Essay  on  Humanity  to  Brutes,"  lakes  the  same  view  of  the  subject. 
"  It  is  not,"  says  he,  "  to  the  extent  that  has  been  supposed  an  instrument  of  torture.  It  is 
absohitely  necessary  in  fast  work,  and  useful  on  level  ground.  The  objection  to  it  is  the  tight- 
ness with  which  it  is  sometimes  applied,  and  then  it  is  a  sad  confinement  to  the  head,  and  a 
source  of  very  great  pain.  It  is  also  disadvantageous  when  the  horse  is  goinsr  up-hill,  be- 
cause it  prevents  him  from  throwing  his  whole  weight  into  the  collar.  It  cannot,  however, 
be  done  without,  especially  in  the  horse  that  is  once  accustomed  to  it ;  but  the  poor  animal 
needs  not  to  be  so  tightly  reined." — The  Obligation  and  Extent  of  Humanity  to  Brutes,  6? 
W.  Youatt,  p.  149. 


THE  BONES    OF   THE   MOUTH  — THE    PALATE.         141 

have  a  sharp  bit  for  the  headstrong  and  obstinate  beast ;  yet  if  that  bit  is  severely 
and  unjustitiably  called  into  exercise,  the  animal  may  rear,  and  endanger  himself  and 
his  rider.  Tliere  can,  however,  be  no  occasion  for  a  thousandth  part  of  the  torment 
which  the  trappings  of  the  mouth  often  inflict  on  a  willing  and  docile  servant,  and 
which  either  render  the  mouth  hard,  and  destroy  all  the  pleasure  of  riding,  or  cause 
the  horse  to  become  fretful  or  vicious. 

Small  ulcers  are  sometimes  found  in  the  various  parts  of  the  mouth,  said  to  be  pro- 
duced by  rusty  bits,  but  oftener  arising  from  contusions  inflicted  by  the  bit,  or  from 
inflammation  of  the  mouth.  If  the  curb-bit  is  in  fault,  a  snaflle  or  Pelliam-bit  should 
be  used.  If  there  is  inflammation  of  the  mouth,  a  little  coolino-  medicine  may  be 
administered ;  and  to  the  ulcers  themselves,  tincture  of  myrrh,  diluted  with  water, ' 
or  alum  dissolved  in  water,  may  be  applied  with  advantage. 

THE    BONES    OF    THE    MOUTH. 

The  bones  in,  and  giving  form  to  the  mouth,  are  the  superior  maxillary  or  upper 
jaw  {b,  p.  68,  and  /,  p.  70),  containing  the  grinders:  the  anterior  maxillary,  or  lower 
part  of  the  upper  jaw  {b,  p.  G8,  n,  p.  70,  r,  p.  72),  containing  the  upper-nippers  or 
cutting-teeth  ;  the  palatine  bone  (below  8,  p.  7"2),  and  the  posterior  maxillary  or 
under  jaw  (a,  p.  68,  and  it',  p.  72),  containing  all  the  under-teeth. 

The  superior  maxillary  is,  with  the  exception  of  the  lower  jaw,  the  largest  bone  in 
the  face.  It  unites  above  with  the  lachrymal  bone  (i,  p.  70)  ;  and,  more  on  the  side, 
with  the  malar,  or  cheek  bone,  k ;  and  a  portion  of  it,  continued  upward  and  under- 
neath, enters  into  the  orbit.  Above,  and  on  the  front  of  the  face,  it  unites  with  the 
bones  of  the  nose,  j,  and  below,  with  the  inferior  maxillary,  7!.  That  which  most 
deserves  notice  in  it  externally,  is  the  ridge,  or  spine,  seen  at  b,  p.  68,  but  better  deli- 
neated in  the  cut  of  the  head,  p.  72,  continued  from  the  base  of  the  zygomatic  arch, 
and  across  the  malar  bone.  It,  and  the  surface  beneath,  serve  to  give  attachment  to 
the  masseter  muscle,  concerned,  almost  as  much  as  the  temporal  one,  in  the  act  of 
chewing.  The  dark  spot  (w,  p.  70,  and  seen  likewise  at  p.  68)  marks  the  foramen, 
or  hole,  through  which  a  branch  of  the  fifth  pair  of  nerves  proceeds,  to  give  sensi- 
bility to  the  lower  part  of  the  face.  As  it  approaches  the  teeth,  this  bone  separates 
into  two  plates,  and  these  are  divided  by  long  partitions,  which  contain  and  firmly 
hold  the  upper  grinders.  The  lower  plate  then  projects  inwards,  and  forms  (/,  p.  72) 
the  principal  portion  of  the  roof  of  the  mouth,  and  the  floor  of  the  cavity  of  the  nose. 
The  corresponding  bone  on  the  other  side,  meets  its  fellow  in  the  centre  of  the  palate. 
The  upper  jaw-bone  contains  in  it  large  cavities  besides  those  for  the  teeth,  and  these 
open  into,  and  enlarge  the  cavity  of  the  nose.  They  are  connected  with  the  voice, 
but  not  with  the  smell ;  for  the  expansion  of  the  olfactory,  or  smelling  nerve,  has 
never  been  traced  beyond  the  bones  and  membranes  of  the  proper  cavity  of  the  nose. 
The  maxillary  sinuses  are  generally  filled  with  matter  in  bad  cases  of  glanders. 

Below  these,  are  the  anterior  maxillary  bones  (/,  p.  68,  a,  p.  68),  containing  the 
upper  cutting  teeth,  with  the  tushes  belonging  to  both  the  upper  and  anterior  bones. 
These  are  the  bones  to  which  (see  cut,  p.  72)  the  upper  lip  is  attached.  The  supe- 
rior and  anterior  maxillary  bones  are  separated  in  animals  with  long  faces,  like  the 
horse,  that,  by  overlapping  each  other,  strength  might  be  gained. 

The  palatine  bone  forms  but  a  very  small  portion  of  the  palate.  It  surrounds  the 
edge  of  the  communication  between  the  cavity  of  the  nose  and  the  back  parts  of  the 
ffouth. 

THE   PALATE. 

Adhering  to  a  portion  of  the  three  bones  just  described,  and  constituting  the  lining 
of  the  roof  of  the  mouth,  is  the  palate  (/,  p.  72),  composed  of  an  elastic  and  dense 
substance,  divided  into  several  ridges  called  bars.  The  following  cut  gives  a  view 
of  them. 

It  will  aho  point  out  the  bleeding  place,  if  it  should  occasionally  be  deemed  advi- 
sable to  abstract  blood  from  the  mouth;  or  if  the  horse  should  be  attacked  with 
megrims  on  a  journey,  and  the  driver,  having  no  lancet,  should  be  compelled  to  make 
use  of  his  knife,  the  incision  should  be  made  between  the  central  and  second  nippers 
on  eithe'  side,  about  an  inch  within  the  mouth,  and  cutting  through  the  second  bar. 


142 


ANATOMY  AND   DISEASES   OF   THE   NOSE  AND   MOUTH. 

A  stream  of  blood  will  be  thus  obtained,  which  will 
usually  cease  to  flow  when  two  or  three  quarts  have 
escaped,  or  may  generally  be  arrested  by  the  applica- 
tion of  a  sponge  filled  with  cold  water. 

This,  however,  is  a  make-shift  sort  of  bleeding 
that  may  be  allowable  on  a  journey,  and  possibly  in 
some  cases  of  lampas,  but  which  is  decidedly  objec- 
tionable as  the  usual  mode  of  abstracting  blood. 
The  quantity  withdrawn  cannot  be  measured,  the 
degree  of  inflammation  cannot  be  ascertained  by  the 
manner  in  which  it  coagulates,  and  there  may  be 
difficulty  to  the  operator,  and  annoyance  and  pain  to 
the  horse,  in  stopping  the  bleeding. 

This  cut  likewise  depicts  the  appearance  of  the 
roof  of  the  mouth,  if  the  bars  were  dissected  off,  and 
of  the  numerous  vessels,  arterial  and  venous,  which 
ramify  over  it. 

LAMPAS. 

The  bars  occasionally  swell,  and  rise  to  a  level 
with,  and  even  beyond  the  edge  of,  the  teeth.  They 
\  are  very  sore,  and  the  horse  feeds  badly  on  account  of 
the  pain  he  suiTers  from  the  pressure  of  the  food  on 
them.  This  is  called  the  Lampas.  It  may  arise 
from  inflammation  of  the  gums,  propagated  to  the 
bars,  when  the  horse  is  shedding  his  teeth  —  and 
young  horses  are  more  subject  to  it  than  others  —  or 
from  some  slight  febrile  tendency  in  the  constitution 
generally,  as  when  a  young  horse  has  lately  been 
taken  up  from  grass,  and  has  been  over-fed,  or  not  sufficiently  exercised.  At  times, 
it  appears  in  aged  horses ;  for  the  process  of  growth  in  the  teeth  of  the  horse  is  con- 
tinued during  the  whole  life  of  the  animal. 

Li  the  majority  of  cases,  the  swelling  will  soon  subside  withoj^  medical  treatment; 
or  a  few  mashes,  and  gentle  alteratives,  will  relieve  the  animal.  A  few  slight  inci- 
sions across  the  bars  with  a  lancet,  or  penknife,  will  relieve  the  inflammation,  and 
cause  the  swelling  to  subside;  indeed,  this  scarification  of  the  bars  in  lampas  will 
seldom  do  harm,  although  it  is  far  from  being  so  necessary  as  is  supposed.  The 
brutal  custom  of  the  farrier,  who  sears  and  burns  down  the  bars  with  a  red-hot  iron, 
is  most  objectionable.  It  is  torturing  the  horse  to  no  purpose,  and  rendering  that  part 
callous,  on  the  delicate  sensibility  of  which  all  the  pleasure  and  safety  of  riding  and 
driving  depend.  It  may  be  prudent,  in  case  of  lampas,  to  examine  the  grinders,  and 
more  particularly  the  tushes,  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  either  of  them  is  making 
its  way  through  the  gum.  If  it  is  so,  two  incisions  across  each  other  should  be  made 
on  the  tooth,  and  the  horse  will  experience  immediate  relief. 

THE  LOWER  JAW. 

The  posterior  or  lower  jaw  may  be  considered  as  forming  the  floor  of  the  mouth, 
(a,  p.  68,  or  w,  p.  72).  The  body,  or  lower  part  of  it,  contains  the  under  cutting 
teeth  and  the  tushes,  and  at  the  sides  are  two  flat  pieces  of  bone,  containing  the 
grinders.  On  the  inside,  and  opposite  to  a,  p.  68,  is  a  foramen,  or  hole,  through 
which  blood-vessels  and  nerves  enter  to  supply  the  teeth,  and  some  of  which  escape 
again  at  another  orifice  on  the  outside,  and  near  the  nippers.  The  branches  are 
broader  and  thinner,  rounded  at  the  angle  of  the  jaw,  and  terminating  in  two  processes. 
One,  the  cnracoid,  from  its  sharpness,  or  supposed  resemblance  to  a  beak,  passes 
under  the  zygomatic  arch  (see  p.  68)  ;  and  the  temporal  muscle,  arising  from  the 
whole  surface  of  the  parietal  bone  (see  p.  74),  is  inserted  into  it,  and  wrapped  round 
it ;  and  by  its  action,  principally,  the  jaw  is  moved,  and  the  food  is  ground.  The 
other,  the  condi/Ioid,  or  rounded  process,  is  received  into  the  glenoid  (shallow)  cavity 
of  the  temporal  bone,  at  the  base  of  the  zygomatic  arch,  and  forms  the  joint  on  which 
the  lower  jaw  moves.     This  joint  is  easily  seen  in  the  cut  at  p.  68  ;  and  being  placed 


THE    LOWER    JAW. 


143 


so  icar  to  thw  insertion  of  tlie  muscle,  or  the  centre  of  motion,  the  temporal  muscle 
must  act  with  very  considerable  mechanical  disadvantage,  and,  consequently,  must 
possess  immense  power. 

This  joint  is  admirably  contrived  for  the  purpose  which  the  animal  requires.  It 
will  admit  freely  and  perfectly  of  the  simple  motion  of  a  hinge,  and  that  is  the  action 
of  the  jaw  in  nipping  the  herbage  and  seizing  the  corn.  But  the  grass,  and  more 
particularly  the  corn,  must  be  crushed  and  bruised  before  it  is  fit  for  digestion. 
Simple  champing,  which  is  the  motion  of  the  human  lower  jaw,  and  that  of  most 
beasts  of  prey,  would  very  imperfectly  break  down  the  corn.  It  must  be  put  into  a 
mill ;  it  must  be  actually  ground. 

It  is  put  into  the  mill,  and  as  perfect  a  one  as  imagination  can  conceive. 

The  following  cuts  represent  the  glenoid  cavity,  in  a  carnivorous  or  flesh-eating,  and 
herbivorous  or  grass-eating,  animal,  viz.  the  tiger  and  the  horse :  the  one  requiring  a 
simple  hinge-like  motion  of  the  lower  jaw  to  tear  and  crush  the  food ;  the  other,  a 
lateral  or  grinding  motion  to  bring  it  into  a  pulpy  form.  We  first  examine  this 
cavity  in  the  tiger  represented  at  B.  At  the  root  of  the  zygomatic  process  D,  is  a 
hollow  with  a  ridge  along  the  greater  part  of  the  upper  and  inner  side  of  it,  standing 
to  a  considerable  height,  and  curling  over  the  cavity.     At  the  lower  and  opposite 


edge  of  the  cavity,  but  on  the  outside,  is  a  similar  ridge,  E,  likewise  rising  abruptly 
and  curling  over.  At  C  is  another  and  more  perfect  view  of  this  cavity  in  a  different 
direction.  The  head  of  the  lower  jaw  is  received  into  this  hollow,  and  presses  against 
these  ridges,  and  is  partially  surrounded  by  them,  and  forms  with  them  a  very  strong 
joint  where  dislocation  is  scarcely  possible,  and  the  hinge-like  or  cranching  motion 
is  admitted  to  its  fullest  extent ;  permitting  the  animal  violently  to  seize  his  prey,  to 
hold  it  firmly,  and  to  crush  it  to  pieces;  but  from  the  extent  and  curling  form  of  the 
ridges,  forbidding,  except  to  a  very  slight  degree,  all  lateral  and  grinding  motion, 
and  this,  because  the  animal  does  not  want  it. 

As  before  mentioned,  the  food  of  the  horse  must  be  ground.  Simple  bruising  and' 
champing  would  not  sufficiently  comminute  it  for  the  purposes  of  digestion.  We 
then  observe  the  different  construction  of  the  parts  to  eflfect  this.  A  gives  the  glenoid 
cavity  of  the  horse.  First,  there  is  the  upper  ridge  assuming  a  rounded  form,  F,  and 
therefore  called  the  mastoid  process;  and  —  a  peculiarity  in  the  horse  —  the  mastoid 
process  of  the  squamous  portion  of  the  temporal  bone  :  sufficiently  strong  to  support 
the  pressure  and  action  of  the  lower  jaw  when  cropping  the  food  or  seizing  an  enemy, 
but  not  encircling  the  head  of  that  bone,  and  reaching  only  a  little  way  alongr-  the  side 
of  the  cavity,  where  it  terminates,  having  its  edges  rounded  of!"  so  as  to  admit,  and  to 
be  evidently  destined  for,  a  circular  motion  about  it.  At  the  other  and  lower  edge 
of  the  cavity,  and  on  the  outside,  G  is  placed — not  a  curling  ridge  as  in  the  tiger,  but 
a  mere  tubercle:  and  for  what  reason?  evidently  to  limit  this  lateral  or  circular 
motion  —  to  permit  it  as  far  as  the  necessities  of  the  animal  require  it,  and  then  to 
arrest  it.  How  is  this  done  ?  Not  suddenly  or  abniptly  ;  but  the  tubercle,  of  which 
we  have  already  spoken  as  strengthening  this  portion  of  the  zygomatic  arch,  now 
discharging  another  office,  has  a  smooth  and  gradual  ascent  to  it,  up  which  the  lowei 
jaw  may  climb  to  a  certain  extent,  and  then,  by  degrees,  be  stopped.  We  speak  not 
now  of  the  moveable  cartilage  which  is  placed  in  this  cavity,  and  between  the  bones, 
to  render  the  motion  easier  and  freer.  It  is  found  in  this  joint  in  every  quadniped  ; 
and  it  is  found  wherever  motions  are  rapid  and  of  long  continuance. 


144       ANATOMY  AND   DISEASES   01    THE  NOSE  AND   MOUTH. 

So  great  is  the  conformity  between  the  structure  of  the  animal  and  his  destination 
that  a  tolerable  student  in  comparative  anatomy,  by  a  mere  inspection  of  the  glenoid 
cavity,  would  at  once  determine  whether  the  animal  to  which  it  belonged  was  car- 
nivorous, and  wanted  no  lateral  motion  of  the  jaw  ;  or  omnivorous,  living  occasionally 
on  all  kinds  of  food,  and  requiring  some  degree  of  grinding  motion ;  or  herbivorous, 
and  needing  the  constant  use  of  this  admirably-constructed  mill. 

At  g,  p.  135,  is  represented  the  viasse.ter  muscle,  an  exceedingly  strong  one,  con- 
stituting the  cheek  of  the  horse  —  arising  from  the  superior  maxillary  under  the  ridge 
continued  from  the  zygomatic  arch,  and  inserted  into  the  lower  jaw,  and  particularly 
round  the  rough  border  at  the  angle  of  the  jaw.  This  acts  with  the  temporal  muscle 
in  closing  the  jaw,  and  in  giving  the  direct  cutting  or  champing  motion  of  it. 

Within  the  lower  jaw,  on  either  side,  and  occupying  the  whole  of  the  hollowed 
portion  of  them,  and  opposite  to  the  masseters,  are  the  pterygoid  muscles,  going  from 
the  jaws  to  bones  more  in  the  centre  of  the  channel,  likewise  closing  the  mouth,  and 
also,  by  their  alternate  action,  giving  that  grinding  motion  which  has  been  described. 
The  space  between  the  branches  of  the  lower  jaw,  called  the  channel,  is  of  consider- 
able consequence.  It  may  be  a  little  too  wide,  and  then  the  face  will  have  a  clumsy 
appearance :  but  if  it  is  too  narrow,  the  horse  will  never  be  able  to  bend  his  head 
freely  and  gracefully  ;  he  will  be  always  pulling  or  boring  upon  the  hand,  nor  can  ho 
possibly  be  well  reined  in. 

The  jaws  contain  the  teeth,  which  are  the  millstones  employed  in  comminuting  the 
food.  The  mouth  of  the  horse  at  five  years  old  contains  forty  teeth,  viz.  six  nippers 
or  cutting  teeth  in  front,  a  tush  on  each  side,  and  six  molars,  or  grinding  teeth,  above 
and  below.  They  are  contained  in  cavities  in  the  upper  and  lower  jaws,  surrounded 
by  bony  partitions,  to  which  they  are  accurately  fitted,  and  by  which  they  are  firmly 
supported.  For  a  little  way  above  these  bony  cavities,  they  are  surrounded  by  a  hard 
substance  called  the  gum,  so  dense,  and  adhering  so  closely  to  the  teeth  and  the  jaws 
as  not  to  be  separated  without  very  great  difficulty  —  singularly  compact,  that  it  may 
not  be  wounded  by  the  hard  or  sharp  particles  of  the  food,  and  almost  devoid  of  feel- 
ing, for  the  same  purpose. 

Heven  or  eight  months  before  the  foal  is  born,  the  germs  or  beginnings  of  the  teeth 
are  visible  in  the  cavities  of  the  jaws.  The  tooth  grows,  and 
presses  to  the  surface  of  the  gum,  and  forces  its  way  through  it ; 
and,  at  the  time  of  birth,  the  first  and  second  grinders  have 
appeared,  large  compared  with  the  size  of  the  jaw,  and  seemingly 
filling  it.  In  the  course  of  seven  or  eight  days  the  two  central 
nippers  are  seen  as  here  represented.  They  likewise  appear  to 
be  large,  and  to  fill  the  front  of  the  mouth ;  although  they  will 
afterwards  be  found  to  be  small,  compared  with  the  permanent 
teeth  that  follow.  In  the  course  of  the  first  month  the  third 
grinder  appears  above  and  below,  and,  not  long  after,  and  gener- 
1  ally  before  six  weeks  have  expired,  another  incisor  above  and 

/  1     below  will  be  seen  on  each  side  of  the  two  first,  which  have  now 

t \    considerably  grown,  but  not  attained  their  perfect  height.     The 

second  cut  will  represent  the  appearance  of  the  mouth  at  that  time. 
At  two  months,  the  central  nippers  will  have  reached 
their  natural  level,  and  between  the  second  and  third 
month  the  second  pair  will  have  overtaken  them.  They 
will  then  begin  to  wear  away  a  little,  and  the  outer  edge, 
which  was  at  first  somewhat  raised  and  sharp,  is  brought 
to  a  level  with  the  inner  one,  and  so  the  mouth  continues 
until  some  time  between  the  sixth  and  ninth  month,  whei 
another  nipper  begins  to  appear  on  each  side  of  the  two 
first,  making  six  above  and  below,  and  completing  the 
colt's  mouth ;  after  which,  the  only  observable  difference, 
until  between  the  second  and  third  year,  is  in  the  wear  of 
these  teeth. 

The  term  nipper  is  familiar  to  the  horseman  and  the  fat- 
riei;,  and  much  better  expresses  the  action  of  these  teelli 
than  the  word  incisor  or  cutter,  w'hich  is  adopted  by  anato 


THE    PROCESS    OF    TEETHING. 


143 


mists.  Wlioever  has  observed  a  horse  in  the  act  of  browsing,  and  the  twitch  of  the 
head  which  accompanies  the  separation  of  each  portion  of  grass,  will  perceive  that 
vt  is  nipped  or  torn  rather  than  cut  olF. 

These  teeth  are  covered  with  a  polished  and  exceedingly  hard  substance,  called  the 
fmamel.  It  spreads  over  that  portion  of  the  teeth  which  appears  above  the  gum,  and 
not  only  so,  but  as  they  are  to  be  so  much  employed  in  nipping  the  grass,  and  gath- 
ering up  the  animal's  food,  and  in  such  employment  even  this  hard  substance  must 
be  gradually  worn  away,  a  portion  of  it,  as  it  passes  over  the  upper  surface  of  the 
teeth,  is  bent  inward,  and  sunk  into  the  body  of  the  teeth,  and  forms  a  little  pit  in 
them.  The  inside  and  bottom  of  this  pit  being  blackened  by  the  food,  constitutes  the 
mark  of  the  teeth,  by  the  gradual  disappearance  of  which,  in  consequence  of  the  wearing- 
down  of  the  edge,  we  are  enabled,  for  several  years,  to  judge  of  the  age  of  the  animal. 
The  colt's  nipping  teeth  are  rounded  in  front,  somewhat  hollow  towards  the  mouth, 
and  present  at  first  a  cutting  surface,  with  the  outer  edge  rising  in  a  slanting  direction 
above  the  inner  edge.  This,  however,  soonatbegins  to  wear  down  until  both  surfaces 
are  level,  and  the  mark,  which  was  originally  long  and  narrow,  becomes  shorter,  and 
wider,  and  fainter.  At  six  months  the  four  nippers  are  beginning  to  wear  to  a  level. 
The  annexed  cut  will  convey  some  idea  of  the  appearance  of  the  teeth  at  twelve 
months.  The  four  middle  teeth  are  almost  level,  and  the  corner  ones  becoming  so. 
The  mark  in  the  two  middle  teeth  is  wide  and  faint;  in 
the  two  next  teeth  it  is  darker,  and  longer,  and  narrower ; 
and  in  the  corner  teeth  it  is  darkest,  and  longest,  and  nar- 
rowest. 

The  back  teeth,  or  grinders,  will  not  guide  us  far  in 
ascertaining  the  age  of  the  animal,  for  we  cannot  easily 
inspect  them ;  but  there  are  some  interesting  particulars 
connected  with  them.  The  foal  is  born  with  two  grinders 
in  each  jaw,  above  and  below;  or  they  appear  within 
three  or  four  days  after  the  birth.  Before  the  expiration 
of  a  month  they  are  succeeded  by  a  third,  more  back- 
ward. The  crowns  of  the  grinders  are  entirely  covered 
with  enamel  on  the  top  and  sides,  but  attrition  soon  wears 
it  away  from  the  top,  and  there  remains  a  compound  sur- 
face of  alternate  layers  of  crusted  petraser,  enamel,  and  ivory,  which  are  employed  in 
grinding  down  the  hardest  portion  of  the  food.  Nature  has,  therefore,  made  an  ad- 
ditional provision  for  their  strength  and  endurance. 

^^^^^-—-^  This  cut  represents  a  grinder  sawed  across.     It  seems  to 

,^  :  «^~  ij^^^  be  a  most  irregular  and  intricate  structure  ;  but  the  expla- 
nation of  it  is  not  difficult.  The  tooth  is  formed  and  pre- 
{jared  in  cavities  within  the  jaw-bones.  A  delicate  mem- 
branous hag,  containing  a  jelly-like  substance,  is  found,  in 
the  unborn  animal,  in  a  little  cell  within  the  jaw-bone.  It 
assumes,  by  degrees,  the  form  of  the  tooth  that  is  to  appear, 
and  then  the  jelly  within  the  membrane  begins  to  change 
to  bony  mattter,  and  a  hard  and  beautiful  crystallization  is 
formed  on  the  membrane  without,  and  so  we  have  the  cutting  tooth  covered  by  its 
enamel.  In  the  formation,  however,  of  each  of  the  grinders  of  the  horse,  there  are 
originally  five  membranous  bags  in  the  upper  jaw,  and  four  in  the  lower,  filled  with 
jelly.  This  by  degrees  gives  place  to  bony  matter,  which  is  thrown  out  by  little  ves- 
sels penetratino-  into  it,  and  is  represented  by  the  darker  portions  of  the  cut  with  cen- 
tral black  spots.  The  crystallization  of  enamel  can  be  traced  around  each,  and  there 
would  be  five  distinct  bones  or  teeth.  A  third  substance,  however,  is  now  secreted 
(which  is  represented  by  the  white  spaces),  and  is  a  powerful  cement,  uniting  all 
these  distinct  bones  into  one  body,  and  making  one  tooth  of  the  five.  This  being 
done,  another  coat  of  enamel  spreads  over  the  sides,  but  not  the  top,  and  the  tooth  is 
completed.  By  no  other  contrivance  could  we  have  the  grinding  tooth  capable,  with- 
out injury  and  without  Wearing,  to  rub  down  the  hay,  and  oats,  and  beans,  which 
•jt'nstitute  the  stable-food  of  horses. 

The  grinders  in  the  lower  jaw,  having  originally  but  four  of  these  bags  or  shells, 
13  T 


146        ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NOSE  AND  MOUTH. 

are  sn  aller,  and  narrower,  and  more  regiilar,  than  the  upper  ones.  They  are  placed 
horizi  ntally  in  either  jaw ;  but  in  the  lower  the  higher  side  is  within,  and  shelving 
gradu  illy  outward  ;  in  the  upper  jaw  the  higher  side  is  without,  and  shelving  inward, 
and  t!  us  the  grinding  motion  is  most  advantageously  performed.  There  is  also  an  evi- 
dent r  ifference  m  itie  appearance  and  structure  of  each  of  the  grinders,  so  that  a  careful 
obsei  rei  could  tell  to  which  jaw  every  one  belonged,  and  what  situation  it  occupied. 

At  the  completion  of  the  first  year,  a  fourth  grinder  usually  comes  up,  and  the  year- 
ling -las  then,  or  soon  afterwards,  six  nippers,  and  four  grinders  above  and  below  in 
each  jaw,  which,  with  the  alteration  in  the  appearance  of  the  nippers  that  we  have 
just  described,  will  enable  us  to  calculate  nearly  the  age  of  the  foal,  sul)ject  to  some 
variations  arising  from  the  period  of  weaning,  and  the  nature  of  the  food. 

At  the  age  of  one  year  and  a-half,  the  mark  in  the 
central  nippers  ■will  be  much  shorter  and  fainter ;  that 
in  the  two  other  pairs  will  have  undergone  an  evident 
change,  and  all  the  nippers  will  be  flat. 

At  two  years  this  will  be  more  manifest.  The  ac- 
companying cut  deserves  attention,  as  giving  an  accu- 
rate representation  of  the  nippers  in  the  lower  jaw  of 
a  two-years-old  colt. 

About  this  period  a  fifth  grinder  will  appear,  and  now, 
likewise,  will  commence  another  process.  The  first 
teeth  are  adapted  to  the  size  and  wants  of  the  young 
animal.  They  are  sufficiently  large  to  occupy  and  fill 
the  colt's  jaws;  but  when  these  bones  have  expanded 
■with  the  increasing  growth  of  the  animal,  the  teeth  are  separated  too  far  from  each 
other  to  be  useful,  and  another  and  larger  set  is  required.  Evident  provision  is  made 
for  them,  even  before  the  colt  foaled.  In  cavities  in  the  jaw,  beneath  the  first  and 
temporary  teeth,  are  to  be  seen  the  rudiments  of  a  second  and  permanent  set.  These 
gradually  increase,  some  with  greater  rapidity  than  others,  and,  pressing  upon  the 
roots  or  fangs  of  the  first  teeth,  do  not,  as  would  be  imagined,  force  out  the  former 
ones,  but  the  portion  pressed  upon  gradually  disappears.  It  is  absorbed — taken  up 
and  carried  away,  by  numerous  minute  vessels,  whose  office  it  is  to  get  rid  of  the 
worn-out  or  useless  part  of  the  system.  This  absorption  continues  to  proceed  as  the 
second  teeth  grow  and  press  up^wards,  until  the  whole  of  the  fang  is  gone,  and  the 
crown  of  the  tooth,  or  that  part  of  it  which  was  above  the  gimi,  having  no  longer 
firm  hold,  drops  out,  and  the  second  teeth  appear,  larger  and  stronger  and  permanent. 
In  a  few  instances,  ho-wever,  the  second  teeth  do  not  rise  immediately  under  the  tem- 
porary or  milk  teeth,  but  somewhat  by  their  side  ;  and  then,  instead  of  this  gradual 
process  of  absorption  and  disappearance  from  the  point  of  the  root  upwards,  the  root 
beinor  compressed  sideways,  diminishes  throughout  its  whole  bulk.  The  crown  of 
the  tooth  diminishes  with  the  root,  and  the  whole  is  pushed  out  of  its  place,  to  the 
fore  part  of  the  first  grinder,  and  remains  for  a  considerable  time,  under  the  name  of 
a  wn/fs  tooth,  causing  swelling  and  soreness  of  the  gums,  and  frequently  wounding  the 
checks.  They  would  be  gradually  quite  absorbed,  but  the  process  might  be  slo^w 
and  the  annoyance  would  be  great,  and,  therefore,  they  are  extracted. 

The  chancre  of  the  teeth  commences  in  those  which  earliest  appeared,  and,  there- 
fore, the  front  or  first  grinder  gives  way  at  the  age  of  two  years,  and  is  succeeded  by 
a  larger  and  permanent  tooth. 

During  the  period  between  the  falling  out  of  the  central  milk  nippers,  and  the 
coming  up  of  the  permanent  ones,  the  colt,  having  a  broken  mouth,  may  find  some 
difficufty  in  grazing.  If  he  should  fall  away  considerably  in  condition,  he  should  be 
fed  with  mashes  and  corn,  or  cut  meat. 

The  next  cut  will  represent  a  three-years-old  mouth.  The  central  teeth  aie  larger 
than  the  others,  with  two  grooves  in  the  outer  convex  surface,  and  the  mark  is  long, 
narrow,  deep  and  black.  Not  having  yet  attained  their  full  growth,  they  arp  rather 
lower  than  the  others.  The  mark  in  the  two  next  nippers  is  nearly  worn  out,  and  it 
is  wearing  away  in  the  corner  nippers.  Is  it  possible  to  give  this  mouth  to  an  early 
two-years-old  I  The  ages  of  all  horses  used  to  be  reckoned  from  May,  but  some  aro 
foaled  even  so  early  as  January,  and  being  actually  four  months  over  the  two  years, 


THE    PROCESS    OF    TEETHING. 


147 


if  they  have  been  well  nursed  and  fed,  and  are  strong  and  large,  they  may,  wiih  the 
inexperienced,  have  an  additional  year  put  upon  them.  The  central  nippers  are 
punched  or  drawn  out,  and  the  others  appear  three 
or  four  months  earlier  than  they  otherwise  would. 
In  the  natural  process,  they  could  only  rise  by  long 
pressing  upon,  and  causing  the  absorption  of,  the 
first  set.  But  opposition  "from  the  first  set  being 
removed,  it  is  easy  to  imagine  that  their  progress 
\\-ill  be  more  rapid.  Three  or  four  months  wfu  be 
gained  in  the  appearance  of  the  teeth,  and  these 
three  or  four  months  may  enable  the  breeder  to 
term  him  a  late  colt  of  a  preceding  year.  To  him, 
however,  who  is  accustomed  to  horses,  the  genera] 
form  of  the  animal — the  little  developement  of  the 
fore-hand  —  the  continuance  of  the  mark  on  the 
next  pair  of  nippers — its  more  evident  existence  in 
the  corner  ones,  some  enlargement  or  irregularity 
about  the  gums  from  the  violence  used  in'forcino- 
out  the  teeth — the  small  growth  of  the  first  and  fifth  grinders  and  the  non-appearance 
of  the  sixth  grinder,  which  if  it  is  not  through  the  gum  at  three  years  old,  is  swellino- 
under  it,  and  pref)aring  to  get  through  —  any  or  all  of  these  circumstances,  carefully 
attended  to,  will  be  a  sufficient  security  against  deception. 

A  horse  at  three  years  old  ought  to  have  the  central  permanent  nippers  orowino- 

the  other  two  pairs  wasting  —  six  grinders  in  each  jaw,  above  and  below  —  the  first 
and  fifth  level  with  the  others,  and  the  sixth  protruding.  The  sharp  edge  of  the  new 
incisors,  although  it  could  not  be  well  expressed  in  the  cut,  will  be  very  "evident  when 
compared  with  the  neighbouring  teeth. 

As  the  permanent  nippers  wear,  and  continue  to  grow,  a  narrower  portion  of  the 
cone-shaped  tooth  is  exposed  to  the  attrition,  and  they  look  as  if  they  had  been  com- 
pressed, but  it  is  not  so.  The  mark,  of  course,  gradually  disappears  as  the  pit  is 
worn  away. 

At  three  years  and  a  half,  or  between  that  and  four,  the  next  pair  of  nippers  will 
be  changed,  and  the  mouth  at  that  time  cannot  be  mistaken.  The  central  nippers 
will  have  attained  nearly  their  full  growth.  A  vacuity  will  be  left  where  the  second 
stood,  or  they  will  begin  to  peep  above  the  gum,  and  the  corner  ones  will  be  diminished 
in  breadth,  worn  down,  and  the  mark  becoming 
small  and  faint.  At  this  period,  likewise,  the 
second  pair  of  grinders  will  be  shed.  Previously 
to  this  may  be  the  attempt  of  the  dealer  to  give 

f^'      ^,.<gg$^  ^^^^T^"\\  *°  ^'^  three-years-old  an  additional  year,  but  the 

^^^^^\  \  |\\'B    ^^"^^^  ^^ill  be  detected  by  an  examination  similar 

_'^P'  ~  \  Vi^  ^°  ^^^^*  which  has  been  already  described. 

'^  ^  '   '  ■         At  four  years,  the  central  nippers  will  be  fully 

developed;  the  sharp  edge  somewhat  worn  off 
and  the  mark  shorter,  wider,  and  fainter.  The 
next  pair  will  be  up,  but  they  Avill  be  small,  with 
the  mark  deep,  and  extending  quite  across  them. 
The  corner  nippers  will  be  larger  than  the  inside 
ones,  yet  smaller  than  they  \vere,  and  flat,  and 
the  mark  nearly  effaced.  The  sixth  grinder  will 
have  risen  to  a  level  with  the  others,  and  the  tushes  will  begin  to  appear. 

Now,  more  than  at  any  other  time,  will  the  dealer  be  anxious  to  put  an  additional 
year  upon  the  animal,  for  the  difference  between  a  four-years-old  colt,  and  a  five-years- 
old  horse,  in  strength,  utility,  and  value,  is  very  great;  but,  the  want  of  wear  in  the 
other  nippers — the  small  size  of  the  corner  ones — the  little  growth  of  the  tush  —  the 
smallness  of  the  second  grinder  —  the  low  fore-hand  —  the  legginess  of  the  colt,  and 
the  thickness  and  little  depth  of  the  mouth,  will,  to  the  man  of  common  experience 
among  horses,  at  once  detect  the  cheat. 

The  tushes  (see  p.  142)  are  four  in  number,  two  in  each  jaw,  situated  between  the 
nippers  and  the  grinders — much  nearer  to  the  former  than  the  latter,  and  nearer  in  the 


148        ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NOSE  AND  MOUTH. 

lower  jaw  than  in  the  upper,  but  this  distance  increasing  in  both  jaws  with  the  age 
of  the  animal.  In  shape  it  somewhat  resembles  a  cone  ;  it  protrudes  about  an  incli 
from  the  gum,  and  has  its  extremity  sharp-pointed  and  curved.  At  the  age  now  under 
consideration,  the  tushes  are  almost  peculiar  to  the  horse,  and  castration  does  not 
appear  to  prevent  or  retard  their  development.  All  mares,  however,  have  the  germs 
of  them  in  the  chambers  of  the  jaw,  and  they  appear  externally  in  the  majority  of  old 
mares.  Their  use  is  not  evident.  Perhaps  in  the  wild  state  of  the  animal  they  are 
weapons  of  offence,  and  he  is  enabled  by  them  more  firmly  to  seize,  and  more  deeply 
wound  his  enemy. 

The  breeder  often  attempts  to  hasten  the  appearance  of  the  tush,  and  he  cuts  deeply 
through  the  gum  to  remove  the  opposition  which  that  would  afford.  To  a  little  exteit 
he  succeeds.  He  may  possibly  gain  a  few  weeks,  but  not  more.  After  all,  there  is 
much  uncertainty  as  to  the  appearance  of  the  tush,  and  it  may  vary  from  the  fourth 
year  to  four  years  and  six  months.  It  belongs,  in  the  upper  jaw,  both  to  the  inferior 
and  superior  maxillary  bones  (see  n.  p.  70) ;  for,  while  its  fang  is  deeply  imbedded 
in  the  inferior  maxillary,  the  tooth  penetrates  the  process  of  the  superior  maxillary  at 
the  union  of  those  bones. 

At  four  years  and  a  half,  or  between  that  and  five,  the  last  important  change  takes 
place  in  the  mouth  of  the  horse.  The  corner  nippers  are  shed,  and  the  permanent 
ones  begin  to  appear.  The  central  nippers  are  considerably  worn,  and  the  next  pair 
are  commencing  to  show  marks  of  usage.  The  tush  has  now  protnided,  and  is  gene- 
rally a  full  half-inch  in  height ;  externally  it  has  a  rounded  prominence,  with  a  groove 
on  either  side,  and  it  is  evidently  hollowed  within.  The  reader  needs  not  to  be  told 
that  after  the  rising  of  the  corner  nipper  the  animal  changes  its  name — the  colt  becomes 
a  horse,  and  the  filly  a  mare. 

At  five  years  the  horse's  mouth  is  almost  perfect.  The  corner  nippers  are  quite  up, 
with  the  long  deep  mark  irregular  on  the  inside ; 
and  the  other  nippers  bearing  evident  tokens  of 
increasing  wearing.  The  tush  is  much  grown — 
the  grooves  have  almost  or  quite  disappeared, 
and  the  outer  surface  is  regularly  convex.  It  is 
still  as  concave  within,  and  with  the  edge  nearly 
as  sharp  as  it  was  six  months  before.  The  sixth 
molar  is  quite  up,  and  the  third  molar  is  wanting. 
This  last  circumstance,  if  the  general  appearance 
of  the  animal,  and  particularly  his  forehead  and 
the  wearing  of  the  centre  nippers,  and  the  growth 
and  shape  of  the  tushes,  are  likewise  carefully 
attended  to,  will  prevent  deception,  if  a  late  four- 
years-old  is  attempted  to  be  substituted  for  a  five. 
The  nippers  may  be  brought  up  a  few  months 
before  their  time,  and  the  tushes  a  few  weeks,  but  the  grinder  is  with  difficulty  dis- 
placed.    The  three  last  grinders  and  the  tushes  are  never  shed. 

At  six  years  the  mark  on  the  central  nip- 
pers is  worn  out.  There  will  still  be  a  differ- 
ence of  colour  in  the  centre  of  the  tooth.  The 
cement  filling  the  hole,  made  by  the  dipping 
in  of  the  enamel,  will  present  a  browner  hue 
than  the  other  part  of  the  tooth,  and  it  will  be 
evidently  surrounded  by  an  edge  of  enamel, 
and  there  will  even  remain  a  little  depression 
in  the  centre,  and  also  a  depression  round  the 
case  of  enamel :  but  the  deep  hole  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  teeth,  with  the  blackened  surface 
which  it  presents,  and  the  elevated  edge  of 
enamel,  will  have  disappeared.  Persons  not 
much  accustomed  to  horses  have  been  puzzled 
here.  They  expected  to  find  a  plain  surfucc 
of  a  uniform  colour,  and  knew  not  what  con- 
clusion to  draw  when  there  was  both  discolouration  and  irregularity. 


THE    PROCESS   OF  TEETHING. 


'49 


In  the  next  incisors  the  mark  is  shorter,  broader,  and  fainter;  and  in  the  corner  teetp 
the  edges  of  the  enamel  are  more  regular,  and  the  surface  is  evidently  worn.  The 
tush  has  attained  its  full  growth,  being  nearly  or  quite  an  inch  in  length  ;  convex  out- 
ward, concave  within;  tending  to  a  point,  and  the  extremity  somewhat  curved.  The 
third  grinder  is  fairly  up  ;  and  all  the  grinders  are  level. 

The  horse  may  now  be  said  to  have  a  perfect  mouth.  All  the  teeth  are  produced, 
Mly  grown,  and  have  hitherto  sustained  no  material  injury.  During  these  important 
changes  of  the  teeth,  the  animal  has  suffered  less  than  could  be  supuposed  possible. 
In  children,  the  period  of  teething  is  fraught  with  danger.  Dogs  are  subject  to  con- 
vulsions, and  hundreds  of  them  die,  from  the  irritation  caused  by  the  cuttino-  or  shed- 
ding of  their  teeth  ;  but  the  horse  appears  to 
feel  little  inconvenience.  The  gums  and  palate 
are  occasionally  somewhat  hot  and  swollen; 
but  the  slightest  scarification  will  remove  this. 
The  teeth  of  the  horse  are  more  necessary  to 
him  than  those  of  the  other  animals  are  to 
them.  The  child  may  be  fed,  and  the  dog 
will  bolt  his  food  ;  but  that  of  the  horse  must 
be  well  ground  down,  or  the  nutriment  cannot 
be  extracted  from  it. 

At  seven  years,  the  mark,  in  the  way  in 
which  we  have  described  it,  is  worn  out  in 
the  four  central  nippers,  and  fast  wearing 
away  in  the  corner  teeth;  the  tush  also  is 
beginning  to  be  altered.  It  is  rounded  at  the 
point;  rounded  at  the  edges ;  still  round  without;  and  beginning  to  get  round  inside. 
At  eight  years  old,  the  tush  is  rounder  in  every  way;  the  mark  is  gone  from  all  the 
bottom  nippers,  and  it  may  almost  be  said  to  be  out  of  the  mouth.  There  is  nothing 
remaining  in  the  bottom  nippers  that  can  afterwards  clearly  show  the  age  of  the  horse, 
or  justify  the  most  experienced  examiner  in  giving  a  positive  opinion. 

Dishonest  dealers  have  been  said  to  resort  to  a  method  of  prolonging  the  mark  in 
the  lower  nippers.    It  is  called  biskoping,  from  the  name  of  the  scoundrel  who  invented 

it.  The  horse  of  eight  or  nine  years  old  is 
thrown,  and  with  an  engraver's  tool  a  hole 
is  dug  in  the  now  almost  plain  surface  of  the 
corner  teeth,  and  in  shape  and  depth  resem- 
bling the  mark  in  a  seven-years-old  horse. 
The  hole  is  then  burned  with  a  heated  iron, 
and  a  permanent  black  stain  is  left.  The 
next  pair  of  nippers  are  sometimes  lightly 
touched.  An  ignorant  man  would  be  very 
easily  imposed  on  by  this  trick :  but  the 
irregular  appearance  of  the  cavity — the  diffu- 
p~^/  sion  of  the  black  stain  around  the  tushes,  the 
sharpened  edges  and  concave  inner  surface 
of  which  can  never  be  given  again  —  tbe 
-=^  marks  on  the  upper  nippers,  together  with 

the  general  conformation  of  the  horse,  can  never  deceive  the  careful  examiner. 

Horsemen,  after  the  animal  is  eight  years  old,  are  accustomed  to  look  to  the  nippers 
in  the  upper  jaw,  and  some  conclusion  has  been  drawn  from  the  appearances  which 
they  present.  It  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  mark  remains  in  them  for  some  years 
after  it  has  been  obliterated  from  the  nippers  in  the  lower  jaw ;  because  the  hard  sub- 
stance, or  kind  of  cement,  by  which  the  pit,  or  funnel,  in  the  centre  of  the  tooth  is 
occupied,  does  not  reach  so  high,  and  there  is  a  (jreater  depth  of  tooth  to  be  worn 
away,  in  order  to  come  at  it.  To  this,  it  may  be  added  that  the  upper  nippers  are  not 
so  much  exposed  to  friction  and  wear  as  the  under.  The  lower  jaw  alone  is  moved, 
and  pressed  forcibly  upon  the  food  :  the  upper  jaw  is  without  motion,  and  has  onlv  to 
resist  that  pressure. 

There  are  various  opinions  as  to  the  intervals  between  the  disappearance  of  the 
13* 


15*^      ANATOMY  AND   DISEASES   OF  THE   NOSE   AND   MOUTH. 

marks  from  the  different  cutting-teeth  in  the  upper  jaw.  Some  have  averaged  it  at 
two  years,  and  others  at  one.  The  author  is  inclined  to  adopt  the  latter  opinion,  and 
then  the  age  will  be  thus  determined  :  at  nine  years,  the  mark  will  be  worn  out  from 
the  middle  nippers  —  from  the  next  pair  at  ten,  and  from  all  the  upper  nippers  at 
eleven.  During  these  periods,  the  tush  is  likewise  undergoing  a  manifest  change — 
it  is  blunter,  shorter,  and  rounder.  In  what  degree  this  takes  place  in  the  different 
periods,  long  and  most  favourable  opportunities  for  observation  can  alone  enable  the 
horseman  to  decide. 

The  tushes  are  exposed  to  but  little  wear  and  tear.  The  friction  against  them  must 
be  slight,  proceeding  only  from  the  jjassage  of  the  food  over  them,  and  Irom  the  motion 
of  the  tongue,  or  from  the  bit;  and  their  alteration  of  form,  although  generally  as  we 
have  described  it,  is  frequently  uncertain.  The  tush  will  sometimes  be  blunt  at  eight ; 
at  other  times  it  will  remain  pointed  at  eighteen.  The  upper  tush,  although  the  latest 
in  appearing,  is  soonest  worn  away. 

Are  there  any  circumstances  to  guide  our  judgment  after  this  ?  There  are  those 
which  will  prepare  us  to  guess  at  the  age  of  the  horse,  or  to  approach  within  a  few 
years  of  it,  until  he  becomes  very  old  ;  but  there  are  none  which  will  enable  us  accu- 
rately to  detemiine  the  question,  and  the  indications  of  age  must  now  he  taken  from 
the  shape  of  the  upper  surface  of  the  nippers.  At  eight,  they  are  all  oval,  the  length 
of  the  oval  running  across  from  tooth  to  tooth  ;  but  as  the  horse  gets  older,  the  teeth 
diminish  in  size  —  and  this  commencing  in  their  width,  and  not  in  their  thickness. 
They  become  a  little  apart  from  each  other,  and  their  surfaces  are  rounded.  At  nine, 
the  centre  nippers  are  evidently  so ;  at  ten,  the  others  begin  to  have  the  oval  shortened. 
At  eleven,  the  second  pair  of  nippers  are  quite  rounded ;  and  at  thirteen,  the  corner 
ones  have  that  appearance.  At  fourteen,  the  faces  of  the  central  nippers  become 
somewhat  triangular.  At  seventeen,  they  are  all  so.  At  nineteen,  the  angles  begin 
to  wear  off,  and  the  central  teeth  are  again  oval,  but  in  a  reversed  direction,  viz.  from 
outward,  inward  ;  and  at  twenty-one,  they  all  wear  this  form.  This  is  the  opinion  of 
some  Continental  veterinary  surgeons,  and  Mr.  Percivall  first  presented  them  to  us  in 
an  English  dress. 

It  would  be  folly  to  expect  perfect  accuracy  at  this  advanced  age  of  the  horse,  when 
we  are  bound  to  confess  that  the  rules  which  we  have  laid  down  for  determining  this 
matter  at  an  earlier  period,  although  they  are  recognised  by  horsemen  generally,  and 
referred  to  in  courts  of  justice,  will  not  guide  us  in  every  case.  Stabled  horses  have 
the  mark  sooner  worn  out  than  those  that  are  at  grass ;  and  a  crib-biter  may  deceive 
the  best  judge  by  one  or  two  years.  The  age  of  the  horse,  likewise,  being  formerly 
calculated  from  the  1st  of  May,  it  was  exceedingly  difficult,  or  almost  impossible,  to 
determine  whether  the  animal  was  a  late  foal  of  one  year,  or  an  early  one  of  the  next. 
At  nine  or  ten,  the  bars  of  the  mouth  become  less  prominent,  and  their  regular  dimi- 
nution will  designate  increasing  age.  At  eleven  or  twelve,  the  lower  nippers  change 
their  original  upright  direction,  and  project  forward  or  horizontall)^,  and  become  of  a 
yellow  colour.  They  are  yellow,  because  the  teeth  must  grow,  in  order  to  answer  to 
their  wear  and  tear;  but  the  enamel  which  covered  their  surface  when  they  were  first 
produced  cannot  be  repaired  ;  and  that  which  wears  this  yellow  colour  in  old  age,  is 
the  part  which  in  youth  was  in  the  socket,  and  therefore  destitute  of  enamel. 

The  ^neral  indications  of  old  age,  independent  of  the  teeth,  are  deepening  of  the 
hollows  over  the  eyes;  grey  hairs,  and  particularly  over  the  eyes  and  about  the 
muzzle ;  thinness  and  hanging  down  of  the  lips  ;  sharpness  of  the  withers ;  sinking 
of  the  back ;  lengthening  of  the  quarters ;  and  the  disappearance  of  windgalls,  spa- 
vins, and  tumours  of  every  kind. 

Of  the  natural  age  of  the  horse,  we  should  form  a  very  erroneous  estimate  from  the 
early  period  at  which  he  is  now  worn  out  and  destroyed.  Mr.  Blaine  speaks  of  a 
gentleman  who  had  three  horses  that  died  at  the  ages  of  thirty-five,  thirty-seven,  and 
thirty-nine.  Mr.  Cully  mentions  one  that  received  a  ball  in  his  neck,  at  ihe  battle  of 
Preston,  in  1715,  and  which  was  extracted  at  his  death,  in  1758  ;  and  Mr.  Percivall 
fxives  an  account  of  a  barge-horse  that  died  in  his  sixty-second  year. 

There  cannot  be  a  severer  satire  on  the  English  nation  than  this,  that,  from  the 
absurd  practice  of  running  our  race-horses  at  two  and  three  years  old,  and  working 
others,  in  various  ways,  long  before  their  limbs  are  knit  or  their  strength  develop-vd, 


DISEASES   OF   THE   TEETH.  15i 

and  cruelly  exacting  from  them  services  far  beyond  their  powers,  their  age  does  not 
a'uenige  a  sixth  part  of  that  of  the  last-mentioned  horse.  The  scientific  author  of  the 
"  Animal  Kingdom"  declares,  that  "  it  may  be  safely  asserted,  that  more  horses  are 
consumed  in  England,  in  every  ten  years,  than  in  any  other  country  in  the  world  in 
ten  times  that  period,  except  those  which  perish  in  war." 

This  affair  has,  with  the  English,  been  too  long  considered  as  one  of  mere  profit 
and  loss  ;  and  it  has  been  thought  to  be  cheaper  to  bring  the  young  horse  early  into 
work,  and  prematurely  to  exhaust  his  strength,  than  to  maintain  him  for  a  long  period, 
and  at  a  considerable  expense,  almost  useless.  The  matter  requires  much  considera- 
tion, and  much  reformation,  too. 

DISEASES    OF   THE   TEETH. 

Of  the  diseases  of  the  teeth  in  the  horse,  we  know  little.  Carious  or  hollow  teeth 
are  occasionally,  but  not  often,  seen ;  but  the  edges  of  the  grinders,  from  the  wearing 
off  of  the  enamel,  or  the  irregular  growth  of  the  teeth,  become  rough,  and  wound  the 
inside  of  the  cheek ;  it  is  then  necessary  to  adopt  a  summary,  but  effectual  method  of 
cure  ;  namely,  to  rasp  them  smooth.  JNIany  bad  ulcers  have  been  produced  in  the 
mouth  by  the  neglect  of  this. 

The  teeth  sometimes  grow  irregularly  in  length,  and  this  is  particularly  the  case 
with  the  grinders,  from  not  being  in  exact  opposition  to  each  other  when  the  mouth 
is  shut.  The  growth  of  the  teeth  still  going  on,  and  there  being  no  mechanical 
opposition  to  it,  one  of  the  back  teeth,  or  a  portion  of  one  of  them,  shoots  up  con- 
siderably above  the  others.  Sometimes  it  penetrates  the  bars  above,  and  causes 
soreness  and  ulceration ;  at  other  times  it  interferes  partially,  or  altogether,  with  the 
grinding  motion  of  the  jaws,  and  the  animal  pines  away  without  the  cause  being 
suspected.  Here  the  saw  should  be  used,  and  the  projecting  portion  reduced  to  a 
level  with  the  other  teeth.  The  horse  that  has  once  been  subjected  to  this  operation 
should  afterwards  be  frequently  examined,  and  especially  if  he  loses  condition  :  and, 
indeed,  every  horse  that  gets  thin  or  out  of  condition,  without  fever,  or  other  apparent 
cause,  should  have  his  teeth  and  mouth  carefully  examined,  and  especially  if,  without 
any  indication  of  sore  throat,  he  quids — partly  chewing  and  then  dropping — Jiis  food, 
or  if  he  holds  his  head  somewhat  on  one  side,  while  he  eats,  in  order  to  get  the  food 
between  the  outer  edges  of  the  teeth.  A  horse  that  has  once  had  very  irregular  teeth 
is  materially  lessened  in  value,  for,  although  they  may  be  sawn  down  as  carefully  as 
possible,  they  will  project  again  at  no  great  distance  of  time.  Such  a  horse  is  to  all 
intents  and  purposes  unsound.  In  order  to  be  lit  for  service,  he  should  be  in  posses- 
sion of  his  full  natural  powers,  and  these  powers  cannot  be  sustained  without  perfect 
nutrition,  and  nutrition  would  be  rendered  sadly  imperfect  by  any  defect  in  the 
operation  of  mastication.  Not  only  do  some  diseases  of  the  teeth  render  the  act  of 
mastication  difficult  and  troublesome,  but,  from  the  food  acquiring  a  foetid  odour 
during  its  detention  in  the  mouth,  the  horse  acquires  a  distaste  for  aliment  altogether. 

The  continuance  of  a  carious  tooth  often  produces  disease  of  the  neighbouring  ones, 
and  of  the  jaw  itself.  It  should  therefore  be  removed,  as  soon  as  its  real  state  is 
evident.  Dreadful  cases  of  fungus  haematodes  have  arisen  from  the  irritation  caused 
by  a  carious  tooth.  ^ 

The  mode  of  extracting  the  teeth  requires  much  reformation.  The  hammer  and  the 
punch  should  never  be  had  recourse  to.  The  keyed  instrument  of  the  human  subject, 
but  on  a  larger  scale,  is  the  only  one  that  should  be  permitted. 

This  is  the  proper  place  to  speak  more  at  length  of  the  effect  of  dentition  on  the 
system  generally.  Horsemen  in  general  think  too  lightly  of  it,  and  they  scarcely 
dream  of  the  animal  suffering  to  any  considerable  de«-ree,  or  absolute  illness  being 
produced  ;  yet  he  who  has  to  do  with  young  horses  will  occasionally  discover  a  con- 
siderable degree  of  febrile  affection,  which  he  can  refer  to  this  cause  alone.  Fever, 
cough,  catarrhal  affections  generally,  disease  of  the  eyes,  cutaneous  affections,  diar- 
rhcea,  dysentery,  loss  of  appetite,  and  general  derangement,  will  frequently  be  traced 
by  the  careful  observer  to  irritation  from  teething. 

It  is  a  rule  scarcely  admitting  of  the  slightest  deviation,  that,  when  young  horses 
are  labouring  under  any  febrile  affection,  the  mouth  should  be  examined,  and  if  the 
tushes  are  prominent  and  pushing  against  the  gums,  a  crucial  incision  should  be 


152         ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NOSE  AND  MOUTH. 

made  across  them.  "  In  this  way,"  says  Mr.  Percivall,  "  I  have  seen  catarrhal  and 
bronchial  inflammations  abated,  coughs  relieved,  lymphatic  and  other  glandular 
tumours  about  the  head  reduced,  cutaneous  eruptions  got  rid  of,  deranged  bowels 
restored  to  order,  appetite  returned,  and  lost  condition  repaired."* 

THE    TONGUE. 

The  tongue  is  the  organ  of  taste.  It  is  also  employed  in  disposing  the  food  for 
being  ground  between  the  teeth,  and  afterwards  collecting  it  together,  and  conveying 
it  to  the  back  part  of  the  mouth,  in  order  to  be  swallowed.  It  is  likewise  the  main 
instrument  in  deglutition,  and  the  canal  through  which  the  water  passes  in  the  act  of 
drinking.  The  root  of  it  is  firmly  fixed  at  the  bottom  of  the  mouth  by  a  variety  of 
muscles  ;  the  fore  part  is  loose  in  the  mouth.  It  is  covered  by  a  continuation  of  the 
membrane  that  lines  the  mouth,  and  which,  doubling  beneath,  and  confining  the 
motions  of  the  tongue,  is  called  its  frsenuvi,  or  bridle.  On  the  back  of  the  tongue, 
this  membrane  is  thickened  and  roughened,  and  is  covered  with  numerous  conical 
papilcE,  or  little  eminences,  on  which  the  fibres  of  a  branch  of  the  fifth  pair  of  nerves 
expand,  communicating  the  sense  of  taste.  The  various  motions  of  the  tongue  are 
accomplished  by  means  of  the  ninth  pair  of  nerves.  The  substance  of  the  tongue  is 
composed  of  muscular  fibres,  with  much  fatty  matter  interposed  between  them,  and 
which  gives  to  this  organ  its  peculiar  softness. 

DISEASES    OF    THE    TONGUE. 

The  tongue  is  sometimes  exposed  to  injury  from  carelessness  or  violence  in  the  act 
of  drenching  or  administering  a  ball,  it  being  pressed  against  and  cut  by  the  edges 
of  the  grinders.  A  little  diluted  tincture  of  myrrh,  or  alum  dissolved  in  water,  or 
even  nature  unassisted,  will  speedily  heal  the  wound.  The  horse  will  sometimes  bite 
his  tongue,  most  frequently  in  his  sleep.  If  the  injury  is  trifling,  it  requires  little 
care ;  but,  in  some  instances,  a  portion  of  the  tongue  has  been  deeply  lacerated  or 
bitten  oflf.     The  assistance  of  a  veterinary  practitioner  is  here  required. 

There  are  some  interesting  accounts  of  the  results  of  this  lesion.  Mr.  Dickens  of 
Kimbolton  found  a  portion  of  the  tongue  of  a  mare,  extending  as  far  as  the  frenulum 
beneath,  lying  in  the  manger  in  a  strangely  lacerated  condition,  and  fast  approaching 
to  decomposition.  He  had  her  cast,  and,  excising  all  the  unhealthy  portions,  he 
dressed  the  wound  with  chloride  of  soda  and  tincture  of  myrrh.  In  less  than  a  week 
the  laceration  was  nearly  healed,  and,  soon  afterwards,  she  could  eat  with  very  little 
difficulty,  and  keep  herself  in  good  condition.  The  injury  was  proved  to  have  beeii 
inflicted  by  a  brutal  horsebreaker,  in  revenge  of  some  slight  aflfront.f 

A  curious  case  is  recorded  in  the  Memoirs  of  the  Society  of  Calvados.  A  horse 
was  difiicult  to  groom.  The  soldier  who  had  the  care  of  him,  in  order  the  better  to 
manage  him,  fixed  in  his  mouth  and  on  his  tongue  a  strong  chain  of  iron,  deeply 
serrated,  while  another  man  gave  to  this  chain  a  terrible  jerk  whenever  the  horse  was 
disposed  to  be  rebellious.  The  animal,  under  such  torture,  became  unmanageable, 
and  the  man  who  held  the  chain  sawing  away  with  all  his  strength,  the  tongue  was 
completely  cut  off  at  the  point  which  separates  its  base  from  the  free  portion  of  it. 
The  wound  healed  favourably,  and  he  was  soon  able  to  manage  a  mash.  After  that 
some  hay  was  given  to  him  in  small  quantities.  He  took  it  and  foni.ed  it  into  a  kind 
of  pellet  with  his  lips,  and  then,  pressing  it  against  the  bottom  of  his  manger,  he 
gradually  forced  it  sufficiently  back  into  the  mouth  to  be  enabled  to  seize  it  with  his 
grinders. 

Another  horse  came  to  an  untimely  end  in  a  singular  way.  He  had  scarcely  eaten 
anytliing  for  three  weeks.  He  seemed  to  be  unable  to  swallow.  The  channel 
beneath  the  lower  jaw  had  much  enlargement  about  it.  There  was  not  any  known 
cause  for  this,  nor  any  account  of  violence  done  to  the  tongue.  At  length  a  tumour 
appeared  under  the  jaw.  ]\Ir.  Young  of  Muirhead  punctured  it,  and  a  consideiable 
quantity  of  purulent  matter  escaped.  The  horse  could  drink  his  gruel  after  this,  but 
not  take  any  solid  food.  A  week  afterwards  he  was  found  dead.  Upon  separating 
the  head  from  the  tiunk,  and  cutting  transversely  upon  the  tongue,  nearly  opposite  to 

♦Percivall's  Hippopathology,  vol.  ii.,  p.  173.  t  Veterinarian,  vol.  vi.,  p.  22. 


THE    SALIVARY    GLANDS.  153 

the  second  grinder,  a  needle  was  found  lying  longitudinally,  and  which  had  penetrated 
from  the  side  to  the  interior  portion  of  the  tongue.  It  was  an  inch  and  a  quarter  in 
length,  and  tlie  neighbouring  substance  was  in  a  state  of  gangrene. 

Vesicles  will  sometimes  appear  along  the  under  side  of  the  tongue,  which  will 
increase  to  a  consider.ible  size.  The  tongue  itself  will  be  much  enlarged,  the  animal 
will  be  unable  to  swallow,  and  a  great  quantity  of  ropy  saliva  will  drivel  from  the 
mouth.  This  disease  often  exists  without  the  nature  of  it  being  suspected.  If  the 
mouth  is  opened,  one  large  bladder,  or  a  succession  of  bladders,  of  a  purple  hue,  will 
be  seen  extending  along  the  whole  of  tlie  under  side  of  the  tongue.  If  they  are  lanced 
freely  and  deeply,  from  end  to  end,  the  swelling  will  very  rapidly  abate,  and  any 
little  fever  that  remains  may  be  subdued  by  cooling  medicine.  The  cause  of  this 
disease  is  not  clearly  known. 

THE    SALIVARY    GLANDS. 

In  order  that  the  food  may  be  properly  comminuted  preparatory  to  digestion,  it  is 
necessary  that  it  should  be  previouslj^  moistened.  The  food  of  the  stabled  horse, 
however,  is  dry,  and  his  meal  is  generally  concluded  without  any  fluid  being  offered 
to  him.  Nature  has  made  a  provision  for  this.  She  has  placed  in  the  neighbournood 
of  the  mouth  various  glands  to  secrete,  and  that  plentifully,  a  limpid  fluid,  somewhat 
saline  to  the  taste.  This  fluid  is  conveyed  from  the  glands  into  the  mouth,  by  various 
ducts,  in  the  act  of  chewing,  and,  being  mixed  with  the  food,  renders  it  more  easily 
ground,  more  easily  passed  afterwards  into  the  stomach,  and  better  fitted  for  diges- 
tion. 

The  principal  of  these  is  the  parotid  gland  (see  cut  p.  125).  It  is  placed  in  the 
hollow  which  extends  from  the  root  of  the  ear  to  the  angle  of  the  lower  jaw.  A  por- 
tion of  it,  q,  is  represented  as  turned  up,  to  show  the  situation  of  the  blood-vessels 
underneath.  In  almost  every  case  of  cold  connected  with  sore  throat,  an  enlargement 
of  the  parotid  gland  is  evident  to  the  feeling,  and  even  to  the  eye.  It  is  composed 
of  numerous  small  glands  connected  together,  and  a  minute  tube  proceeding  from 
each,  to  carry  away  the  secreted  fluid.  These  tubes  unite  in  one  common  duct.  At 
the  letter  u,  the  parotid  duct  is  seen  to  pass  under  the  angle  of  the  lower  jaw,  together 
with  the  submaxillary  artery,  and  a  branch  of  the  jugular  vein,  and  they  come  out 
again  at  w.  At  r,  the  duct  is  seen  separated  from  the  other  vessels,  climbing  up  the 
cheek,  and  piercing  it  to  discharge  its  contents  into  the  mouth,  opposite  to  the  second 
grinder.  The  quantity  of  fluid  thus  poured  into  the  mouth  from  each  of  the  parotid 
glands  amounts  to  a  pint  and  a  half  in  an  hour,  during  the  action  of  mastication  ;  and, 
sometimes,  when  the  duct  has  been  accidentally  opened,  it  has  spirted  out  to  the  dis- 
tance of  several  feet. 

The  parotid  gland  sympathises  with  every  inflammatory  aflTection  of  the  upper  part 
of  the  throat,  and  therefore  it  is  found  swollen,  hot,  and  tender,  in  almost  every  catarrh 
or  cold.  The  catarrh  is  to  be  treated  in  the  usual  way ;  while  a  stimulating  applica- 
tion, almost  amounting  to  a  blister,  well  rubbed  over  the  gland,  will  best  subdue  the 
inflammation  of  that  body. 

In  bad  strangles,  and,  sometimes,  in  violent  cold,  this  gland  will  be  much  enlarged 
and  ulcerated,  or  an  obstruction  will  take  place  in  some  part  of  the  duct,  and  the 
accumulating  fluid  will  burst  the  vessel,  and  a  fistulous  ulcer  will  be  formed  that  will 
be  very  difficult  to  heal.  A  veterinary  surgeon  alone  will  be  competent  to  the  treat- 
ment of  either  case ;  and  the  principle  by  which  he  will  be  guided,  will  be  to  heal 
the  abscess  in  the  gland  as  speedily  as  he  can,  and,  probably,  by  the  application  of 
the  heated  iron :  or,  if  the  ulcer  is  in  the  duct,  either  to  restore  the  passage  through 
the  duct,  or  to  form  a  new  one,  or  to  cut  oflf  the  flow  of  the  saliva  by  the  destruction 
of  the  gland. 

A  second  source  of  the  saliva  is  from  the  suhmaxiUary  glands,  or  the  glands  under 
the  jaw.  One  of  them  is  represented  at  s,  p.  125.  The  submaxillary  glands  occupy 
the  space  underneath  and  between  the  sides  of  the  lower  jaw,  and  consist  of  numer- 
ous small  bodies,  each  with  its  proper  duct,  uniting  together,  and  forming  on  each 
eide  a  common  duct  or  vessel  that  pierces  through  the  muscles  at  the  root  of  the 
tongue,  and  opens  in  little  projections,  or  heads,  upon  the  frwnum,  or  bridle  of  the 
tongue,  about  an  inch  and  a  half  from  the  front  teeth.     When  the  horse  has  catarrh 

u 


154        ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NOSE  AND  MOUTH. 

or  cold,  these  glands,  like  the  parotid  gland,  enlarge.  This  is  often  to  be  obsen^eil 
after  strangles,  and  several  distinct  kernels  are  to  be  felt  under  the  jaw.  It  has 
already  been  stated  that  they  may  be  distinguished  from  the  swellings  that  accom- 
pany or  indicate  glanders,  by  their  being  larger,  generally  not  so  distinct,  more  in  the 
centre  of  the  channel,  or  space  between  the  jaws,  and  never  adhering  to  the  jaw- 
bones. The  farriers  call  them  vives,  and  often  adopt  cruel  and  absurd  methods  to 
disperse  them, — as  burning  them  with  a  lighted  candle,  or  hot  iron,  or  even  cutting 
them  out.  They  will,  in  the  majority  of  instances,  gradually  disperse  in  proportion 
as  the  disease  which  produced  them  subsides ;  or  they  will  yield  to  slightly  stimu- 
lating embrocations ;  or,  if  they  are  obstinate  in  their  continuance,  they  are  of  no  fur- 
ther consequence,  than  as  indicating  that  the  horse  has  laboured  under  severe  cold  or 
strangles. 

During  catarrh  or  inflammation  of  the  mouth,  the  little  projections  marking  the 
opening  of  these  ducts  on  either  side  of  the  bridle  of  the  tongue  are  apt  to  enlarge, 
and  the  mouth  under  the  tongue  is  a  little  red,  and  hot  and  tender.  The  farriers  call 
these  swellincrs  barbs  or  paps;  and  as  soon  as  they  discover  them,  mistaking  the 
effect  of  disease  for  the  cause  of  it,  they  set  to  work  to  cut  them  close  oft".  The 
bleedinor  that  follows  this  operation  somewhat  abates  the  local  inflammation,  and 
affords  temporary  relief;  but  the  wounds  will  not  speedily  heal.  The  saliva  continues 
to  flow  from  the  orifice  of  the  duct,  and,  running  into  the  irregularities  of  the  wound, 
causes  it  to  spead  and  deepen.  Even  when  it  heals,  the  mouth  of  the  duct  being  fre- 
quently closed,  and  the  saliva  continuing  to  be  secreted  by  the  submaxillary  gland, 
it  accumulates  in  the  duct  until  that  vessel  bursts,  and  abscesses  are  formed  which 
eat  deeply  under  the  root  of  the  tongue,  and  long  torment  the  poor  animal.  When, 
after  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  they  are  closed,  they  are  apt  to  break  out  again  foi 
months  and  years  afterwards. 

All  that  is  necessary  with  regard  to  these  paps  or  barbs  i^s  to  abate  the  inflamma- 
tion or  cold  that  caused  them  to  appear,  and  they  will  very  soon  and  perfectly  sub- 
side.    He  who  talks  of  cutting  them  out  is  not  fit  to  be  trusted  with  a  horse. 

A  third  source  of  saliva  is  from  glands  under  the  tongue  —  the  sublingual  glands, 
which  open  by  many  little  orifices  under  the  tongue,  resembling  little  folds  of  the 
skin  of  the  mouth,  hanging  from  the  lower  surface  of  this  organ,  or  found  on  the  bot- 
tom of  the  mouth.  These  likewise  sometimes  enlarge  during  catarrh  or  inflamma- 
tion of  the  mouth,  and  are  called  gigs,  and  bladders,  and  Jfaps  in  the  mouth.  They 
have  the  appearance  of  small  pimples,  and  the  farrier  is  too  apt  to  cut  them  away,  or 
burn  them  off".  The  better  way  is  to  let  them  alone — for  in  a  few  days  they  will  gen- 
erally disappear.  Should  any  ulceration  remain,  a  little  tincture  of  myrrh,  or  a  solu- 
tion of  alum,  will  readily  heal  them. 

Beside  these  three  principal  sources  of  saliva,  there  are  small  glands  to  be  found 
on  every  part  of  the  mouth,  cheeks,  and  lips,  which  pour  out  a  considerable  quantity 
of  fluid,  to  assist  in  moistening  and  preparing  the  food. 

STRANGLES. 

This  is  a  disease  principally  incident  to  young  horses — usually  appearing  between 
the  fourth  and  fifth  year,  and  oftener  in  the  spring  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  year. 
It  is  preceded  by  cough,  and  can  at  first  be  scarcely  distingushed  from  common  cough, 
except  that  there  is  more  discharge  from  the  nostril,  of  a  yellowish  colour,  mixed 
with  pus,  and  generally  without  smell.  There  is  likewise  a  considerable  discharge 
of  ropy  fluid  from  the  mouth,  and  greater  swelling  than  usual  under  the  throat.  This 
swelling  increases  with  uncertain  rapidity,  accompanied  by  some  fever,  and  disincli- 
nation to  eat,  partly  arising  from  the  fever,  but  more  from  the  pain  which  the  animal 
feels  in  the  act  of  mastication.  There  is  considerable  thirst,  but  after  a  gulp  or  two 
the  horse  ceases  to  drink,  yet  is  evidently  desirous  of  continuing  his  draught.  In 
the  attempt  to  swallow,  and  sometimes  when  not  drinking,  a  convulsive  cough  comes 
on,  which  almost  threatens  to  suffocate  the  animal — and  thence,  probably,  the  name 
of  the  disease.* 

*  Old  Gervase  Markham  civca  the  following  description  of  this  disease,  and  of  the  origir 
ef  its  name.     "  It  is,"  says  he,  "  a  great  and  hard  swelling  between  a  horse's  nether  chaps 


STRANGLES.  155 

The  tumour  is  under  the  jaw,  and  about  the  centre  of  the  channel.  It  soon  fills  the 
whole  of  the  space,  and  is  evidently  one  uniform  body,  and  may  thus  be  distinguished 
from  glanders,  or  the  enlarged  glands  of  catarrh.  In  a  few  days  it  becomes  more 
prominent  and  soft,  and  evidently  contains  a  tliiid.  This  rapidly  increases ;  the 
tumour  bursts,  and  a  great  quantity  of  pus  is  discharged.  As  soon  as  the  tumour  has 
broken,  the  cough  subsides,  and  the  horse  speedily  mends,  although  some  degree  oi 
weakness  may  hang  about  him  for  a  considerable  time.  Few  horses,  possibly  none, 
escape  its  attack ;  but,  the  disease  having  passed  over,  the  animal  is  free  from  it  foi 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  Catarrh  may  precede,  or  may  predispose  to,  the  attack, 
and,  undoubtedly,  the  state  of  the  atmosphere  has  much  to  do  with  it,  for  both  its 
prevalence  and  its  severity  are  connected  witli  certain  seasons  of  the  year  and  changes 
of  the  weather.  There  is  no  preventive  for  the  disease,  nor  is  there  anything  con- 
tagious about  it.  INIany  strange  stories  are  told  witli  regard  to  this ;  but  the  explana- 
tion of  the  matter  is,  that  when  several  horses  in  the  same  farm,  or  in  the  same 
neighbourhood,  have  had  strangles  at  the  same  time,  they  have  been  exposed  to  the 
same  powerful  but  unknown  exciting  cause. 

Messrs.  Percivall  and  Castley  have  come  the  nearest  to  a  satisfactory  view  of  the 
nature  of  strangles.  Mr.  Castley*  says,  that  "  the  period  of  strangles  is  often  a  much 
more  trying  and  critical  time  for  young  horses  than  most  people  seem  to  be  aware  of; 
that  when  colts  get  well  over  this  complaint,  they  generally  begin  to  thrive  and 
improve  in  a  remarkable  manner,  or  there  is  sometimes  as  great  a  change  for  the 
worse :  in  fact,  it  seems  to  etfect  some  decided  constitutional  change  in  the  animal." 

Mr.  Percivall  adds,  "  the  explanation  of  the  case  appears  to  me  to  be,  that  the 
animal  is  suffering  more  or  less  from  what  I  would  call  strang/e-fever,  —  a  fever  the 
disposition  and  tendency  of  which  is  to  produce  local  tumour  and  abscess,  and,  most 
commonly  in  that  situation,  underneath  the  jaws,  in  which  it  has  obtained  the  name 
of  strangles." 

Professor  Dick,  of  Edinburgh,  adds  that  which  is  conclusive  on  the  subject,  that 
"  although  the  disease  commonly  terminates  by  an  abscess  under  the  jaw,  yet  it  may, 
and  occasionally  does,  give  rise  to  collections  of  matter  on  other  parts  of  the  surface." 

To  this  conclusion  then  we  are  warranted  in  coming,  that  strangles  is  a  specific 
affection  to  which  horses  are  naturally  subject  at  some  period  of  their  lives,  and  the 
natural  cure  of  which  seems  to  be  a  suppurative  process.  From  some  cause,  of  the 
nature  of  which  we  are  ignorant,  this  suppurative  process  usually  takes  place  in  the 
space  between  the  branches  of  the  maxillary  bone,  and  occurring  there  it  appears  in 
the  mildest  form,  and  little  danger  attends.  When  the  disease  is  ushered  in  by  con- 
siderable febrile  disturbance,  and  the  suppuration  takes  place  elsewhere,  the  horse  too 
frequently  sinks  under  the  attack. 

Tlie  treatment  of  strangles  is  verj^  simple.  As  the  essence  of  the  disease  consists 
in  the  formation  and  suppuration  of  the  specific  tumour,  the  principal,  or  almost  the 
sole  attention  of  the  practitioner,  should  be  directed  to  the  hastening  of  these  pro- 
cesses :  therefore,  as  soon  as  the  tumour  of  strangles  is  decidedly  apparent,  the  part 
should  be  actively  blistered.  Old  practitioners  used  to  recommend  poultices,  which, 
from  the  thickness  of  the  horse's  skin,  must  have  very  little  effect,  even  if  they  could 
be  confined  on  the  part ;  and  from  the  difficulty  and  almost  impossibility  of  this,  and 
their  getting  cold  and  hard,  they  necessarily  weakened  the  energies  of  nature,  and 
delayed  the  ripening  of  the  tumour.  Fomentations  are  little  more  effectual.  A  blister 
will  not  only  secure  the  completion  of  the  process,  but  hasten  it  by  many  days,  and 
save  the  patient  much  pain  and  exhaustion.  It  will  produce  another  good  effect — it 
will,  previously  to  the  opening  of  the  tumour,  abate  the  internal  inifJammation  and 
soreness  of  the  throat,  and  thus  lessen  the  cough  and  wheezing. 

As  soon  as  the  swelling  is  soft  on  its  summit,  and  evidently  contains  matter,  it 
should  be  freely  and  deeply  lanced.  It  is  a  bad,  although  frequent  practice,  to  suffer 
the  tumour  to  burst  naturally,  for  a  ragged  ulcer  is  formed,  very  slow  to  heal,  and 

upon  the  rootes  of  his  tongue,  and  about  his  throat,  which  sweUing,  if  it  be  not  prevented,  will 
atop  tlie  horse*s  windpipe,  and  so  strangle  or  choke  him-  from  which  effect,  and  none  othor, 
the  name  of  this  disease  tooke  its  derivation." 
*  Vet.,  iii.,  406,  and  vi.,  607. 


.56        ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NOSE  AND  MOUTH, 
difficult  of  treatment.     If  the  incision  is  deep  and  large  enough,  no  second  collection 
of  matter  Avill  he  formed :  and  that  which  is  already  there  may  be  suffered  to  run  out 
slowly,  all  pressure  with  the  fingers  being  avoided.     The  part  should  be  kept  clean, 
and  a  little  friar's  balsam  daily  injected  into  the  wound. 

The  remainder  of  the  treatment  will  depend  on  the  symptoms.  If  there  is  much 
fever,  and  evident  affection  of  the  chest,  and  which  should  carefully  be  distinguished 
from  the  oppression  and  choking  occasioned  by  the  pressure  of  the  tumour,  it  will  be 
proper  to  bleed.  In  the  majority  of  cases,  however,  bleeding  will  not  only  be  unne- 
cessary, but  injurious.  It  will  delay  the  suppuration  of  the  tumour,  and  increase  the 
subsequent  debility.  A  few  cooling  medicines,  as  nitre,  emetic  tartar,  and  perhaps 
digitalis,  may  be  given,  as  the  case  requires.  The  appetite,  or  rather  the  ability  to 
eat,  will  return  with  the  opening  of  the  abscess.  Bran-mashes,  or  fresh-cut  grass  or 
tares,  should  be  liberally  supplied,  which  will  not  only  afford  sufficient  nourishment 
to  recruit  the  strength  of  the  animal,  but  keep  the  bowels  gently  open.  If  the  weak- 
ness is  not  great,  no  farther  medicine  will  be  wanted,  except  a  dose  of  mild  physic  in 
order  to  prevent  the  swellings  or  eruptions  which  sometimes  succeed  to  strangles.  In 
cases  of  debility,  a  small  quantity  of  tonic  medicine,  as  chamomile,  gentian,  oi 
ginger,  may  be  administered.* 

THE  PHARYNX. 

Proceeding  to  the  back  of  the  mouth,  we  find  the  pharynx  (^carrying  or  conveying 
the  food  towards  the  stomach).  It  commences  at  the  root  of  the  tongue  (see  7,  8  and 
9,  p.  72) ;  is  separated  from  the  mouth  by  the  soft  palate  (7),  which  hangs  down  from 
the  palatine  hone  at  8,  and  extends  to  the  epiglottis  or  covering  to  the  windpipe. 
Vv'hen  the  food  has  been  sufficiently  ground  by  the  teeth,  and  mixed  with  the  saliva, 
it  is  crathered  together  by  the  tongue,  and  by  the  action  of  the  cheeks  and  tongue,  and 
back  part  of  the  mouth,  forced  against  the  soft  palate,  which,  giving  way,  and  being 
raised  upwards  towards  the  entrance  into  the  nostrils,  prevents  the  food  from  proceed- 
ing that  way.  It  passes  to  the  pharynx,  and  the  soft  palate  again  falling  down,  pre- 
vents its  return  to  the  mouth,  and  also  prevents,  except  in  extreme  cases,  the  act  of 
vomitino-  in  the  horse.  Whatever  is  returned  from  the  stomach  of  the  horse,  passes 
through  the  nose,  as  the  cut  will  make  evident. 

The  sides  of  the  pharynx  are  lined  with  muscles  which  now  begin  powerfully  to 
contract,  and  by  that  contraction  the  bolus  is  forced  on  until  it  reaches  the  gullet  (10), 
which  is  the  termination  of  the  phar}mx.  Before,  however,  the  food  proceeds  so  far, 
it  has  to  pass  over  the  entrance  into  the  windpipe  (3),  and  should  any  portion  of  it 
enter  that  tube,  much  inconvenience  and  danger  might  result ;  therefore,  this  opening 
is  not  only  lined  by  muscles  which  close  it  at  the  pleasure  of  the  animal,  but  is  like- 
wise covered  by  a  heart-like  elastic  cartilage,  the  epiglottis  (2),  with  its  back  towards 
the  pharynx,  and  its  hollow  towards  the  aperture.  The  epiglottis  yields  to  the  pres- 
sure of  the  bolus  passing  over  it,  and  lying  flat  over  the  opening  into  the  windpipe, 
and  prevents  the  possibility  of  anything  entering  into  it.     No  sooner,  however,  has 

*  Mr.  Percivall  gives  the  following  description  of  some  untoward  cases:  — "The  sub- 
ma.xillary  tumour  is  often  knotted  and  divided  on  its  first  appearance,  as  if  the  glands  received 
the  primary  attack.  As  it  spreads,  it  becomes  diffused  in  the  cellular  tissue  included  in  the 
space. between  the  sides  and  branches  of  the  lower  jaw,  involving  all  the  subcutaneous  parts 
contained  in  that  interval  indiscriminately  in  one  uniform  mass  of  tumefaction.  Wliile  this 
general  turgescence  is  going  on,  various  parts  in  the  immediate  vicinity  often  take  on  the  same 
kind  of  action.  In  particular,  the  salivary  glands,  the  parotid,  sublingual,  the  throat,  the 
pharynx  and  larynx,  the  nose,  the  lining  membrane,  the  nostrils,  the  sinuses,  the  mouth,  the 
tongue,  the  cheeks,  the  hps  — in  fine,  in  some  violent  cases,  the  whole  head  appears  to  be 
involved  in  one  general  mass  of  tumefaction,  while  every  vent  is  running  over  with  dischargS. 
The  pntient  experiencing  this  violent  form  of  disease  is  in  a  truly  pitiable  plight.  While 
purulent  matter  is  issuing  in  profusion  from  his  swollen  nostrils,  and  slaver  foams  out  from 
between  his  tumefied  lips,  it  is  distressing  to  hear  the  noise  that  he  makes  ui  painful  and 
laboured  efforts  to  breathe.  There  is  imminent  danger  of  suffocation  in  such  a  case  as  this ; 
and  even  although  some  relief,  so  far  as  the  breathing  is  concerned,  may  be  obtained  from  the 
operation  of  hro?ichotomy,  yet,  from  the  pain  and  irritation  he  is  suficring,  added  to  the  impos 
eibility  of  getting  aliment  into  his  stomach,  he  must  speedily  sink  to  rise  no  more."  — 
Veterinarian,  vol.  vi.  p.  Gil. 


POLL-EVIL.  13^ 

the  food  passed  over  it,  than  it  rises  again  by  its  own  elasticity,  and  leaves  the  upper 
part  of  the  windpipe  once  more  open  for  the  purpose  of  breathing.  The  voice  of  ani 
mals  is  produced  by  the  passage  of  air  through  this  aperture,  communicating  certain 
vibrations  to  certain  folds  of  the  membrane  covering  the  part,  and  these  vibrations 
being  afterwards  modified  in  their  passage  through  the  cavities  of  ihe  nose.  In  order 
to  understand  the  diseases  of  these  parts,  the  anatomy  of  the  neck  generally  must  be 
considered. 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE  ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NECK  AND 
NEIGHBOURING  PARTS. 

The  neck  of  the  horse,  and  of  every  animal  belonging  to  the  class  mammalia,  except 
one  species,  is  composed  of  seven  bones  called  vertebras,  moveable  or  turning  upon 
each  other  (see  cut,  p.  68).  They  are  connected  together  by  strong  ligaments,  and 
form  so  many  distinct  joints,  in  order  to  give  sufiiciently  extensive  motion  to  this 
important  part  of  the  body.  The  bone  nearest  to  the  skull  is  called  the  atlas  (see  cut, 
p.  68,  and  g,  p.  72),  because,  in  the  human  being,  it  supports  the  head.  In  the  horse 
the  head  is  suspended  from  it.  It  is  a  mere  ring-shaped  bone,  with  broad  projections 
sideways ;  but  without  the  sharp  and  irregular  processes  which  are  found  on  all  the 
others.  The  pack-wax,  or  ligament,  by  which  the  head  is  principally  supported 
(/,  p.  72),  and  which  is  strongly  connected  with  all  the  other  bones,  passes  over  this 
without  touching  it,  by  which  means  the  head  is  much  more  easily  and  extensively 
moved.  The  junction  of  the  atlas  with  the  head  is  the  seat  of  a  very  serious  and 
troublesome  ulcer,  termed 

POLL-EVIL. 

From  the  horse  rubbing  and  sometimes  striking  his  poll  against  the  lower  edge  of 
the  manger,  or  hanging  back  in  the  stall  and  bruising  the  part  with  the  halter  —  or 
from  the  frequent  and  painful  stretching  of  the  ligaments  and  muscles  by  unnecessary 
tight  reining,  and,  occasionally,  from  a  violent  blow  on  the  poll,  carelessly  or  wan- 
tonly inflicted,  inflammation  ensues,  and  a  swelling  appears,  hot,  tender,  and  painful. 
It  used  to  be  a  disease  of  frequent  occurrence,  but  it  is  now,  from  better  treatment  of 
the  animal,  of  comparatively  rare  occurrence. 

It  has  just  been  stated,  that  the  ligament  of  the  neck  passes  over  the  atlas,  or  first 
bone,  without  being  attached  to  it,  and  the  seat  of  inflammation  is  between  the  liga- 
ment and  the  bone  beneath ;  and  being  thus  deeply  situated,  it  is  serious  in  its  nature 
Hnd  difficult  of  treatment. 

The  first  thing  to  be  attempted  is  to  abate  the  inflammation  by  bleeding,  physic, 
and  the  application  of  cold  lotions  to  the  part.  In  a  very  early  period  of  the  case  a 
blister  might  have  considerable  effect.  Strong  purgatives  should  also  be  employed. 
By  these  means  the  tumour  will  sometimes  be  dispersed.  This  system,  however, 
must  not  be  pursued  too  far.  If  the  swelling  increases,  and  the  heat  and  tenderness 
likewise  increase,  matter  will  form  in  the  tumour;  and  then  our  object  should  be  to 
hasten  its  formation  by  warm  fqjnentations,  poultices,  or  stimulatino-  embrocations. 
As  soon  as  the  matter  is  formed,  ^^lich  may  be  known  by  the  softness  of  the  tumour, 
and  before  it  has  time  to  spread  around  and  eat  into  the  neighbouring  parts,  it  should 
be  evacuated.  Now  comes  the  whole  art  of  treating  poll-evil ;  the  opening  into  the 
tumour  7nusl  be  so  contrived  that  all  the  matter  shall  run  out,  and  continue  afterwards  to 
run  out  as  quickly  as  it  is  formed,  and  not  collect  at  the  bottom  of  the  ulcer,  irritatincr 
and  corroding  it.  This  can  be  effected  by  a  seton  alone.  The  needle  should  entel 
at  the  top  of  the  tumour,  penetrate  through  its  bottom,  and  be  brought  out  at  the  side 
of  the  neck,  a  little  below  the  abscess.  Without  anything  more  than  this,  except 
14 


158  ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NECK. 

frequent  fomentation  with  warm  water,  in  order  to  keep  the  part  clean,  and  to  obviate 
inflammation,  poll-evil  in  its  early  stage  will  frequently  be  cured. 

If  the  ulcer  has  deepened  and  spread,  and  threatens  to  eat  into  the  ligaments  of  the 
joints  of  the  neck,  it  may  be  necessary  to  stimulate  its  surface,  and  perhaps  painfully 
so,  in  order  to  bring  it  to  a  healthy  state,  and  dispose  it  to  fill  up.  In  extreme  cases, 
some  highly  stimulating  application  may  be  employed,  but  nothing  resembling  the 
scalding  mixture  of  the  farriers  of  the  olden  time.  This  is  abominable  !  horrible  I ! 
All  measures,  however,  Avill  be  ineffectual,  unless  the  pus  or  matter  is,  by  the  use  of 
set(  us,  perfectly  evacuated.  The  application  of  these  setons  will  require  the  skill 
and  anatomical  knowledge  of  the  veterinary  surgeon.  In  desperate  cases,  the  wound 
may  not  be  fairly  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  caustic  without  the  division  of  the  liga- 
ment of  the  neck.  This  may  be  effected  with  perfect  safety  ;  for  although  the  liga- 
ment is  carried  on  to  the  occipital  bone,  and  some  strength  is  gained  by  this  prolon- 
gation of  it,  the  main  stress  is  on  the  second  bone;  and  the  head  will  continue  to  be 
supported.  The  divided  ligament,  also,  will  soon  unite  again,  and  its  former  useful- 
ness v.ill  be  restored  when  the  wound  is  healed. 

The  second  bone  of  the  neck  is  the  deniata,  having  a  process  like  a  tooth,  by  Avhich 
it  forms  a  joint  with  the  first  bone.  In  the  formation  of  that  joint,  a  portion  of  the 
spinal  marrow^,  which  runs  through  a  canal  in  the  centre  of  all  these  bones,  is  exposed 
or  covered  only  by  ligament ;  and  by  the  division  of  the  marrow  at  this  spot  an  animal 
is  instantly  and  humanely  destroyed.  The  operation  is  caWei  piiki7ig,  from  the  name 
(i/ic  pith)  given  by  butchers  to  the  spinal  marrow. 

The  other  neck,  or  rack  bones,  as  they  are  denominated  by  the  farrier,  (B.  p.  68,) 
are  of  a  strangely  irregular  shape,  yet  bearing  considerable  resemblance  to  each  other. 
They  consist  of  a  central  bone,  perforated  for  the  passage  of  the  spinal  marrow  with 
a  ridge  on  the  top  for  the  attachment  of  the  ligament  of  the  neck,  and  four  irregular 
plates  or  processes  from  the  sides,  for  the  attachment  of  muscles  ;  at  the  base  of  one 
of  which,  on  either  side,  are  holes  for  the  passage  of  the  large  arteries  and  veins.  At 
the  upper  end  of  each,  is  a  round  head  or  ball,  and  at  the  low^er  end,  a  cavity  or  cup, 
and  the  head  of  the  one  being  received  into  the  cup  of  the  other,  they  are  unitid 
together,  forming  so  many  joints.  They  are  likewise  united  by  ligaments  from  these 
processes,  as  well  as  the  proper  ligaments  of  the  joints,  and  so  securely,  that  no  dis- 
location can  take  place  between  any  of  them,  except  the  first  and  second,  the  conse- 
quence of  which  would  be  the  immediate  death  of  the  animal. 

The  last,  or  seventh  bone,  has  the  elevation  on  the  back  or  top  of  it  continued  into 
a  long  and  sharp  prolongation  (a  spiiious  process),  and  is  the  beginning  of  ^:at  ridge 
of  bones  denominated  the  ivithers  (see  cut,  pp.  G8  and  167) ;  and  as  it  is  the  base  of 
the  column  of  neck  bones,  and  there  must  be  a  great  pressure  on  it  from  the  weight 
of  the  head  and  neck,  it  is  curiously  contrived  to  rest  upon  and  unite  with  the  two 
first  ribs. 

THE  MUSCLES  AND  PROPER  FORM  OF  THE  NECK. 

The  bones  of  the  neck  serve  as  the  frame-work  to  which  numerous  muscles  con- 
cerned in  the  motions  of  the  head  and  neck  are  attached.  The  weight  of  the  head 
and  neck  is  supported  by  the  ligament  without  muscular  aid,  and  without  fatigue  to 
the  animal ;  but  in  order  to  raise  the  head  higher,  or  to  lower  it,  or  to  turn  it  in  every 
direction,  a  complicated  system  of  muscles  is  necessary.  Those  whose  office  it  is  to 
raise  the  head  are  most  numerous  and  powerful,  and  are  placed  on  the  upper  and  side 
part  of  the  neck.     The  cut  in  p.  125  contains  a  few  of  them. 

c  marks  a  tendon  common  to  two  of  the  most  important  of  them,  the  splentus,  or 
splint-like  muscle,  and  the  complexus  major,  or  larger  complicated  muscle.  The 
splenius  constitutes  the  principal  bulk  of  the  neck  above,  arising  from  the  ligament  of 
the  neck  all  the  way  down  it,  and  going  to  the  processes  of  all  the  bones  of  the  neck, 
but  the  first,  and  tendons  running  from  the  upper  part  of  it,  to  the  first  bone  of  the 
neck,  and  to  a  process  of  the  temporal  bone  of  the  head.  Its  action  is  sufficiently 
evident,  namely,  very  powerfully  to  elevate  the  head  and  neck.  The  principal  beauty 
of  the  neck  depends  on  this  muscle.  It  was  admirably  developed  in  the  horse  of 
whose  neck  the  annexed  cut  gives  an  accurate  delineation. 

If  the  curve  were  quite  regular  from  the  poll  to  the  withers,  we  should  call  it  a 


MUSCLES  AND  PROPER  F0R::\I  OF  THE  NECK.  159 

perfect  uecV,    It  is  rather  a  long  neck,  and  we  do  not  like  it  the  less  for  that.   In  the 

carriage-horse,  a  neck  that  is  not  half 
concealed  by  the  collar  is  indispensable, 
so  far  as  appearance  goes ;  and  it  is  only 
the  horse  with  a  neck  of  tolerable  length 
that  will  bear  to  be  reined  up,  so  as  to 
give  this  part  the  arched  and  beautiful 
appearance  which  fashion  demands.  It 
is  no  detriment  to  the  riding-horse,  and 
there  are  few  horses  of  extraordinary 
speed  that  have  not  the  neck  rather  long. 
The  race-horse  at  the  top  of  his  speed 
not  only  extends  it  as  far  as  he  can,  that 
the  air-passages  may  be  as  straight  as 
he  can  make  them,  and  that  he  may 
therefore  be  able  to  breathe  more  freely, 
but  the  weight  of  the  head  and  neck,  and 
the  effect  increasing  with  their  distance 
from  the  trunk,  add  materially  to  the 
rapidity  of  the  animal's  motion.  It  has 
been  said,  that  a  horse  with  a  long  neck 
will  bear  heavj'  on  the  hand ;  neither  the 
length  of  the  neck  nor  even  the  bulk  of  the  head  has  any  influence  in  causing  this. 
They  are  both  counterbalanced  by  the  power  of  the  ligament  of  the  neck.  The  sel- 
itng  on  of  the  head  is  most  of  all  connected  with  heavy  bearing  on  the  hand,  and  a 
short-necked  horse  will  bear  heavily,  because,  from  the  thickness  of  the  lower  part 
of  the  neck,  consequent  on  its  shortness,  the  head  cannot  be  rightly  placed,  nor,  gene- 
rally, the  shoulder. 

Connected  with  the  splenius  muscle,  and  partly  produced  by  it,  are  the  thickness 
and  muscularity  of  the  neck,  as  it  springs  from  the  shoulders,  in  this  cut;  the  height 
at  which  it  comes  out  from  them  forming  nearly  a  line  with  the  withers ;  and  the 
manner  in  which  it  tapers  as  it  approaches  the  head.  The  neck  of  a  well-formed 
horse,  however  fine  at  the  top,  should  be  muscular  at  the  bottom,  or  the  horse  v,-ill 
generally  be  weak  and  worthless.  Necks  devoid  of  this  muscularity  are  called  loui<e 
necks  by  horsemen,  and  are  always  considered  a  very  serious  objection  to  the  animal. 
If  the  neck  is  thin  and  lean  at  the  upper  part,  and  is  otherwise  well  shaped,  the  horse 
will  usually  carry  himself  well,  and  the  head  will  be  properly  curved  for  beauty  of 
appearance  and  ease  of  riding.  When  an  instance  to  the  contrary  occurs,  it  is  to  be 
traced  to  very  improper  management,  or  to  the  space  between  the  jaws  being  unna- 
turally small. 

The  splenius  muscle,  although  a  main  agent  in  raising  the  head  and  neck,  may  be 
loo  large,  or  covered  with  too  much  cellular  substance  or  fat,  thus  givino-  an  appear- 
ance of  heaviness,  or  even  clumsiness  to  the  neck.  This  peculiarity  of  form  consti- 
tutes the  distinction  between  the  perfect  horse  and  the  mare,  and  also  the  gelding, 
unless  castrated  at  a  very  late  period. 

This  tendon,  c,  belongs  also  to  another  muscle,  which  makes  up  the  principal  bulk 
of  the  lower  part  of  the  neck,  and  is  called  the  complextis  -major,  or  larger  complicated 
muscle.  It  arises  partly  as  low  as  the  transverse  processes  of  the  four  or  five  first 
bones  of  the  back,  and  from  the  five  lower  bones  of  the  neck ;  and  the  fibres  from 
these  various  sources  uniting  together,  form  a  very  large  and  powerful  muscle,  the 
largest  and  strongest  in  the  neck.  As  it  approaches  the  head,  it  lessens  in  bulk,  and 
terminates  partly  with  the  splenius,  in  this  tendon,  but  is  principally  inserted  into  the 
back  part  of  the  occipital  bone,  by  the  side  of  the  ligament  of  the  neck.  In  the  cut, 
p.  1-35,  almost  its  whole  course  can  be  distinctly  traced.  Its  office  is  to  raise  the  neck 
and  elevate  the  head ;  and  being  inserted  into  such  a  part  of  the  occiput,  it  will  more 
particularly  protrude  the  nose,  while  it  raises  the  head.  Its  action,  however,  may  be 
too  powerful ;  it  may  be  habitually  so,  and  then  it  may  produce  deformity.  The  back 
of  the  head  being  pulled  back,  and  the  muzzle  protruded,  the  horse  cannot  by  possi- 
bility carry  his  head  well.      He  will  become  what  is  technically  called  a  star-gazer ; 


J  GO  ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NECK. 

~hea\'}'  in  hand,  boring  upon  the  bit,  and  unsafe.  To  remedy  this,  recourse  is  had, 
and  in  the  majority  of  cases  without  avail,  to  the  martintrale,  against  which  the  horse 
is  continually  lighting,  and  which  is  often  a  complete  annoyance  to  the  rider.  Such 
a  horse  is  almost  useless  for  harness. 

Inseparable  from  this  is  another  sad  defect,  so  far  as  the  beauty  of  the  horse  is 
concerned;  —  he  becomes  ewe-necked;  i.  e.  he  has  a  neck  like  a  ewe  —  not  arched 
abov^e  and  straight  below,  until  near  to  the  head,  but  hollowed  above  and  projecting 
below;  and  the  neck  rising  low  out  of  the  chest,  even  lower,  sometimes,  than  the 
points  of  the  shoulders.  There  can  scarcely  be  anything  more  unsightly  in  a  horse. 
His  head  can  never  be  got  fairly  down;  and  the  bearing  rein  of  harness  must  be  to 
him  a  source  of  constant  torture.  In  regarding,  however,  the  length  and  the  form  of 
the  neck,  reference  must  be  had  to  the  purpose  for  which  the  horse  is  intended.  In  a 
hackney,  few  things  can  be  more  abominable  than  a  neck  so  disproportioned — so  long, 
that  the  hand  of  the  rider  gets  tired  in  managing  the  head  of  the  horse.  In  a  race- 
horse, this  lengthening  of  the  neck  is  a  decided  advantage. 

Among  the  muscles  employed  in  raising  the  head,  are  the  compkxus  minores 
(smaller  complicated),  and  the  recti  (straight),  and  the  oblique  muscles  of  the  upper 
part  of  the  neck,  and  belonging  principally  to  the  two  first  bones  of  the  neck,  and 
portions  of  which  may  be  seen  under  the  tendon  of  the  xplenius  c,  and  between  it  and 
the  ligament  a. 

Among  the  muscles  employed  in  lowering  the  head,  some  of  which  are  given  in 
the  same  cut,  is  the  derno-maxillaris,  d,  belonging  to  the  breast-bone,  and  the  upper 
jaw.  It  can  likewise  be  traced,  although  not  quite  distinctly,  in  the  cut,  p.  159.  It 
lies  immediately  under  the  skin.  It  arises  from  the  cartilage  projecting  from,  or  con- 
stituting the  front  of  the  breast-bone  (H,  p.  G8),  and  proceeds  up  the  neck,  of  no 
great  bulk  or  strength.  At  about  three-fourlhs  of  its  length  upward,  it  changes  to  a 
flat  tendon,  which  is  seen  (c?,  p.  125)  to  insinuate  itself  between  the  parotid  and  sub- 
maxillary glands,  in  order  to  be  inserted  into  the  angle  of  the  lower  jaw.  It  is  used 
in  bending  the  head  towards  the  chest. 

Another  muscle,  the  termination  of  which  is  seen,  is  the  levator  humeri,  raiser  of  the 
shoulder,  h.  This  is  a  much  larger  muscle  than  the  last,  because  it  has  more  duty  to 
perform.  It  rises  from  the  back  of  the  head  and  four  first  bones  of  the  neck  and  the 
ligament  of  the  neck,  and  is  carried  down  to  the  shoulder,  mixing  itself  partly  with 
some  of  the  muscles  of  the  shoulder,  and  finally  continued  down  to,  and  terminating 
on,  the  humerus  (J,  p.  68).  Its  office  is  double.  If  the  horse  is  in  action,  and  the 
head  and  neck  are  fixed  points,  the  contraction  of  this  muscle  will  draw  forward  the 
shoulder  and  arm  ;  if  the  horse  is  standing,  and  the  shoulder  and  arm  are  fixed  points, 
this  muscle  will  depress  the  head  and  neck. 

The  muscles  of  the  neck  are  all  in  pairs.  One  of  them  is  found  on  each  side  of  the 
neck,  and  the  oflice  which  has  been  attributed  to  them  can  only  be  accomplished  w  hen 
both  act  together ;  but  supposing  that  one  alone  of  the  elevating  muscles  should  act, 
the  head  would  be  raised,  but  it  would  at  the  same  time  be  turned  towards  that  side. 
If  one  only  of  the  depressor  muscles  were  to  act,  the  head  would  be  bent  downwards, 
but  it  would  likewise  be  turned  towards  that  side.  Then  it  will  be  easily  rfeen,  that 
by  this  simple  method  of  having  the  muscles  in  pairs,  provision  is  made  for  every 
kind  of  motion,  upwards,  downwards,  or  on  either  side,  for  which  the  animal  can 
possibly  have  occasion.  Little  more,  of  a  practical  nature,  could  be  said  of  the 
muscles  of  the  neck,  although  they  are  proper  and  interesting  studies  for  the  anato- 
mist. 

This  is  the  proper  place  to  speak  of  the  mane  ,■  that  long  hair  which  covers  the  cresi 
of  the  neck,  and  adds  so  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  animal.  This,  however,  is  not  its 
only  praise.  In  a  wild  state,  the  horse  has  many  battles  to  fight,  and  his  neck, 
deprived  of  the  mane,  would  be  a  vulnerable  part.  The  hair  of  the  mane,  the  tail, 
and  the  legs,  is  not  shed  in  the  same  manner  as  that  on  the  body.  It  does  not  fall  so 
regularly,  nor  so  often ;  for  if  all  were  shed  at  once,  the  parts  would  be  left  for  a  long 
time  defenceless. 

The  mane  is  generally  dressed  so  as  to  lie  on  the  right  side  —  some  persons  divide 
it  equally  on  both  sides.  For  ponies,  it  used  to  be  cut  off  near  the  roots,  only  a  few 
stumps  being  left  to  stand  perpendicularly.     This  was  termed  the  hog-mane.    The 


BLOOD.  i^ESSELS  AND  VEINS  OF  THE  NECK.  161 

groom  sometimes  liestows  a  great  deal  of  pains  in  gettinir  the  mane  of  his  norse  into 
good  and  fashionable  order.  It  is  wetted,  and  plaited,  and  loadea  with  lead ;  ano 
every  hair  that  is  a  little  too  long  is  pulled  out.  The  mane  and  tail  of  the  heavy 
draught-horse  are  seldom  thin ;  but  on  the  well-bred  horse,  the  thin,  well-arranged 
mane  is  very  ornamental.* 

THE    BLOOD-VESSELS    OF   THE    NECK. 

Running  down  the  under  part  of  the  neck,  are  the  principal  blood-vessels,  going  to 
and  returning  from  the  head,  with  the  windpipe  and  gullet.  Our  cut  could  not  give 
a  view  of  the  arteries  that  carry  the  blood  from  the  heart  to  the  head,  because  they 
are  too  deeply  seated.  The  external  arteries  are  the  carotid,  of  which  there  are  two. 
They  ascend  the  neck  on  either  side,  close  to  the  windpipe,  until  they  have  reached 
the  middle  of  the  neck,  where  they  somewhat  diverge,  and  lie  more  deeply.  They 
are  covered  by  the  sterno-maxillaris  muscle,  which  has''been  just  described,  and  are 
separated  from  the  jugulars  by  a  small  portion  of  muscular  substance.  Having 
reached  the  larynx,  they  divide  into  two  branches,  the  external  and  the  internal ;  the 
first  goes  to  every  part  of  the  face,  and  the  second  to  the  brain. 

The  vertebral  arteries  run  through  canals  in  the  bones  of  the  neck,  supplying  the 
neighbouring  parts  as  they  climb,  and  at  length  enter  the  skull  at  the  large  hole  in  the 
occipital  bone,  and  ramify  on  and  supply  the  brain. 

Few  cases  can  happen,  in  which  it  would  be  either  necessary  or  justifiable  to  bleed 
from  an  arter)^  Even  in  mad-staggers,  the  bleeding  is  more  practicable,  safer,  and 
more  etfectual,  from  the  jugular  vein,  than  from  the  temporal  or  any  other  artery.  If 
an  artery  is  opened  in  the  direction  in  which  it  runs,  there  is  sometimes  very  great 
difficulty  in  stopping  the  'bleeding;  it  has  even  be6n  necessary  to  tie  the  vessel,  in 
order  to  accomplish  this  purpose.  If  the  artery  is  cut  across,  its  coats  are  so  elastic, 
that  the  two  ends  are  often  immediately  drawn  apart  under  the  flesh  at  each  side,  and 
are  thereby  closed ;  and  after  the  first  gush  of  blood,  no  more  can  be  obtained. 

THE    VEINS    OF    THE    NECK. 

The  external  veins  which  return  the  blood  from  the  head  to  the  heart  are  the  jugu- 
lars. The  horse  has  but  one  on  either  side.  The  human  being  and  the  ox  have  two. 
The  jugular  takes  its  rise  from  the  base  of  the  skull ;  it  then  descends,  receiving 
other  branches  in  its  way  towards  the  angle  of  the  jaw  and  behind  the  parotid  gland  ; 
and  emerging  from  that,  as  seen  at  /,  p.  1'35,  and  being  united  to  a  large  branch  from 
the  face,  it  takes  its  course  down  the  neck.  Veterinary  surgeons  and  horsemen  have 
agreed  to  adopt  the  jugular,  a  little  way  below  the  union  of  these  two  branches,  as 
the  usual  place  for  bleeding ;  and  a  very  convenient  one  it  is,  for  it  is  easily  got  at, 
and  the  vessel  is  large.  The  manner  of  bleeding,  and  the  states  of  constitution  and 
disease  in  which  it  is  proper,  Avill  be  hereafter  spoken  of;  an  occasional  consequence 
of  bleeding  being  at  present  taken  under  consideration. 

INFLAMMATION    OF    THE    VEIN. 

It  is  usual  and  proper,  after  bleeding,  to  bring  the  edges  of  the  woimd  carefully 
together,  and  to  hold  them  in  contact  by  inserting  a  pin  through  the  skin,  with  a  little 
tow  twisted  round  it.  In  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred  the  wound  quickly  heals, 
and  gives  no  trouble ;  but  in  a  few  instances,  from  using  a  blunt  instrument,  or  a  dirty 
or  rusty  one ;  or  striking  too  hard  and  bruising  the  vein ;  or,  in  the  act  of  pinning 
up,  pulling  the  skin  too  far  from  the  neck  and  suffering  some  blood  to  insinuate  itself 
into  the  cellular  texture;  or  neglecting  to  tie  the  horse  up  for  a  little  while,  and  thus 
enabling  him  to  rub  the  bleeding  place  against  the  manger  and  tear  out  the  pin;  or 
from  the  animal  being  worked  immediately  afterward ;  or  the  reins  of  the  bridle  rub- 
bing against  it;  or  several  blows  having  been  clumsily  given,  and  a  large  and  ragged 
wound  made ;  or  from  some  disposition  to  inflammation  about  the  horse  (for  the 
bleeder  is  not  always  in  fault)  the  wxjund  does  not  heal,  or  if  it  closes  for  a  little 
while,  it  re-opens.  A  slight  bleeding  appears — some  tumefaction  commences — the 
edges  of  the  orifice  separate,  and  become  swollen  and  red — a  discharge  of  sanious, 

*  Stewart's  Stable  CEconomy,  p.  110. 


162  ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NECK. 

bloody  fluid  proceeds  from  the  wound,  followed,  perhaps,  in  a  few  days  by  purulent 
matter.  The  neck  swells,  and  is  hot  and  tender  both  above  and  below  the  incision. 
The  lips  of  the  wound  become  everted — the  swelling  increases,  particularly  above 
the  wound,  where  the  vein  is  most  hard  and  cordy — the  horse  begins  to  loathe  his 
food,  and  little  abscesses  form  round  the  orifice.  The  cordiness  of  the  vein  rapidly 
increases.  Not  only  the  vein  itself  has  become  obstructed  and  its  coats  thickened, 
but  the  cellular  tissue  inflamed  and  hardened,  and  is  an  additional  source  of  irritation 
and  torture. 

The  thickening  of  the  vein  extends  to  the  bifurcation  above :  it  occupies  both 
branches,  and  extends  downward  to  the  chest — even  to  the  very  heart  itself,  and  the 
oatient  dies. 

The  ""o  grand  questions  here  are,  the  cause  and  the  cure.  The  first  would  seem 
to  admit  of  an  easy  reply.  A  long  list  of  circumstances  has  been  just  given  which 
would  seem  to  refer  the  matter  entirely  to  the  operator;  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  expe- 
rience tells  us  that  he  has  little  to  do  with  these  morbid  effects  of  bleeding.  Mr. 
Percivall  states,  that  Mr.  Cherry  tried  several  times  to  produce  inflammation  by  the 
use  of  rusty  lancets,  and  escharotics  of  various  kinds,  and  ligatures,  and  frequent 
separation  and  friction  of  the  granulating  edges,  but  in  vain.  Professor  Spooner  tried 
to  produce  the  disease,  but  could  not. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  well  known  that  while  inflammation  rarely  or  never  follows 
the  operation  of  bleeding  by  some  practitioners,  others  are  continually  getting  into 
scrapes  about  it.  The  writer  of  this  work  had  three  house-pupils,  two  of  whom  he 
used  to  trust  to  bleed  his  patients,  and  no  untoward  circumstance  ever  occurred;  but 
as  surely  as  he  sent  the  third,  he  had  an  inflamed  vein  to  take  care  of. 

There  is  something  yet  undivulged  in  the  process  of  healing  the  vein,  or  in  the 
circumstances  by  which  that  healing  is  prevented.  The  most  powerful  causes  pro- 
bably are,  that  the  lips  of  the  wound  have  not  been  brought  into  immediate  apposi- 
tion, or  that  a  portion  of  the  hair — a  single  hair  is  sufficient — has  insinuated  itself. 
The  horse  has  not,  perhaps,  had  his  head  tied  up  to  the  rack  after  bleeding,  which 
should  always  be  done  for  at  least  an  hour,  during  Avhich  time  the  extravasated  blood 
will  become  firmly  coagulated,  and  the  flow  of  blood  to  the  heart  will  establish  its 
uninterrupted  course.  It  is  also  probable  that  atmospheric  agency  may  be  concerned 
in  the  aff'air,  or  a  diseased  condition  of  the  horse,  and  particularly  a  susceptibility 
of  taking  on  inflammatory  action,  although  the  exciting  cause  may  be  exceedingly 
slight. 

Of  the  means  of  cure  it  is  difficult  to  speak  confidently.  The  wound  should  be 
carefully  examined — the  divided  edges  brought  into  exact  apposition,  and  any  haii 
interposed  between  them  removed — the  pin  withdrawn  or  not,  according  to  circum- 
stances— the  part  carefully  and  long  fomented,  and  a  dose  of  physic  administered. 
If  two  or  three  days  have  passed  and  the  discharge  still  remains,  the  application  of 
the  budding-iron — not  too  large  or  too  hot — may  produce  engorgement  of  the  neigh- 
bouring parts,  and  union  of  the  lips  of  the  wound.  This  should  be  daily,  or  every 
second  day,  repeated,  according  to  circumstances.  A  blister  applied  over  the  orifice, 
or  as  far  as  the  mischief  extends,  will  often  be  serviceable.  Here,  likewise,  the 
parts  will  be  brought  into  contact  with  each  other,  and  pressed  together,  and  union 
may  be  effected.  "  Sometimes,"  says  Mr.  Cartwright,  "  when  the  vein  is  in  an 
ulcerative  state,  I  have  laid  it  open,  and  applied  caustic  dressing,  and  it  has  healed 
up.  I  have  lately  had  a  case  in  which  five  or  six  abscesses  had  formed  above  the 
original  wound,  and  the  two  superior  ones  burst  through  the  parotid  gland,  the  extent 
of  the  ulceration  being  evident  in  the  quantity  of  saliva  that  flowed  through  ead; 
orifice."* 

The  owner  of  the  horse  will  find  it  his  interest  to  apply  to  a  veterinary  practitionei 
as  soon  as  a  case  of  inflamed  vein  occurs. 

Should  the  vein  be  destroyed,  the  horse  will  not  be  irreparably  injured,  and  per« 
haps,  at  no  great  distance  of  time,  scarcely  injured  at  all ;  for  nature  is  ingenious  in 
making  provision  to  carry  on  the  circulation  of  the  blood.  All  the  vessels  convey- 
ing the  blood  from  the  heart  to  the  different  parts  of  the  frame,  or  bringing  it  back 

*  Abstract  of  the  Veterinary  Medical  Association,  vol.  iv.  p.  185 


THE   PALATE  — THE    LARY^^X.  163 

again  to  the  heart,  communicate  with  each  other  by  so  many  channels,  and  in  such 
various  ways,  that  it  is  impossible  by  the  closure  or  loss  of  any  one  of  them  long 
materially  to  impede  the  flow  of  the  vital  cun-ent.  If  the  jugular  is  destroyed,  the 
blood  will  circulate  through  other  vessels  almost  as  freely  as  before;  but  the  horse 
could  not  be  considered  as  sound,  for  he  might  not  be  equal  to  the  whole  of  the  work 
required  of  him. 

THE    PALATE  — (resumed). 

At  the  back  of  the  palate  (see  p.  72),  and  attached  to  the  crescent-shaped  border  of 
the  palatine  bone,  is  a  dense  membranous  curtain.  Its  superior  and  back  surface  is 
a  continuation  of  the  lining  membrane  of  the  nose,  and  its  anterior  or  inferior  one, 
that  of  the  palate.  It  is  called  the  velum  palati,  or  veil  of  the  palate.  It  extends  as 
far  back  as  the  larynx,  and  lies  upon  the  dorsum  of  the  epiglottis,  and  is  a  perfect 
veil  or  curtain  interposed  between  the  cavities  of  the  nose  and  mouth,  cutting  off  all 
communication  between  them.  Tied  by  its  attachment  to  the  palatine  bone,  it  will 
open  but  a  little  way,  and  that  only  in  one  direction.  It  will  permit  a  pellet  of  food 
to  pass  into  the  oesophagus ;  but  it  will  close  when  any  pressure  is  made  upon  it  from 
behind.  Two  singular  facts  necessarily  follow  from  this  :  the  horse  breathes  through 
the  nostrils  alone,  and  these  are  capacious  and  easily  expansible  to  a  degree  seen  in 
no  other  animal,  and  fully  commensurate  to  the  wants  of  the  animal. 

It  is  also  evident  that,  in  the  act  of  vomiting,  the  contents  of  the  stomach  must  be 
returned  through  the  noslril,  and  not  through  the  mouth.  On  this  account  it  is  that 
the  horse  can  with  great  difficulty  be  excited  to  vomit.  There  is  a  structure  at  the 
entrance  of  the  stomach  which,  except  under  very  peculiar  circumstances,  prevents  'its 
return  to  the  throat,  and  consequently  to  the  mouth. 

The  muscles  of  this  singular  curtain  are  very  intelligibly  and  correctly  described  by 
Mr.  Percivall,  in  his  "  Anatomy  of  the  Horse,"  to  which  the  reader  is  referred.  The 
same  remark  is  applicable  to  a  very  singular  and  important  bone,  and  its  muscular 
apparatus,  the  os  hyoides. 

THE    LARYNX 

Is  placed  on  the  top  of  the  windpipe  (see  1,  p.  72),  and  is  the  inner  guard  of  the 
lungs,  if  any  injurious  substance  should  penetrate  so  far ;  it  is  the  main  protection 
against  the  passage  of  food  into  the  respiratory  tubes,  and  it  is  at  the  same  time  the 
instrument  of  voice.  In  this  last  character  it  loses  much  of  its  importance  in  the 
quadruped,  because  in  the  dumb  animal  it  is  a  beautiful  piece  of  mechanism. 

The  Epiglottis  (see  2,  p.  72)  is  a  heart-shaped  cartilage,  placed  at  the  extremity 
of  the  opening  into  the  windpipe,  with  its  back  opposed  to  the  pharynx,  so  that  when 
a  pellet  of  food  passes  from  the  pharynx  in  its  way  to  the  oesophagus,  it  presses  down 
the  epiglottis,  and  by  this  means,  as  already  described,  closes  the  aperture  of  the 
larynx,  and  prevents  any  portion  of  the  food  from  entering  it.  The  food  having 
passed  over  the  epiglottis,  from  its  own  elasticity  and  that  of  the  membrane  at  its 
base,  and  more  particularly  the  power  of  the  hyo-epiglotideus  muscle,  rises  again  and 
resumes  its  former  situation. 

The  Thyroid  Cartilage  (see  1,  p.  72)  occupies  almost  the  whole  of  the  external 
part  of  the  larynx,  both  anteriorly  and  laterally.  It  envelopes  and  protects  all  the 
rest;  a  point  of  considerable  importance,  considering  the  injury  to  which  the  lar)'nx 
is  exposed,  by  our  system  of  curbing  and  tight  reining.  It  also  forms  a  point  of 
attachment  for  the  insertion  of  the  greater  part  of  the  delicate  muscles  by  which  the 
other  cartilages  are  moved. 

The  beautiful  mechanism  of  the  larynx  is  governed  or  worked  by  a  somewhat  com- 
plicated system  of  muscles,  for  a  description  of  which  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  5th 
vol.  of  The  Veterinarian,  p.  447.  It  is  plentifully  supplied  with  nerves  from  the  res- 
piratory system,  and  there  are  also  frequent  anastomoses  with  the  motor  nerves  of  the 
spinal  cord.  The  sole  process  of  respiration  is  partly  under  the  control  of  the  will, 
and  the  muscles  of  the  larynx  concerned  in  one  stage  of  it  are  likewise  so,  but  they 
also  act  independently  of  the  will,  for  during  sleep  and  unconsciousness  the  machine 
continues  to  work. 

The  origin  of  the  artery  which  supplies  these  parts  with  blood  is  sometimes  derived 
from  the  main  trunk  of  the  carotid,  but  oftener  it  is  a  branch  of  the  thyroideal  artery. 


,64  ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NECK. 

The  lining  membrane  is  a  continuation  of  that  of  the  pharynx  above  and  lh« 
trachea  below.  It  is  covered  with  innnmerable  follicular  glands,  from  whose  mouths 
there  oozes  a  mucous  fluid  that  moistens  and  lubricates  its  surface.  It  is  possessed 
of  very  great  sensibility,  and  its  function  requires  it.  It  is,  as  has  been  already 
stated,  tlie  inner  guard  of  the  lungs,  and  the  larynx  must  undergo  a  multitude  of 
changes  of  form  in  order  to  adapt  itself  to  certain  changes  in  the  act  of  respiration, 
and  in  order  to  produce  the  voice.  The  voice  of  the  horse  is,  however,  extremely 
limited,  compared  with  that  of  the  human  being;  the  same  sensibility,  therefore,  is 
not  required,  and  exposed  as  our  quadruped  slaves  are  to  absurd  and  barbarous  usage, 
too  great  sensibility  of  any  part,  and  particularly  of  this,  would  be  a  curse  to  the 
animal. 

THE   TRACHEA   OR   WINDPIPE. 

The  course  of  the  inspired  air  from  the  larynx  to  the  lungs  is  now  to  be  traced,  and 
it  will  be  found  to  be  conveyed  through  a  singularly  constructed  tube  (6,  p.  7'2), 
passing  along  the  anterior  portion  of  the  neck,  and  reaching  from  the  low-er  edge  of 
the  cricoid  cartilage  (11,  p.  73)  to  the  lungs.  In  the  commencement  of  its  course 
it  is  somewhat  superficially  placed,  but  as  it  descends  towards  the  thorax  it  becomes 
gradually  deeper  and  more  concealed.  In  order  to  discharge  its  functions  as  an  air- 
tube,  it  is  essential  that  it  should  always  be  pervious,  or,  at  least,  that  any  obstruc- 
tion to  the  process  of  respiration  should  be  but  momentary.  Attached  to  a  part 
endowed  with  such  extensive  motion  as  the  neck,  it  is  also  necessary  that  it  should 
be  flexible.  It  is  composed  of  cartilage,  an  exceedingly  elastic  substance,  and  at  the 
6anie  time  possessing  a  certain  degree  of  flexibility. 

The  windpipe  is  composed  of  cartilage,  but  not  of  one  entire  piece,  for  that  would 
necessarily  be  either  too  thick  and  firm  to  be  flexible,  or  if  it  were  sufiiciently  flexible 
to  accommodate  itself  to  the  action  of  the  neck,  it  would  be  too  weak  to  resist  even 
common  pressure  or  injury,  and  the  passage  through  it  would  often  be  inconveniently 
or  dangerously  obstructed.  Besides,  it  is  necessary  that  this  tube  should  occasionally 
admit  of  elongation  to  a  considerable  degree.  When  the  neck  is  extended  in  the  act 
of  grazing  or  otherwise,  the  trachea  must  be  lengthened. 

The  structure  of  the  cartilage  of  the  windpipe  is  admirably  adapted  to  eflject  every 
purpose.  It  is  divided  into  rings,  fifty  or  fifty-two  in  number,  each  possessing  suffi- 
cient thickness  and  strength  to  resist  ordinary  pressure,  and  each  constituting  a  joint 
with  the  one  above  and  below,  and  thus  admitting  of  all  the  flexibility  that  could  be 
required.  These  rings  are  connected  together  by  an  interposed  fibro-ligamentous 
substance,  extensible,  elastic,  and  yet  so  strong  that  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  rupture 
it;  and  the  fibres  of  that  ligament  not  running  vertically  from  one  to  another,  and 
therefore  admitting  of  little  more  motion  than  the  rotation  of  the  head,  but  composed 
of  two  layers  running  obliquely,  and  in  contrary  directions,  so  as  to  adapt  themselves 
to  every  variety  of  motion. 

These  rings  are  thickest  in  front,  and  project  circularly,  opposing  an  arch-like  form. 
There,  too,  the  ligament  is  widest,  in  order  to  admit  of  the  greatest  motion  in  the 
direction  in  which  it  is  most  needed,  when  the  head  is  elevated  or  depressed.  Late- 
rally these  rings  are  thinner,  because  they  are,  to  a  great  degree,  protected  by  the 
surrounding  parts;  and,  posteriorly,  they  overlap  each  other,  and  the  overlapping 
portions  are  connected  together  by  a  strong  ligamentous  substance.  This,  while  it 
does  not  impede  the  motion  of  the  tube,  gives  firmness  and  stability  to  it. 

Within  the  trachea  is  another  very  curious  structure.  At  the  points  at  which, 
posteriorly,  the  rings  begin  to  bend  inwardly,  a  muscle  is  found  stretching  across  the 
windpipe,  dividing  the  canal  into  two  unequal  portions — the  anterior  one  constituting 
the  proper  air-passage,  and  the  posterior  one  occupied  by  celhilar  texture.  It  is  to 
give  additional  strength  to  parts.  It  is  the  tie  which  prevents  the  arcli  from  spurring 
out.  In  the  natural  state  of  the  windpipe  this  muscle  is,  probably,  quiescent;  but 
when  any  considerable  pressure  is  made  on  the  crown  of  the  arch  at  the  upper  part 
by  tight  reining,  or  at  the  lower  by  an  ill-made  collar,  or  any  where  by  brutal  or 
accidental  violence,  this  muscle  contracts,  every  serious  expansion  or  depression  of 
the  arch  is  prevented,  and  the  part  is  preserved  from  serious  injury. 

Il  may  also  be  readily  imagined  that,  when  in  violent  exertion,  every  part  of  the 
respiratory  canal  is  on  the  stretch,  this  band  may  preserve  the  windpipe  from  injur) 


TRACHEOTOMY.  165 

or  laceration.     There  are  many  beautiful  points  in  the  phj-siology  ot  the  horse  which 
deserve  much  greater  attention  than  has  hitherto  been  paid  to  tiiem. 

The  -windpipe  should  project  from  the  neck.  It  should  almost  seem  as  if  it  were 
detached  from  the  neck,  for  two  important  reasons :  first,  that  it  may  easily  enter 
Detween  the  channels  of  the  jaw,  so  that  the  Irorse  may  be  reined  up  without  suffering 
inconvenience ;  and  next,  that  being  more  loosely  attached  to  tlie  neck,  it  may  more 
readily  adapt  itself  to  the  changes  required  than  if  it  were  enveloped  by  fat,  or  muscle 
to  a  certain  degree  unyielding:  therefore,  in  every  well-formed  neck  —  and  it  will  be 
seen  in  the  cut  (p.  159)  —  it  is  indispensable  that  the  windpipe  should  be  prominent 
and  loose  on  the  neck.  This  is  not  required  in  the  heavy  cart-horse,  and  we  do  not 
often  find  it,  because  he  is  not  so  much  exposed  to  those  circumstances  which  will 
hurry  respiration,  and  require  an  enlargement  in  the  size  of  the  principal  air-tube. 

When  the  trachea  arrives  at  the  thorax,  it  suddenly  alters  its  form,  in  order  to  adapt 
itself  to  the  narrow  triangular  aperture  through  which  it  has  to  pass.  It  preserves  the 
same  cartilaginous  structure ;  for  if  it  has  not  the  pressure  of  the  external  muscles,  or 
of  accidental  violence,  to  resist,  it  is  exposed  to  the  pressure  of  the  lungs  when  thty 
are  inflating,  and  it  shares  in  the  pressure  of  the  diaphragm,  and  of  the  intercostal 
muscles,  in  the  act  of  expiration.  Having  entered  the  chest,  it  passes  a  little  to  the 
right,  leaving  the  oesophagus,  or  gullet,  on  the  left;  it  separates  from  the  dorsal  ver- 
tebrae ;  it  passes  through  the  duplicature  of  the  mediastinum  to  the  base  of  the  heart, 
and  it  divides  beneath  the  posterior  aorta.  Its  divisions  are  called  the  bronchial  tubes, 
and  have  much  to  do  with  the  well-being  of  the  horse. 

Its  rings  remain  as  perfect  as  before,  but  a  new  portion  of  cartilage  begins  to  pre- 
sent itself:  it  may  be  traced  as  high  as  the  tenth  ring  from  the  bottom;  it  spreads 
over  the  union  between  the  posterior  terminations  of  the  rings ;  it  holds  them  in  closer 
and  firmer  connexion  with  each  other;  it  discharges  the  duty  of  the  transverse  muscle, 
which  begins  here  to  disappear,  and  the  support  of  the  cer\-ical  and  dorsal  vertebrae ; 
it  prevents  the  separation  of  the  rings  when  the  trachea  is  distended  ;  it  spreads  down 
upon,  and  defends  the  commencement  of  the  bronchial  tubes.  Some  other  small  plates 
of  cartilage  reach  a  considerable  waj'  down  the  divisions  of  the  bronchi,  and  the  last 
ring  has  a  central  triangular  projection,  which  covers  and  defends  the  bifurcation  of 
the  trachea. 

TRACHEOTOMY. 

The  respiratory  canal  is  occasionally  obstructed,  to  an  annoying  and  dangerous 
degree.  Pol3rpi  have  been  described  as  occupying  the  nostrils ;  long  tumours  have 
formed  in  them.  Tumours  of  other  kinds  have  pressed  into  the  pharynx.  The  tumour 
of  strangles  has,  for  a  while,  occupied  the  passage.  The  larynx  has  been  distorted ; 
the  membrane  of  the  windpipe,  on  the  larynx,  has  been  thickened,  and  ulcers  have 
formed  in  one  or  both,  and  have  been  so  painful  that  the  act  of  breathing  was  labo- 
rious and  torturing.  In  all  these  cases  it  has  been  anxiously  inquired  whether  there 
might  not  be  established  an  artificial  opening  for  the  passage  of  the  air,  when  the 
natural  one  could  no  longer  be  used  ;  and  it  has  been  ascertained  that  it  is  both  a  sim- 
ple and  safe  operation,  to  excise  a  portion  of  the  trachea,  on  or  below  the  point  of 
obstruction. 

The  operation  must  be  performed  while  the  horse  is  standing,  and  secured  by  a 
side-line,  for  he  would,  probably,  be  suffocated  amidst  the  strugrgles  with  which  he 
would  resist  the  act  of  throwing.  The  twitch  is  then  firmly  fixed  on  the  muzzle ;  the 
operator  stands  on  a  stool  or  pail,  by  which  means  he  can  more  perfectly  command 
the  part,  and  an  assistant  holds  a  scalpel,  a  bistoury,  scissors,  curved  needles  armed, 
and  a  moist  sponge. 

The  operator  should  once  more  examine  the  whole  course  of  the  windpipe,  and  the 
different  sounds  which  he  will  be  able  to  detect  by  the  application  of  the  ear,  and  like- 
wise the  different  degrees  of  temperature  and  of  tenderness  which  the  finger  will  detect, 
will  guide  to  the  seat  of  the  evil. 

The  hair  is  to  be  closely  cut  off  from  the  part,  the  skin  tightened  across  the  trachea 
with  the  thumb  and  fingers  of  the  left  hand,  and  then  a  longitudinal  incision  cautiously 
made  through  the  skin,  three  inches  in  length.  This  is  usually  effected  when  there 
is  no  express  indication  to  the  contrary  on  the  fifth  and  sixth  ringfs  ;  a  slip  from  which, 
and  the  connectingr  ligrament  above  and  below,  about  half  the  width  of  each  rinsf,  should 


166  ANATOMY  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  NECK. 

be  excised  with  the  intervening  ligament.  The  remaining  portion  will  then  be  strong 
enough  to  retain  the  perfect  arched  form  of  the  trachea. 

If  the  orifice  is  only  to  be  kept  open  while  some  foreign  body  is  extracted,  or  tumour 
removed,  or  ulcer  healed,  or  inflammation  subdued,  nothing  more  is  necessary  than  to 
Keep  the  lips  of  the  wound  a  little  apart,  by  passing  some  thread  through  each,  and 
slightly  everting  them,  and  tying  the  threads  to  the  mane. 

If,  however,  there  is  any  permanent  obstruction,  a  tube  will  be  necessary.  It  should 
be  two  or  three  inches  long,  curved  at  the  top,  and  the  external  orifice  turning  down- 
wards with  a  little  ring  on  each  side,  by  which,  through  the  means  of  tubes,  it  may 
be  retained  in  its  situation. 

The  purpose  of  the  operation  being  answered,  the  flaps  of  integument  must  be 
brought  over  the  wound,  the  edges,  if  necessary,  diminished,  and  the  parts  kept  in 
apposition  by  a  few  stitches.  The  cartilage  will  be  perfectly  reproduced,  only  the 
rings  will  be  a  little  thicker  and  wider. 

The  following  account  will  illustrate  the  use  and  the  danger  of  the  tracheotomy 
tube.  A  mare  at  Alfort  had  great  distortion  of  the  rings  of  the  trachea.  She  breathed 
with  difficulty.  She  became  a  roarer  almost  to  suffocation,  and  was  quite  useless. 
Tracheotomy  was  effected  on  the  distorted  rings,  and  a  short  canula  introduced.  She 
was  so  much  relieved  that  she  trotted  and  galloped  immediately  afterwards  without 
the  slightest  distress.  Six  months  later  she  again  began  to  roar.  It  seemed  that  the 
rings  were  now  distorted  below  the  former  place. 

M.  Barthelemy  introduced  another  canula,  seven  inches  long,  and  which  reached 
below  the  new  distortion.  She  was  once  more  relieved.  She  speedily  improved  in 
condition,  and  regularly  drew  a  cabriolet  at  the  rate  of  seven  or  eight  miles  in  the 
hour;  and  this  she  continued  to  do  for  three  years,  when  the  canula  became  accident- 
ally displaced  in  the  night,  and  she  was  found  dead  in  the  morning. 

THE    BRONCHIAL   TUBES. 

The  windpipe  has  been  traced  through  its  course  down  the  neck  into  the  chest.  It 
is  there  continued  through  the  mediastinum  to  the  base  of  the  heart,  and  then  divided 
into  two  tubes  corresponding  with  the  two  divisions  of  the  lungs  —  the  BRo^■cHIAl. 
Tubes.  These  trunks  enter  deeply  into  the  substance  of  the  lungs.  They  presently 
subdivide,  and  the  subdivision  is  continued  in  every  direction,  until  branches  from  the 
trachea  penetrate  every  assignable  portion  and  part  of  the  lungs.  They  are  still  air- 
passages,  carrying  on  this  fluid  to  its  destination,  for  the  accomplishment  of  a  vital 
purpose. 

They  also  continue  exposed  to  pressure ;  but  it  is  pressure  of  a  new  kind,  a  pressure 
alternately  applied  and  removed.  The  lungs  in  which  they  are  embedded  alternately 
contract  and  expand  ;  and  these  tubes  must  contract  and  expand  likewise.  Embedded 
in  the  lungs,  the  cartilaginous  ring  of  the  bronchi  remains,  but  it  is  divided  into  five 
or  six  segments  connected  with  each  other.  The  lungs  being  compressed,  the  seg- 
ments overlap  each  other,  and  fold  up  and  occupy  little  space ;  but  the  principle  of 
elasticity  is  still  at  work;  and  as  the  pressure  is  removed,  they  start  again,  and 
resume  their  previous  form  and  calibre.  It  is  a  beautiful  contrivance,  and  exquisitely 
adapted  to  the  situation  in  which  these  tubes  are  placed,  and  the  functions  they  havf 
to  discharge. 

But  we  must  pause  a  little  and  consider  the  structuie  and  functions  of  the  chest. 


THE   CHEST, 


67 


CHAPTER    VI. 


THE    CHEST. 


a    The  first  rib. 

b  The  cartilages  of  the  eleven  hindermost,  or  false  ribs,  connected  together,  and  uniting  witH 
that  of  the  seventh  or  last  true  rib. 

e    The  breast-bone. 

d  The  top,  or  point,  of  the  withers,  which  are  formed  by  the  lengthened  spinous,  or  upright 
processes  of  the  ten  or  eleven  first  bones  of  the  back.  The  bones  of  the  back,  ars 
eighteen  in  number. 

e  The  ribs,  usually  eighteen  on  each  side  ;  the  seven  first  united  to  the  breast-bone  by  car- 
tilage ;  the  cartilages  of  the  remaining  eleven  united  to  each  other,  as  at  6. 

/  That  portion  of  the  spine  where  the  loins  commence,  and  composed  of  five  bones. 

g  The  bones  forming  the  hip,  or  haunch,  and  into  the  hole  at  the  bottom  of  which  the  head 
of  the  thigh-bone  is  received. 

h  The  portion  of  the  spine  belonging  to  the  haunch,  and  consisting  of  five  pieces. 

t    The  bones  of  the  tail,  usually  fifteen    in  number. 

The  chest,  in  the  horizontal  position  in  which  it  is  placed  in  the  cut,  is  of  a  some 
what  oval  figure,  with  its  extremities  truncated.  The  spine  is  its  roof;  the  sternum, 
or  breast,  its  floor;  the  ribs,  its  sides;  the  trachea,  oesophagus,  and  great  blood- 
vessels passing  through  its  anterior  extremity  and  the  diaphragm,  being  its  posterior. 
It  is  contracted  in  front,  broad  and  deep  towards  the  central  boundary,  and  again 
contracted  posteriorly.  It  encloses  the  heart  and  the  lungs,  the  origin  of  the  arterial, 
and  the  termination  of  the  venous  trunks  and  the  collected  vessels  of  the  absorbents. 
The  windpipe  penetrates  into  it,  and  the  oesophagus  traverses  its  whole  extent. 

A  cavity  whose  contents  are  thus  important  should  be  securely  defended.  The 
roof  is  not  composed  of  one  unyielding  prolongation  of  bone,  which  might  possibly 
have  been  strong  enough,  yet  would  have  subjected  it  to  a  thousand  rude  and  danger- 
ous shocks ;  but  there  is  a  curiously-contrived  series  of  bones,  knit  together  by  strong 
ligaments  and  dense  cartilaginous  substance,  forming  so  many  joints,"each  possessed 
but  of  little  individual  motion,  but  the  whole  united  and  constituting  a  column  of 
such  exquisitely-contrived  flexibility  and  strength,  that  all  concussion  is  avoided,  and 
no  external  violence  or  weight  can  injure  that  which  it  protects.  It  is  supported 
chiefly  by  the  anterior  extremities,  and  beautiful  are  the  contrivances  adopted  to 
prevent  injurious  connexion.  There  is  no  inflexible  bony  union  between  the  shoulders 
and  the  chest;  but  while  the  spine  is  formed  to  neutralise  much  of  the  concussion 
that  might  be  received  —  while  the  elastic  connexions  between  the  vertebrae  of  the 
back,  alternately  affording  a  yielding  resistance  to  the  shock,  and  regaining  their 
natural  situation  when  the  external  force  is  removed,  go  far,  by  this  playful  motion, 
to  render  harmless  the  rudest  motion  —  there  is  a  provision  made  by  the  attachment 
of  the  shoulder-blade  to  the  chest  calculated  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  any  rude 
concussion  reachinsr  the  thorax.* 


*  "  Had,"  says  I\lr.  Percivall,  "  the  entire  rib  been  one  soHd  piece  of  bone,  a  violent  blow 
might  have  broken  it  to  pieces.     On  the  other  hand,  had  the  ribs  been  composed  from  end  ta 


108  THE    CHEST. 

Av  the  shoulder  is  a  muscle  of  immense  strength,  and  tendinous  elastic  composition, 
the  kerratus  major,  spreading  over  the  internal  surface  of  the  shoulder-blade  and  a 
portion  of  the  chest.  A  spring  of  easier  plaj^  could  not  have  been  attached  to  the 
carriage  of  any  invalid.  It  is  a  carriage  hung  by  springs  between  the  scapula',  and 
a  delightful  one  it  is  for  easy  travelling ;  while  there  is  combined  with  it,  and  the 
union  is  not  a  little  difficult,  strength  enough  to  resist  the  jolting  of  the  roughest  load 
and  the  most  rapid  pace. 

Laterally  there  is  sufficient  defence  against  all  common  injury  by  the  expansion  of 
the  shoulder  over  the  chest  from  between  the  first  and  second  to  the  seventh  rib ;  and 
behind  and  below  that  there  is  the  bony  structure  of  the  ribs,  of  no  little  strength ; 
and  their  arched  form,  although  a  flattened  arch ;  and  the  yielding  motion  at  the  base 
of  each  rib,  resulting  from  its  jointed  connexion  with  the  spine  above  and  its  cartila- 
ginous union  with  the  sternum  below. 

A  still  more  important  consideration  with  regard  to  the  parietes  of  the  thorax  is  the 
manner  in  which  they  can  adapt  themselves  to  the  changing  bulk  of  the  contents  of 
the  cavity.  The  capacity  of  the  chest  is  little  affected  by  the  external  contraction 
and  dilatation  of  the  heart,  for  when  its  ventricles  are  collapsed  its  auricles  are 
distended,  and  when  its  auricles  are  compressed  its  ventricles  expand  ;  but  with 
regard  to  the  lungs  it  is  a  very  different  affair.  In  their  state  of  collapse  and  expan- 
sion they  vary  in  comparative  bulk,  one-sixth  part  or  more,  and,  in  either  state,  it  is 
necessary  for  the  proper  discharge  of  the  function  of  respiration  that  the  parietes  of 
the  chest  should  be  in  contact  with  them. 

The  ribs  are  eighteen  in  number  on  either  side.  Nine  of  them  are  perfect,  and 
commonlj'  called  the  true,  or,  more  properly,  sternal  ribs,  extending  from  the  spine  to 
the  sternum.  The  remaining  nine  are  posterior  and  shorter,  and  are  only  indirectly 
connected  with  the  sternum. 

The  ribs  are  united  to  the  corresponding  vertebrae,  or  bones  of  the  spine,  so  as  to 
form  perfect  joints  —  or,  rather,  each  rib  forms  two  joints.  The  head  of  the  rib  is 
received  between  the  vertebrae  and  bones  of  the  spine,  before  and  behind,  so  that  it 
shall  always  present  two  articulating  surfaces  ;  one  opposed  to  the  vertebra  imme- 
diately before,  and  the  other  to  that  immediately  behind,  and  both  forming  one  joint, 
with  a  perfect  capsular  ligament,  and  admitting  of  a  rotary  motion.  The  head  of 
the  rib  seems  to  be  received  into  the  cartilaginous  ligamentous  substance  between  the 
vertebrae.  Nothing  could  be  more  admirably  devised  for  motion,  so  far  as  it  is 
required,  and  for  strength  of  union,  that  can  scarcely  be  broken. 

Before  the  ribs  reach  the  sternum,  they  terminate  in  a  cartilaginous  prolongation, 
or  the  lower  part  of  the  rib  may  be  said  to  be  cartilaginous.  There  is  between  the 
bony  part  and  this  cartilage,  a  joint  with  a  true  capsular  ligament,  and  admitting  of  a 
certain  deo-ree  of  motion  ;  and  where  it  unites  with  the  sternum,  there  is  a  fourth 
joint,  with  a  perfect  and  complete  capsular  ligament. 

The  cartilages  of  the  posterior  ribs  are  united  to  the  bony  portion  by  a  kind  of  joint. 
They  are  not,  however,  prolonged  so  far  as  the  sternum  ;  but  the  extremitj'  of  one  lies 
upon  the  body  of  that  which  is  immediately  before  it,  bound  down  upon  it  by  a  cellular 
substance  approaching  to  the  nature  of  ligament,  yet  each  having  some  separate 
motion,  and  all  of  them  connected  indirectly  with  the  sternum,  by  means  of  the  last 
sternal  rib.  It  is  an  admirable  contrivance  to  preserve  the  requisite  motion  which 
must  attend  every  act  of  breathing,  every  extension  and  contraction  of  the  chest,  with 
a  degree  of  strength  which  scarcely  any  accident  can  break  through. 

The  sternum,  or  breast-bone,  is  more  complicated  than  it  at  first  appears  to  be.  It 
constitutes  the  floor  of  the  chest,  and  is  a  long  flat  spongy  bone,  fixed  between  the 
ribs  on  either  side,  articulating  with  these  cartilages,  and  serving  as  a  point  of  sup- 
port to  them.  It  is  composed  of  from  seven  to  nine  pieces,  united  together  by  car- 
tilage ;  and  whatever  changes  may  take  place  in  other  parts  of  the  frame,  this  cartilage 
is  not  converted  to  bone,  even  in  extreme  old  age,  although  there  may,  possibly,  be 
some  spots  of  ossific  matter  found  in  it. 

end  of  cartilage  only,  the  form  of  the  arch  could  not  have  been  sustained,  but,  sooner  or  later, 
it  must  have  bent  inward,  and  so  have  encroached  upon  the  cavity  of  the  chest  as  to  have 
compressed  the  organs  of  respiration  and  circulation  to  that  degree  that  could  not  but  have 
ended  in  suflbcation  and  dcaih  of  the  animal.  It  was  only  the  judicious  and  well-arranged 
combination  of  bone  and  gristle  in  the  construction  of  the  chest  that  could  answer  the  ends  an 
all-wise  Providence  had  in  view." — Veterinarian,  vol.  xv.  p.  184. 


THE   CHEST.  169 

The  point  of  the  breast-bone  maj'  be  occasionally  injured  by  blows,  or  by  the  pres- 
sure of  the  collar.  It  has  been,  by  brutal  violence,  completely  broken  oil"  from  the 
sternum ;  but  oftener,  and  that  from  some  cruel  usage,  a  kind  of  tumour  has  been 
formed  on  the  point  of  it,  which  has  occasionally  ulcerated,  and  proved  very  diificult 
to  heal. 

The  front  of  the  chest  is  a  very  important  consideration  in  the  structure  of  the  horse. 
It  should  be  prominent  and  broad,  and  full,  and  the  sides  of  it  well  occupied.  When 
the  breast  is  narrow,  the  chest  has  generally  the  same  appearance :  the  animal  is  flat- 
sided,  the  proper  cavity  of  the  chest  is  diminished,  and  the  stamina  of  the  horse  are 
materially  diminished,  although,  perhaps,  his  speed  for  short  distances  may  not  be 
atfected.  When  the  chest  is  narrow,  and  the  fore  legs  are  too  close  together,  in 
addition  to  the  want  of  bottom,  they  will  interfere  with  each  other,  and  there  will  be 
wounds  on  the  fetlocks,  and  bruises  below  the  knee. 

A  chest  too  broad  is  not  desirable,  but  a  fleshy  and  a  prominent  out ,  yet  even  this, 
perhaps,  may  require  some  explanation.  When  the  fore  legs  appear  to  recede,  and  to 
shelter  themselves  under  the  body,  there  is  a  fault)^  position  of  the  fore  linrbs,  a  bend, 
or  standing  over,  an  unnatural  lengthiness  about  the  fore  parts  of  the  breast,  sadly 
disadvantageous  in  progression. 

There  is  also  a  posterior  appendix  to  the  sternum,  which  is  also  cartilaginous.  It 
is  called  the  ensifurm  cartilage,  although  it  bears  little  resemblance  to  a  sword.  It  is 
flat  and  flexible,  yet  strong,  and  serves  as  the  commencement  of  the  floor,  or  support 
of  the  abdomen.  It  also  gives  insertion  to  some  of  the  abdominal  muscles,  and  more 
conveniently  than  it  could  have  been  obtained  from  the  body  of  the  sternum. 

The  Intercostal  Muscles. — The  borders  of  the  ribs  are  anteriorly  concave,  thin  and 
sharp — posteriorly  rounded,  and  presenting  underneath  a  longitudinal  depression,  or 
channel,  in  which  run  both  blood-vessels  and  nerves.  The  space  between  them  is 
occupied  by  muscular  substance,  firmly  attached  to  the  borders  of  the  ribs.  These 
muscles  are  singularly  distributed  ;  their  fibres  cross  each  other  in  the  form  of  an  X. 
There  is  a  manifest  advantage  in  this.  If  the  fibres  ran  straight  across  from  rib  to 
rib,  they  might  act  powerfully,  but  their  action  would  be  exceedingly  limited.  A 
short  muscle  can  contract  but  a  little  way,  and  only  a  slight  change  of  form  or  dimen- 
sion can  be  produced.  By  running  diagonally  from  rib  to  rib,  these  muscles  are 
double  the  length  they  could  otherwise  have  been.  It  is  a  general  rule,  with  regard 
to  muscular  action,  that  the  power  of  the  muscle  depends  on  its  bulk,  and  the  extent 
of  its  action  on  its  length. 

The  ribs,  while  they  protect  the  important  viscera  of  the  thorax  from  injury,  are 
powerful  agents  in  extending  and  contracting  the  chest  in  the  alternate  inspiration 
and  expiration  of  air.  In  what  proportion  they  discharge  the  labour  of  respiration, 
is  a  disputed  question,  and  into  the  consideration  of  which  we  cannot  enter,  until 
something  is  known  of  the  grand  respiratory  muscle  —  the  diaphragm.  Thus  far, 
however,  may  be  said,  that  they  are  not  inactive  in  natural  respiration,  although  they 
certainly  act  only  a  secondary  part ;  but  in  hurried  respiration,  and  when  the  demand 
for  arterialised  blood  is  increased  by  violent  exertion,  they  are  valuable  and  powerful 
auxiliaries. 

This  leads  to  a  very  important  consideration,  the  most  advantageous  form  of  the 
chest  for  the  proper  discharge  of  the  natural  or  extraordinary  functions  of  the  thoracic 
viscera.  The  contents  of  the  chest  are  the  lungs  and  the  heart:  —  the  first,  to  render 
the  blood  nutrient  and  stimulating,  and  to  give  or  restore  to  it  that  vitality  which  will 
enable  it  to  support  every  part  of  the  frame  in  the  discharge  of  its  function,  and 
devoid  of  which,  the  complicated  and  beautiful  machine  is  inert  and  dead  ;  and  the 
second,  to  convey  this  purified  arterialised  blood  to  every  part  of  the  frame. 

In  order  to  produce,  and  to  convey  to  the  various  parts,  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
blood,  these  organs  must  be  large.  If  it  amounts  not  to  hypertrophy,  the  larger  the 
heart  and  the  larger  the  lungs,  the  more  rapid  the  process  of  nutrition,  and  the  more 
perfect  the  discharge  of  every  animal  function. 

Then  it  might  be  imagined  that,  as  a  circle  is  a  figure  which  contains  more  than 
any  other  of  equal  girth  and  admeasurement,  a  circular  form  of  the  chest  would  be 
most  advantageous.  Not  exactly  so;  for  the  contents  of  the  chest  are  alternately 
expanding  and  contracting.  The  circular  chest  could  not  expand,  but  every  change 
of  fnrn,  would  be  a  diminution  of  capacity. 

That  form  of  chest  which  approaches  nearest  to  a  circle,  while  it  admits  of  suffioien* 
13  w 


170  THE   CHEST, 

expansion  and  contraction,  is  the  best — certainly  for  some  animals,  and  for  all  under 
peculiar  circumstances,  and  with  reference  to  the  discharge  of  certain  functions. 
This  was  the  grand  principle  on  which  Mr.  Bakevvell  proceeded,  and  on  which  all 
our  improvements  in  the  breeding-  of  cattle  were  founded. 

This  principle  holds  good  with  regard  to  some  breeds  of  horses.  We  value  the 
heavy  draught-horse  not  only  on  account  of  his  simple  muscular  power,  but  tlie 
weight  which,  by  means  of  that  power,  he  is  able  to  throw  into  the  collar.  A  light 
horse  may  be  preferable  for  light  draught;  but  we  must  oppose  weight  to  weight, 
when  our  loads  are  heavy.  In  the  dray-horse,  we  prize  this  circular  chest,  not  only 
that  he  may  be  proportionably  heavier  before  —  to  him  no  disadvantage  —  but  that,  by 
means  of  the  Increased  capacity  of  his  chest,  he  may  obtain  the  bulk  and  size  which 
best  fit  him  for  our  service.  But  he  would  not  do  for  speed  —  he  would  not  do  for 
ordinary  quick  exertion;  and  if  he  were  pushed  far  beyond  his  pace,  he  would  become 
broken-winded,  or  have  Inflamed  lungs. 

Some  of  our  saddle-horses  and  cobs  have  barrels  round  enough,  and  we  value  them 
on  account  of  it,  for  they  are  always  In  condition,  and  they  rarely  tire.  But  when 
we  look  at  them  more  carefully,  there  is  just  that  departure  from  the  circular  form  of 
which  mention  has  been  made — that  happy  medium  between  the  circle  and  the  ellipse, 
which  retains  the  capacity  of  the  one  and  the  expansibility  of  the  other.  Such  a 
horse  Is  Invaluable  for  common  purposes,  but  he  Is  seldom  a  horse  of  speed.  If  he 
Is  permitted  to  go  his  own  pace,  and  that  not  a  slow  one,  he  will  work  on  for  ever; 
but  if  he  is  too  much  hurried,  he  Is  soon  distressed. 

Tht  Broad  Deep  Chest. — Then  for  the  usual  purposes  of  the  road,  and  more  partic- 
ularly for  rapid  progression,  search  Is  made  for  that  form  of  the  chest  which  shall 
unite,  and  to  as  great  a  degree  as  possible,  considerable  capacity  in  a  quiescent  state, 
and  the  power  of  increasing  that  capacity  when  the  animal  requires  it.  There  must 
be  the  broad  chest  for  the  production  of  muscles  and  sinews,  and  the  deep  chest,  to 
give  the  capacity  or  power  of  furnishing  arterial  blood  equal  to  the  most  rapid  ex- 
haustion of  vitality. 

This  form  of  the  chest  is  consistent  with  lightness,  or  at  least  with  all  the  light- 
ness that  can  be  rationally  required.  The  broad-chested  horse,  or  he  that,  with  mod- 
erate depth  at  the  girth,  swells  and  barrels  out  immediately  behind  the  elbow,  may 
have  as  light  a  forehead  and  as  elevated  a  wither  as  the  horse  wdth  the  narrowest 
chest;  but  the  animal  with  the  barrel  approaching  too  near  to  rotundity  Is  Invariably 
heavy  about  the  shoulders  and  low  In  the  withers.  It  Is  to  the  mixture  of  the  Ara- 
bian blood  that  we  principally  owe  this  peculiar  and  advantageous  formation  of  the 
chest  of  the  horse.  The  Arab  Is  light ;  some  would  say  too  much  so  before :  but 
immediately  behind  the  arms  the  barrel  almost  Invariably  swells  out,  and  leaves 
plenty  of  room,  and  where  It  Is  most  wanted  for  the  play  of  the  lungs,  and  at  the 
same  time  where  the  weight  does  not  press  so  exclusively  on  the  fore-legs,  and  expose 
the  feet  to  concussion  and  Injury. 

Many  horses  with  narrow  chests,  and  a  great  deal  of  daylight  under  them,  have 
plenty  of  spirit  and  willingness  for  work.  They  show  themselves  well  off,  and  ex- 
hibit the  address  and  gratify  the  vanity  of  their  riders  on  the  parade  or  in  the  park, 
but  they  have  not  the  appetite  nor  the  endurance  that  will  carry  them  through  three 
successive  days'  hard  work. 

Five  out  of  six  of  the  animals  that  perish  from  inflamed  lungs  are  narrow-chested, 
and  it  might  be  safely  afljrmed  that  the  far  greater  part  of  those  who  are  lost  In  the 
field  after  a  hard  day's  run,  have  been  horses  whose  training  has  been  neglected,  or 
who  have  no  room  for  the  lungs  to  expand.  The  most  important  of  all  points  in  the 
conformation  of  the  horse  Is  here  elucidated.  An  elevated  wither,  or  oblique  shoulder, 
or  powerful  quarters,  are  great  advantages ;  but  that  which  is  most  of  all  connected 
with  the  general  health  of  the  animal,  and  with  combined  fleetness  or  bottom,  Is  a 
deep,  and  broad,  and  swelling  chest,  with  sufficient  lengthening  of  the  sternum,  o 
breast-bone,  beneath. 

If  a  chest  that  cannot  expand  with  the  increasing  expansion  and  labour  of  the  lungs 
is  so  serious  a  detriment  to  the  horse,  everything  tliat  interferes  with  the  action  of  the 
intercostal  muscles  Is  carefully  to  be  avoided.  Tight  girthing  ranks  among  these, 
and  foremost  among  them.  The  closeness  with  which  the  roller  Is  buckled  on  In  the 
stable  must  be  a  serious  Inconvenience  to  the  horse;  and  the  partially  depriving ihesc 
muscles  of  their  power  of  action,  for  so  many  hours  in  every  day,  must  indispose 


THE    SPINE    AND    BACK.  171 

them  for  labour  when  quicker  and  fuller  respiration  is  required.  At  all  events,  a  tight 
girth,  though  an  almost  necessary  nuisance,  is  a  very  considerable  one,  when  all  the 
exertion  of  which  he  is  capable  is  required  from  the  horse.  Who  has  not  perceived 
the  address  with  which,  by  bellying  out  the  chest,  the  old  horse  renders  every  attempt 
to  girth  him  tight  comparatively  useless ;'  and  when  a  horse  is  blown,  what  imme- 
diate relief  has  ungirthing  him  atforded,  by  permitting  the  intercostals  to  act  with 
greater  power  ? 

A  point  of  consequence  regarding  the  capacity  of  the  chest,  is  the  length  or  short- 
ness of  the  carcase ;  or  the  extent  of  the  ribs  from  the  elbow  backward.  Some  horses 
are  what  is  called  ribbed  hi)me ;  there  is  but  little  space  (see  cuts  pp.  6S  and  167) 
between  the  last  rib  and  the  hip-bone.  In  others  the  distance  is  considerably  greater, 
and  is  plainly  evident  by  the  falling  in  of  the  flank.  The  question  then  is,  what 
service  is  required  from  the  horse  ?  If  he  has  to  carry  a  heavy  weight,  and  has 
much  work  to  do,  he  should  be  ribbed  home — the  last  rib  and  the  hip-bone  should 
not  be  far  from  each  other.  There  is  more  capacity  of  chest  and  of  belly — there  is 
less  distance  between  the  points  of  support  —  and  greater  strength  and  endurance. 
A  hackney  (and  we  would  almost  say  a  hunter)  can  scarcely  be  too  well  ribbed 
home. 

If  speed,  however,  is  required,  there  must  be  room  for  the  full  action  of  the  hinder 
limbs ;  and  this  can  only  exist  where  there  is  sufficient  space  between  the  last  rib 
and  the  hip-bone.  The  owner  of  the  horse  must  make  up  his  mind  as  to  what  he 
wants  from  him,  and  be  satisfied  if  he  obtains  that;  for,  let  him  be  assured  that  he 
cannot  have  ever\'thing,  for  this  would  require  those  differences  of  conformation  that 
cannot  possibly  exist  in  the  same  animal. 

The  thorax,  or  chest,  is  formed  by  the  spine/,  above  (p.  167)  the  ribs  e,  on  either 
side ;  and  the  sternum,  or  breast-bone,  c,  beneath. 

THE    SPINE    AND    BACK. 

The  spine,  or  back,  consists  of  a  chain  of  bones  from  the  poll  to  the  extremity  of 
the  tail.  It  is  made  up  of  twenty-three  bones  from  the  neck  to  the  haunch;  eigh- 
teen, called  dorsal  veriebrse,  composing  the  back;  and  five  lumbar  vertebrw,  occupy- 
ing the  loins.  On  this  part  of  the  animal  the  weight  or  burden  is  laid,  and  there 
are  two  things  to  be  principally  considered,  easiness  of  carriage  and  strength.  If 
the  back  were  composed  of  unyielding  materials — if  it  resembled  a  bar  of  wood  oi 
iron,  much  jarring  or  jolting,  in  the  rapid  motion  of  the  animal,  could  not  possibly 
be  endured.  In  order  to  avoid  this,  as  well  as  to  assist  in  tua-ning,  the  back  is  divided 
into  numerous  bones ;  and  between  each  pair  of  bones  there  is  interposed  a  cartila- 
ginous substance,  most  highly  elastic,  that  will  yield  and  give  way  to  every  jar,  not 
so  much  as  to  occasion  insecurity  between  the  bones,  or  to  permit  considerable  motion 
between  any  one  pair,  but  forming  altogether  an  aggregate  mass  of  such  perfect  elas- 
ticity, that  the  rider  sits  almost  undisturbed,  however  high  may  be  the  action,  or  how- 
ever rapid  the  pace. 

Strength  is  as  important  as  ease ;  therefore  these  bones  are  united  together  with  pe- 
culiar firmness.  The  round  head  of  one  is  exactly  fitted  to  the  cup  or  cavity  of  that 
immediately  before  it ;  and  between  them  is  placed  the  elastic  ligamentous  substance, 
which  has  been  just  described,  so  strong,  that  in  endeavouring  to  separate  the  bones 
of  the  back,  they  wall  break  before  this  substance  will  give  way.  In  addition  to  this 
there  are  ligaments  running  along  the  broad  under-surface  of  these  bones — ligaments 
between  each  of  the  transverse  processes,  or  side  projections  of  the  bones — ligaments 
between  the  spinous  processes  or  upright  projections,  and  also  a  continuation  of  the 
strong  ligament  of  the  neck  running  along  the  whole  course  of  the  back  and  loins, 
lengthening  and  contracting,  as  in  the  neck,  with  the  motions  of  the  animal,  and 
forming  a  powerful  bond  of  union  between  the  bones. 

B}'  these  means  the  hunter  will  carry  a  heavy  man  Avithout  fatigue  or  strain  through 
a  long  chase ;  and  those  shocks  and  jars  are  avoided  which  would  be  annoying  to  the 
rider,  and  injurious  and  speedily  fatal  to  the  horse. 

These  provisions,  however,  although  adequate  to  common  or  even  severe  exertion, 
will  not  protect  the  animal  from  the  consequences  of  brutal  usage;  and,  therefore,  if 
the  horse  is  mmh  overweighted,  or  violently  exercised,  or  too  suddenly  pulled  upon 
his  haunches,  these  ligaments  are  strained.  Inflammation  follows.  The  ligaments 
become  changed  to  bone,  and  the  joints  of  the  back  lose  their  springiness  and  ease  of 


172  THE    CHEST. 

motion ;  or  rather,  in  point  of  fact,  they  cease  to  exist.  On  account  of  the  too  hard 
service  required  from  them,  and  especially  before  they  had  gained  their  full  strength, 
there  are  few  old  horses  who  have  not  some  of  the  bones  of  the  back  or  loins  anchy- 
losed — united  together  by  bony  matter  and  not  by  ligament.  When  this  exists  to  any 
considerable  extent,  the  horse  is  not  pleasant  to  ride  —  he  turns  with  difficulty  in  his 
stall  —  he  is  unwilling  to  lie  down,  and  when  down  to  rise  again,  and  he  has  a 
singular  straddling  action.  Such  horses  are  said  to  be  broken-backed  or  chinked  in  the 
cJii7ie. 

Fracture  of  the  bones  of  the  back  rarely  occurs,  on  account  of  their  being  so  strongly 
united  by  ligaments,  and  defended  by  muscular  substance.  If  a  fracture  of  these 
bones  does  happen,  it  is  during  the  violent  struggles  after  the  horse  has  been  cast  for 
an  operation. 

The  length  of  the  back  is  an  important  consideration.  A  long-backed  horse  will 
be  easy  in  his  paces,  because  the  increased  distance  between  the  fore  and  hind  legs, 
which  are  the  supports  of  the  spine,  will  afford  greater  room  for  the  play  of  the  joints 
of  the  back.  A  long  spring  has  much  more  play  than  a  short  one,  and  will  better 
obviate  concussion.  A  long-backed  horse  is  likewise  formed  for  speed,  for  there  is 
room  to  bring  his  hinder  legs  more  under  him  in  the  act  of  gallopping,  and  thus  more 
powerfully  propel  or  drive  forward  the  body :  but,  on  the  other  hand,  a  long-backed 
horse  will  be  comparatively  weak  in  the  back,  and  easily  overweighted.  A  long 
spring  may  be  easily  bent  or  broken.  The  weight  of  the  rider,  likewise,  placed 
farther  from  the  extremities,  will  act  Avith  mechanical  disadvantage  upon  them,  and 
be  more  likely  to  strain  them.  A  short-backed  horse  may  be  a  good  hackney,  and 
able  to  carrj'  the  heaviest  weight,  and  possess  great  endurance ;  but  his  paces  will 
not  be  so  easy,  nor  his  speed  so  great,  and  he  may  be  apt  to  overreach. 

The  comparative  advantage  of  a  long  or  short  carcase  depends  entirely  on  the  use 
for  which  the  horse  is  intended.  For  general  purposes  the  horse  with  a  short  carcase 
is  very  properly  preferred.  He  will  possess  health  and  strength  ;  for  horses  of  this 
make  are  proverbially  hardy.  He  will  have  sufficient  easiness  of  action  not  to  fatigue 
the  rider,  and  speed  for  every  ordinary  purpose.  Length  of  back  will  always  be 
desirable  when  there  is  more  than  usual  substance  generally,  and  particularly  when 
the  loins  are  wide,  and  the  muscles  of  the  loins  large  and  swelling.  The  two  requi- 
sites, strength  and  speed,  will  then  probably  be  united. 

The  back  should  be  depressed  a  little  immediately  behind  the  withers ;  and  then 
continue  in  an  almost  straight  line  to  the  loins.  This  is  the  form  most  consistent 
with  beauty  and  strength.  Some  horses  have  a  very  considerable  hollow  behind  the 
withers.  They  are  said  to  be  saddle-backed.  It  seems  as  if  a  depression  were  pur- 
posely made  for  the  saddle.  Such  horses  are  evidently  easy  goers,  for  this  curve 
inward  must  necessarily  increase  the  play  of  the  joints  of  the  back :  but  in  the  same 
proportion  they  are  weak  and  liable  to  sprain.  To  the  general  appearance  of  the 
horse,  this  defect  is  not  in  any  great  degree  injurious  ;  for  the  hollow  of  the  back  is 
uniformly  accompanied  by  a  beautifully  arched  crest. 

A  few  horses  have  the  curve  outward.  They  are  said  to  be  roach-backed,  from  the 
supposed  resemblance  to  the  arched  back  of  a  roach.  This  is  a  very  serious  defect; 
—  altogether  incompatible  with  beauty,  and  materially  diminishing  the  usefulness  of 
the  animal.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  prevent  the  saddle  from  being  thrown  on  the 
shoulders,  or  the  back  from  being  galled  ;  — the  elasticity  of  the  spine  is  destroyed ; 
. — the  nimp  is  badly  set  on ; — the  hinder  legs  are  too  much  under  the  animal ; — he  is 
continually  overreaching,  and  his  head  is  carried  awkwardly  low. 

THE    LOINS. 

The  loins  are  attentively  examined  by  every  good  horseman.  They  can  scarcely 
be  too  broad  and  muscular.  The  strength  of  the  back,  and  especially,  the  strength 
of  the  hinder  extremities,  will  depend  materially  on  this.  The  breadth  of  the  loins 
is  regulated  by  the  length  of  the  transverse  or  side  processes  of  that  part.  The  bodies 
of  the  bones  of  the  loins  are  likewise  larger  than  those  of  the  back;  and  a  more  dove- 
tailed kind  of  union  subsists  between  these  bones  than  between  those  of  the  back. 
Every  provision  is  made  for  strength  here.  The  union  of  the  back  and  loins  should 
be  carefully  observed,  for  there  is  sometimes  a  depression  between  them.  A  kind  of 
line  is  drawn  across,  which  shows  imperfection  in  the  construction  of  the  spine,  and 
is  regarded  as  an  indication  of  weakness. 


THE   WITHERS.  — MUSCLES    OF   THE   BACK.  173 

THE    WITHERS. 

The  spinous  or  upright  processes  of  the  dorsal  vertebrse,  or  bones  of  the  back,  abovo 
tne  upper  part  of  the  shoulder,  are  as  remarkable  for  their  length  as  are  the  transverse 
or  side  processes  of  the  bones  of  the  loins.  They  are  flattened  and  terminated  by 
rou^h  blunted  extremities.  The  elevated  ridge  which  they  form  is  called  the  icithers. 
It  will  be  seen  in  the  cuts  (pp.  63  and  167),  that  the  spine  of  the  first  bone  of  the 
back  has  but  little  elevation,  and  is  sharp  and  upright.  The  second  is  longer  and 
inclined  backward ;  the  third  and  fourth  increases  in  length,  and  the  fifth  is  the 
longest ; — they  then  gradually  shorten  until  the  twelfth  or  thirteenth,  which  becomes 
level  with  the  bones  of  the  loins. 

High  withers  have  been  always,  in  the  mind  of  the  judge  of  the  horse,  associated 
with  good  action,  and  generally  with  speed.  The  reason  is  plain  enough  :  —  they 
atford  larger  surface  for  the  attachment  of  the  muscles  of  the  back;  and  in  proportion 
to  the  elevation  of  the  withers,  these  muscles  act  with  greater  advantage.  The  rising 
of  the  fore  parts  of  the  horse,  even  in  the  trot,  and  more  especially  in  the  gallop, 
depends  not  merely  on  the  action  of  the  muscles  of  the  legs  and  shoulders,  "but  on 
those  of  the  loins,  inserted  into  the  spinous  processes  of  these  bones  of  the  back,  and 
acting  with  greater  power  in  proportion  as  these  processes,  constituting  the  withers, 
are  lengthened.  The  arm  of  the  lever  to  which  the  power  is  applied  will  be  longer; 
and  in  proportion  to  the  length  of  this  arm  will  be  the  ease  and  the  height  to  which 
a  weight  is  raised.  Therefore  good  and  high  action  will  depend  much  on  elevated 
withers. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  understand  how  speed  will  likewise  be  promoted  by  the  same 
conformation.  The  power  of  the  horse  is  in  his  hinder  quarters.  In  them  lies  the 
main  spring  of  the  frame,  and  the  fore-quarters  are  chiefly  elevated  and  thrown  for- 
ward to  receive  the  weight  forced  on  them  by  the  action  of  the  hinder  quarters.  In 
proportion,  however,  as  the  fore-quarters  are  elevated,  will  they  be  thrown  farther 
forward,  or,  in  other  words,  will  the  stride  of  the  horse  be  lengthened.  Yet  many 
racers  have  the  forehand  low.  The  unrivalled  Eclipse  was  a  remarkable  instance  of 
this  ;  but  the  ample  and  finely  proportioned  quart;ers,  and  the  muscularity  of  the  thio-h 
and  fore-ann,  rendered  the  aid  to  be  derived  from  the  withers  perfectly  unnecessary. 
The  hea\y  draught-horse  does  not  require  elevated  withers.  His  utility  depends 
on  the  power  of  depressing  his  fore-quarters,  and  throwing  their  weight  fully  into 
the  collar;  but  for  common  work  in  the  hackney,  in  the  farmer's  horse,  and  in  the 
hunter,  well-formed  withers  will  be  an  essential  advantage,  as  contributing  to  good 
and  safe  action,  and  likewise  to  speed. 

MUSCLES   OF   THE   BACK. 

TThe  most  important  muscles  which  belong  to  this  part  of  the  frame  are  principally 
those  which  extend  from  the  continuation  of  the  ligament  of  the  neck,  along  the  Avhole 
of  the  back  and  loins;  and  likewise  from  the  last  cervical  bone; — i\ie  superficial  is  and 
transversaJis  cnsfarum,  or  superficial  and  transverse  muscles  of  the  ribs,  going  from 
this  ligament  to  the  upper  part  of  the  ribs  to  elevate  them,  and  to  assist  in  the  expan- 
sion of  the  chest;  also  the  large  mass  of  muscle,  the  loni^issiititts  dorsi.  or  longest  mus- 
cle of  the  back,  from  the  spinous  and  transverse  processes  of  the  vertebrae  to  the  ribs, 
and  by  which  all  the  motions  cf  the  spine,  and  back,  and  loins,  to  which  allusion  has 
been  made,  are  principally  produced;  bj'  which  the  fore-quarters  are  raised  upon  the 
hind  ones,  or  the  hind  upon  the  fore  ones,  according  as  either  of  them  is  the  fixed 
point.    This  is  the  principal  agent  in  rearing  and  kicking. 

Tlie  last  muscle  to  be  noticed  is  the  spiimlis  dorsi,  the  spinal  inuscle  of  the  hack, 
from  the  spinous  processes  of  some  of  the  last  bones  of  the  back  to  those  of  the  fore 
part; — thick  and  strong  about  the  withers,  and  broadly  attached  to  them;  and  more 
powerfully  attached,  and  more  strongly  acting  in  proportion  to  the  elevation  of  the 
withers  ;  and  proceeding  on  to  the  three  lowest  bones  of  the  neck,  and  therefore  mainly 
concerned,  as  already  described,  in  elevating  the  fore-quarters,  and  producing  high 
and  safe  action,  and  contributing  to  speed. 

Before  the  roof  of  the  chest  is  left,some  accidents  or  diseases  to  which  it  is  exposed 
mast  be  mentioned.    The  first  is  of  a  very  serious  nature. 
15* 


174  THE    CHEST. 


FISTULOUS    WITHERS. 


When  the  saddle  has  been  suffered  to  press  long  upon  the  withers,  a  tumour  ■will 
be  formed,  hot  and  exceedingly  tender.  It  may  sometimes  be  dispersed  by  the  cool- 
ing applications  recommended  in  the  treatment  of  poll-evil ;  but  if,  in  despite  of  these, 
the  swelling  should  remain  stationary,  and  especially  if  it  should  become  larger  and 
more  tender,  warm  fomentations  and  poultices,  and  stimulating  embrocations,  should 
be  diligently  applied,  in  order  to  hasten  the  formation  of  pus.  As  soon  as  that  can 
be  fairly  detected,  a  seton  should  be  passed  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of  the  tumour, 
so  that  the  whole  of  the  matter  may  be  evacuated,  and  continue  to  be  discharged  as 
it  is  afterwards  formed ;  or  the  knife  may  be  freely  used,  in  order  to  get  at  the  bottom 
of  every  sinus.  The  knife  has  succeeded  many  a  time  when  the  seton  has  failed. 
The  after  treatment  must  be  precisely  that  which  was  recommended  for  a  similar  dis- 
ease in  the  poll. 

In  neglected  fistulous  withers  the  ulcer  may  be  larger  and  deeper,  and  more  destruc- 
tive than  in  poll-evil.  It  may  burrow  beneath  the  shoulder-blade,  and  the  pus  appear 
at  the  point  of  the  shoulder  or  the  elbow ;  or  the  bones  of  the  withers  may  become 
carious. 

Very  great  improvement  has  taken  place  in  the  construction  of  saddles  for  common 
use  and  in  the  cavalrj'  service.  Certain  rules  have  now  been  laid  down  from  which 
the  saddler  should  never  deviate,  and  attending  to  wliich  the  animal  is  saved  from 
much  suffering,  and  the  mechanic  from  deserved  disgrace. 

The  first  nile  in  the  fitting  of  the  saddle  is,  that  it  should  bear  upon  the  back,  and 
not  on  the  spine  or  the  withers,  for  these  are  parts  that  will  not  endure  pressure. 

Next  in  universal  application  is  the  understanding  that  the  saddle  should  have 
everj'where  an  equal  bearing,  neither  tilting  forward  upon  the  points  nor  backward 
upon  the  seat. 

When  the  saddle  is  on,  and  the  girths  fastened,  there  should  remain  space  sufficient 
between  the  withers  and  the  pommel  for  the  introduction  of  the  hand  underneath  the 
latter. 

The  points  of  the  tree  should  clip  or  embrace  the  sides  without  pinching  them,  or  so 
standing  outward  that  the  pressure  is  all  downwards,  and  upon  one  place,  instead  of 
being  in  a  direction  inwards  as  well  as  downwards,  so  as  to  be  distributed  uniformly 
over  everj-  part  of  the  point  that  touches  the  side.  Horses  that  have  low  and  thick 
withers  are  most  likely  to  have  them  injured,  in  consequence  of  the  continual  riding 
forward  of  the  saddle,  and  its  consequent  pressure  upon  them.  Fleshy  and  fat  shoul- 
ders and  sides  are  also  subject  to  become  hurt  by  the  points  of  the  trees  eitlier  pinch- 
ing them  from  being  too  narrow  in  the  arch,  or  from  the  bearing  being  directly  down- 
ward upon  them. 

Injury  occasionally  results  from  the  interruption  which  a  too  forward  saddle  presents 
to  the  working  or  motion  of  the  shoulder,  and  the  consequent  friction  the  soft  parts 
sustain  between  the  shoulder-blade  inwardly,  and  the  points  of  the  saddle-tree 
outwardly.* 

WARBLES,   SITFASTS,  AND   SADDLE  GALLS. 

On  other  parts  of  the  back,  tumours  and  very  troublesome  ulcers  may  be  produced 
by  the  same  cause.  Those  resulting  from  the  pressure  of  the  saddle  are  called  war- 
hJes,  and,  when  they  ulcerate,  they  frequently  become  sUfasls.  Warbles  are  small 
circular  bruises,  or  extravasations  of  blood,  where  there  has  been  an  undue  pressure 
of  the  saddle  or  harness.  If  a  horse  is  subject  to  these  tumours,  the  saddle  should 
remain  on  him  two  or  three  hours  after  he  has  returned  to  the  stable.  It  is  only  for  a 
certain  time,  however,  that  this  will  perfectly  succeed,  for  by  the  frequent  application 
of  tlie  pressure  the  skin  and  the  cellular  substance  are  bruised  or  otlierwise  injured, 
and  a  permanent  sore  or  tumour,  of  a  very  annoying  description,  takes  place.  The 
centre  of  iho  sore  gradually  loses  its  vitality.  A  separation  takes  place  from  the  sur- 
rounding integument,  and  there  is  a  circular  piece  of  dried  and  hard  skin  remaining 
in  the  centre.  This  is  curiously  called  a  navel  gall,  because  it  is  opposite  to  the 
navel.  No  effort  must  be  made  to  tear  or  dissect  it  off,  but  stimulating  poultices  c 
fomentations,  or,  if  these  fail,  a  mild  blister,  will  cause  a  speedy  separation ;  and  the 

•  Percivall's  Hippopathology,  vol.  i.,  p.  199. 


THE   THYMUS   GLAND.  175 

wound  will  then  readily  heal  by  the  use  of  turpentine  dressings,  more  or  less  stimu- 
lating, according  to  circumstances. 

Saddle  galls  are  tumours,  and  sometimes  galls  or  sores,  arising  also  from  the  pres- 
sure and  chafing^  of  the  saddle.  They  differ  little  from  the  warble,  except  that  there 
is  ver}-  seldom  the  separation  of  the  dead  part  in  the  centre,  and  the  sore  is  larger  and 
varj'ing  in  its  form.  The  application  of  cold  water,  or  salt  and  water,  will  generally 
remove  excoriations  of  this  kind. 

With  reg^ard,  however,  to  all  these  tumours  and  excoriations,  the  humane  man  will 
have  the  saddle  eased  and  padded  as  soon  as  it  begins  to  he  of  the  least  inconvenience 
to  the  horse. 

MUSCLES    OF   THE   BREAST. 

There  are  some  important  muscles  attached  to  the  breast  connected  with  that 
expansion  of  the  chest  which  every  horse  should  possess.  In  the  cut,  page  159,  are 
seen  a  very  important  pair  of  muscles,  the  pecforales  transversi,  or  pectoral  muscles, 
forming  two  prominences  in  the  front  of  the  chest,  and  extending  backward  between 
the  legs.  They  come  from  the  fore  and  upper  part  of  the  breast-bone ;  pass  across  the 
inward  part  of  the  arm,  and  reach  from  the  elbow  almost  down  to  the  knee.  They 
confine  the  arm  to  the  side  in  the  rapid  motion  of  the  horse,  and  prevent  lum  from 
being,  what  horsemen  would  call,  and  what  is  seen  in  a  horse  pushed  beyond  his 
natural  power,  "all  abroad."  Other  muscles,  j?fc/ora/c.s  ma^ni  et  parvi,  the  great 
and  little  pectorals,  rather  above  but  behind  these,  go  from  the  breast-bone  to  the 
arm,  in  order  to  draw  back  the  point  of  the  shoulder,  and  bring  it  upright.  Another 
and  smaller  muscle  goes  from  the  breast-bone  to  the  shoulder,  to  assist  in  the  s;une 
office.  A  horse,  therefore,  thin  and  narrow  in  the  breast,  must  be  deficient  in  import- 
ant muscular  power. 

Between  the  legs  and  along  the  breast-bone  is  the  proper  place  in  which  to  insert 
rowels,  in  cases  of  inflamed  lungs. 

CHEST-FOUNDER. 

These  muscles  are  occasionally  the  seat  of  a  singular  and  somewhat  mysterious 
disease.  The  old  farriers  used  to  call  it  antlcor  and  chest-founder.  The  horse  has 
considerable  stiffness  in  mo\'ing,  evidently  not  referable  to  the  feet.  There  is  tender- 
ness about  the  muscles  of  the  breast,  and,  occasionally,  swelling.  We  believe  it  to 
be  nothing  more  than  rheumatism,  produced  by  suffering  the  horse  to  remain  too  long 
tied  up,  and  exposed  to  the  cold,  or  riding  him  against  a  very  bleak  wind.  Some- 
times a  considerable  degree  of  fever  accompanies  this;  but  bleeding,  physic,  a  rowel 
in  the  chest,  warm  embrocations  over  the  parts  affected,  warm  stabling,  and  warm 
clc  thing,  with  occasional  doses  of  antimonial  powder,  will  soon  subdue  the  complaint. 


CHAPTER    VII. 
THE    CONTENTS    OF  THE    CHEST. 


THE  THYMUS  GLAND. 

At  the  entrance  of  the  trachea  into  the  thorax,  and  ere  it  has  scarcely  penetrated 
between  the  first  ribs  in  the  young  subject,  it  comes  in  contact  with  an  irregular  glan- 
dular body,  situated  in  the  doublinsr  of  the  anterior  mediastinum.  It  is  "  the  thymus 
gland,"  or,  in  vulvar  languacre.  the  sweet-bread.  In  the  early  period  of  utero-gesta- 
tion,  it  is  of  ver\'  inconsiderable  bulk,  and  confined  mostly  to  the  chest ;  but.  during-  the 
latter  months,  it  strangrely  developes  itself, — the  superior  cornua  protrude  out  of  the 
thorax  and  climb  up  the  neck,  between  the  carotids  and  the  trachea.  They  are  evi- 
dently connected  with  the  th)'mus  gland,  and  become  parts  and  portions  of  the  parotid 
glands. 

We  are  indebted  to  Sir  Astley  Cooper  for  the  best  account  of  the  anatomical  struc- 
.dre,  anu  possible  function  of  the  thymus  gland.     It  presents,  on  being  cut  into,  a 


176  CONTENTS    OF   THE    CHEST. 

great  number  of  small  cavities,  in  which  the  abundant  while  fluid  of  the  gland  is  in 
part  contained.  From  those  cavities  the  fluid  is  transmitted  into  a  jjeneral  reservoir, 
which  forms  a  common  connecting  cavity,  and  is  lined  by  a  delicate  membrane.  Sir 
Astley,  and  in  this  he  is  supported  by  Professor  Miiller,  believes  that  a  peculiar  albu- 
minous fluid  is  conveyed  by  the  thymus  gland  to  the  veins,  through  the  medium  of 
the  lymphatics.  It  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  formation  of  the  blood,  in  the  foetus 
or  the  child. 

These  two  eminent  physiologists  exert  the  better  part  of  discretion,  by  declining 
to  give  any  hypothesis  of  its  function  beyond  this,  that  it  supplies  the  lymphatics 
with  an  albuminous  fluid. 

This  gland  continues  to  grow  for  some  time  after  birth,  and  remains  of  considera- 
ble size  during  the  first  year  ;  it  then  gradually  diminishes,  and,  about  the  period  of 
puberty,  usually  disappears.  It  has,  however,  been  found  in  a  mare  between  five  and 
six  years  old. 

THE  DIAPHRAGM. 

Bounding  the  thorax  posteriorly, — the  base  of  the  cone  in  the  human  subject, — the 
interposed  curtain  between  the  thorax  and  the  abdomen  in  the  horse,  is  the  dia}ihragni. 
It  is  an  irregular  muscular  expansion,  proceeding  from  the  inferior  surface  of 
the  lumbar  vertebra  posteriorly  and  superiorly,  adhering  to  the  ribs  on  either 
side,  and  extending  obliquely  forward  and  downward  to  the  sternum;  or,  rather 
it  is  a  flattened  muscle  arising  from  all  these  points,  with  its  fibres  all  converg- 
ing towards  the  centre,  and  terminating  there  in  an  expansion  of  tendinous  substance. 
It  is  lined  anteriorly  by  the  pleura  or  investing  membrane  of  the  thoracic  cavity,  and 
posteriorly  by  the  peritoneum  or  investing  membrane  of  the  abdominal  cavity. 

Anatomy  of  the  JDiaphragm. — In  the  short  account  which  it  is  purposed  to  give  of 
the  structure  of  the  diaphragm,  the  description  of  Mr.  Percivall  will  be  closely  fol- 
lowed. "  The  diaphragm  may  be  divided  into  the  main  circular  muscle,  with  its 
central  tendinous  expansion  forming  the  lower  part,  and  two  appendices,  or  crura, 
as  they  are  called,  from  their  peculiar  shape,  constituting  its  superior  portion.  The 
fleshy  origin  of  the  grand  muscle  may  be  traced  laterally  and  inferiorly,  commencing 
from  the  cartilage  of  the  eighth  rib  anteriorly,  and  closely  following  the  union  of  the 
posterior  ribs  with  their  cartilages  ;  excepting,  however,  the  two  last.  The  attach- 
ment is  peculiarly  strong;  it  is  denticulated ;  it  encircles  the  whole  of  the  lateral  and 
inferior  part  of  the  chest,  as  far  as  the  sternum,  where  it  is  connected  with  the  ensi- 
form  cartilage.  Immediately  under  the  loins  are  the  appendices  of  the  diaphragm, 
commencing  on  the  right  side,  from  the  inferior  surfaces  of  the  five  first  lumbar  ver- 
tebree  by  strong  tendons,  which  soon  become  muscular,  and  form  a  kind  of  pillar; 
and,  on  the  left,  proceeding  from  the  two  first  lumbar  vertebraj  only,  and  from  the 
sides  rather  than  the  bodies  of  these  vertebrae,  and  these  also  unite  and  form  a  shorter 
pillar,  or  leg.  The  left  crus  or  appendix  is  shorter  than  the  right,  that  it  may  be 
more  out  of  the  way  of  pressure  from  the  left  curvature  of  the  stomach,  which,  Avith 
the  spleen,  lies  underneath.  Opposite  to  the  17th  dorsal  vertebra,  these  two  pillars 
unite  and  form  a  thick  mass  of  muscles,  detached  from  the  vertebral,  and  leaving  a 
kind  of  pouch  between  them  and  the  vertebree.  They  not  only  unite,  but  they  decus- 
sate :  their  fibres  mingle  and  again  separate  from  each  other,  and  then  proceed  onward 
to  the  central  tendinous  expansion  towards  which  the  fibres  from  the  circular  muscle, 
and  the  appendices,  all  converge.'' 

The  diaphragm  is  the  main  agent,  both  in  ordinary  and  extraordinary  respiration  ; 
it  assists  also  in  the  expulsion  of  the  urine,  and  it  is  a  most  powerful  auxiliary  in 
the  act  of  parturition.  In  its  quiescent  state,  it  presents  its  convex  surface  towards 
the  thorax,  and  its  concave  one  towards  the  abdomen.  The  anterior  convexity  abuts 
upon  the  lungs  ;  the  posterior  concavity  is  occupied  by  some  of  the  abdominal  viscera. 
The  effect  of  the  action  of  this  muscle,  or  the  contraction  of  its  fibres,  is  to  lessen  the 
convexity  towards  the  chest,  and  the  concavity  towards  the  abdomen  :  or  perhaps,  by 
a  powerful  contraction,  to  cause  it  to  present  a  plane  surface  either  way.  The  abdo- 
minal viscera  that  must  be  displaced  in  order  to  effect  this,  have  considerable  bulk  and 
weight;  and  when  the  stomach  is  distended  with  food,  and  the  motion  required  from  the 
diaphragm  in  rapid  breathing  is  both  quick  and  extensive,  there  needs  some  strong,  firm, 
elastic,  substance  to  bear  it.  The  forcible  contact  and  violent  pressure  would  bruise 
and  otherwise  injure  a  mere  muscular  expansion;  and  therefore  we  have  this  tendi- 


RUPTURE   OF   THE   DIAPHRAGM.  i.7? 

nous  expansion,  comparatively  devoid  of  sensibility,  to  stand  the  pressure  and  tho 
shocK.  which  will  always  be  greatest  at  the  centre. 

Yet  it  is  subject  to  injury  and  disease  of  a  serious  and  varied  character.  What- 
ever may  be  the  original  seat  of  thoracic  or  abdominal  ailment,  the  diaphragm  soon 
becomes  irritable  and  inflamed.  This  accounts  for  the  breathing  of  the  horse  being 
so  much  affected  under  every  inflammation  or  excitement  of  the  chest  or  belly.  The 
irritability  of  this  muscle  is  often  evinced  by  a  singular  spasmodic  action  of  a  portion, 
or  the  whole  of  it. 

Mr.  Castley  thus  describes  a  case  of  it: — "A  horse  had  been  very  much  distressed 
in  a  run  of  nearly  thirteen  miles,  without  a  check,  and  his  rider  stopped,  on  the  road 
towards  home,  to  rest  him  a  little.  With  difficulty  he  was  brought  to  the  stable. 
Mr.  Castley  was  sent  for,  and  he  says, — '  When  I  first  saw  the  animal,  his  breathing 
and  attitude  indicated  the  greatest  distress.  The  prominent  symptom,  however,  was 
a  convulsive  motion,  or  jerking  of  the  whole  body,  audible  at  several  yards'  distance, 
and  evidently  proceeding  from  his  inside  ;  the  beats  appeared  to  be  about  forty  in  a 
minute.  On  placing  my  hand  over  the  heart,  the  action  of  that  organ  could  be  felt, 
but  very  indistinctly  ;  the  beating  evidently  came  from  behind  the  heart,  and  was 
most  plainly  to  be  felt  in  the  direction  of  the  diaphragm.  Again  placing  my  hand  on 
the  abdominal  muscles,  the  jerks  appeared  to  come  from  before,  backwards;  the 
impression  on  my  mind,  therefore,  was,  that  this  was  a  spasmodic  affection  of  the 
diaphragm,  brought  on  by  violent  distress  in  running.'  "* 

Mr.  Castley's  account  is  inserted  thus  at  length,  because  it  was  the  first  of  the  kind 
on  record,  with  the  exception  of  an  opinion  of  Mr.  Apperley,  which  came  very  near 
to  the  truth.  "  When  a  horse  is  very  much  exhausted  after  a  long  run  with  hounds, 
a  noise  will  sometimes  be  heard  to  proceed  from  his  inside,  which  is  often  erroneously 
supposed  to  be  the  beating  of  his  heart,  whereas  it  proceeds  from  the  excessive 
motion  of  the  abdominal  muscles. "I 

]\Ir.  Castley  shall  pursue  his  case,  (it  will  be  a  most  useful  guide  to  the  treatment 
of  these  cases) : — "  Finding  that  there  was  little  pulsation  to  be  felt  at  the  submaxillary 
artery,  and  judging  from  that  circumstance  that  any  attempt  to  bleed  at  that  time  would 
be  worse  than  useless,  I  ordered  stimulants  to  be  given.  We  first  administered  three 
ouhces  of  spirit  of  nitrous  ether,  in  a  bottle  of  warm  water;  but  this  producing  no 
good  effect,  we  shortly  afterwards  gave  two  drachms  of  the  sub-carbonate  of  ammonia 
in  a  ball,  allowing  the  patient,  at  the  same  time,  plenty  of  white  water  to  drink. 
About  a  quarter  of  aij  hour  after  this,  he  broke  out  into  a  profuse  perspiration,  which 
continued  two  hours,  or  more.  The  breathing  became  more  tranquil,  but  the  convul- 
sive motion  of  the  diaphragm  still  continued  without  any  abatement.  After  the 
sweating  had  ceased,  the  pulse  became  more  perceptible,  and  the  action  of  the  heart 
more  distinct,  and  I  considered  this  to  be  the  proper  time  to  bleed.  When  about  ten 
pounds  had  been  extracted,  I  thought  that  the  beating  and  the  breathing  seemed  to 
increase  ;  the  bleeding  was  stopped,  and  the  patient  littered  up  for  the  night.  In  the 
morning,  the  affection  of  the  diaphragm  was  much  moderated,  and  about  eleven  o'clock 
it  ceased,  after  continuing  eighteen  or  nineteen  hours.  A  little  tonic  medicine  was 
afterwards  administered,  and  the  horse  soon  recovered  his  usual  appetite  and  spirits.":}: 

Later  surgeons  administer,  and  with  good  effect,  opium  in  small  doses,  together 
with  ammonia,  or  nitric  ether,  and  have  recourse  to  bleeding  as  soon  as  any  reaction 
is  perceived. 

Over-fatigue,  of  almost  every  kind,  has  produced  spasm  of  the  diaphragm,  and  so 
has  over-distension  of  the  stomach  with  grass. 

RUPTURE  OF  THE  DIAPHRAGM. 

This  is  an  accident,  or  the  consequence  of  disease,  very  lately  brought  under  the 
cognizance  of  the  veterinary  surgeon.  The  first  communication  of  its  occurrence  was 
from  Mr.  King,  a  friend  of  ^Ir.  Percivall.§.  It  occurred  in  a  mare  that  had  been  ridden 
sharply  for  half  a  dozen  miles,  when  she  was  full  of  grass.  She  soon  afterwards 
exhibited  symptoms  of  broken-wind,  and,  at  length,  died  suddenly,  while  standing  in 
the  stable.  The  diaphragm  was  lacerated  on  the  left  side,  through  its  whole  extent, 
throwing  the  two  cavities  into  one. 

•  The  Veterinarian,  1831,  p.  247.  t  Nimrod  on  the  Condition  of  Hunters,  p.  18.5 

t  The  Veterinarian,  1831,  p.  248.  ^  The  Veterinarian,  1828,  p.  101. 


178  CONTENTS    OF   THE   CHEST. 

Since  that  period,  from  the  increasing  and  very  proper  habit  of  examining  every 
dead  horse,  cases  of  this  accident  have  rapidly  multiplied.  It  seems  that  it  may 
follow  any  act  of  extraordinary  exertion,  and  etTorts  of  every  kind,  particularly  on  a  full 
stomach,  or  when  the  bowels  are  distended  with  green  or  other  food  likely  to  generate 
gas.*  Considerable  caution,  however,  should  be  exercised  when  much  gaseous  fluid 
is  present ;  for  the  bowels  may  be  distended,  and  forced  against  the  diaphragm  to 
such  a  degree,  as  to  threaten  to  burst. 

An  interesting  case  of  rupture  of  the  diaphragm  was  related  by  Professor  Spooner, 
at  one  of  the  meetings  of  the  Veterinary  Medical  Association.  A  horse  having  been 
saddled  and  bridled  for  riding,  was  turned  in  his  stall  and  fastened  by  the  bit-straps. 
Something  frightened  him — he  reared,  broke  the  bit-strap,  and  fell  backward.  On  the 
following^mor'ning,  he  was  evidently  in  great  pain,  kicking,  heaving,  and  occasionally 
lying  down.  Mr.  S.  was  sent  for  to  examine  him,  but  was  not  told  of  the  event  of 
the  preceding  day.  He  considered  it  to  be  a  case  of  enteritis,  and  treated  it  accord- 
ino-ly.  He  bled  him  largely,  and,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  the  horse  appeared  to  be 
decidedly  better,  every  symptom  of  pain  having  vanished.      The  horse  was  more 

lively he  ate  with  appetite,  but  his  bowels  remained  constipated. 

On  the  following  day  there  was  a  fearful  change.     The  animal  was  suifering  sadly 

the  breathino-  was  laborious,  and  the  membrane  of  the  nose  intensely  red,  as  if  it 

were  more  a  case  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs  than  of  the  bowels.  The  bowels 
were  still  constipated.  The  patient  was  bled  and  physicked  again,  but  without 
avail.  He  died  ;  and  there  was  found  rupture  of  the  diaphragm,  protrusion  of  intes- 
tine into  the  thoracic  cavity,  and  extensive  pleural  and  peritoneal  inflammation. 

In  rupture  of  the  diaphragm,  the  horse  usually  sits  on  his  haunches,  like  a  dog; 
but  this  is  far  from  being  an  infallible  symptom  of  the  disease.  It  accompanies 
introsusception,  as  well  as  rupture  of  the  diaphragm.  The  weight  of  the  intestines 
may  possibly  cause  any  protruded  part  of  them  to  descend  again  into  the  abdomen. 

This  muscle,  so  important  in  its  office,  is  plentifully  supplied  with  blood-vessels. 
As  the  posterior  aorta  passes  beneath  the  crura  of  the  diaphragm,  it  gives  out  some- 
times a  single  vessel  which  soon  bifurcates ;  sometimes  two  branches,  which  speedily 
plunge  into  the  appendices  or  crura,  while  numerous  small  vessels,  escaping  from 
them"  spread  over  the  central  tendinous  expansion.  As  the  larger  muscle  of  the 
diaphragm  springs  from  the  sides  and  the  base  of  the  chest,  it  receives  many  ramifica- 
tions from  the  internal  pectoral,  derived  from  the  anterior  aorta  ;  but  more  from  the 
posterior  intercostals  which  spring  from  the  posterior  aorta. 

The  veins  of  the  diaphragm  belong  exclusively  to  the  posterior  vena  cava.  There 
are  usually  three  on  either  side  ;  but  they  may  be  best  referred  to  two  chief  trunks 
which  come  from  the  circumference  of  the  diaphragm,  converge  towards  the  centre, 
and  run  into  the  posterior  cava  as  it  passes  through  the  tendinous  expansion. 

The  functional  nerve  of  the  diaphragm,  or  that  from  which  it  derives  its  principal 
action,  and  which  constitutes  it  a  muscle  of  respiration,  is  the  phrenic  or  diaphragmatic. 
Although  it  does  not  proceed  from  that  portion  of  the  medulla  oblongata  which  gives 
rise  to  the  glosso-pharyngeus  and  the  par  vagum,  yet  there  is  suflicient  to  induce  us 
to  suspect  that  it  arises  from,  and  should  be  referred  to,  the  lateral  column  between 
the  superior  and  inferior,  the  sensitive  and  motor  nerves,  and  which  may  be  evidently 
traced  from  the  pons  varolii  to  the  very  termination  of  the  spinal  chord. 

The  diaphragm  is  the  main  agent  in  the  work  of  respiration.  The  other  muscles 
are  mere  auxiliaries,  little  needed  in  ordinary  breathing,  but  affording  the  most 
important  assistance,  when  the  breathing  is  more  than  usually  hurried.  The  mecha- 
nism of  respiration  may  be  thus  explained  : — Let  it  be  supposed  that  the  lungs  are  in 
a  quiescent  state.  The  act  of  expiration  has  been  performed,  and  all  is  still.  From 
some  cause  enveloped  in  mystery  —  connected  with  the  will,  but  independent  of  it — 
some  stimulus  of  an  unexplained  and  unknown  kind  —  the  phrenic  nerve  acts  on  the 
diaphragm,  and  that  muscle  contracts;  and,  by  contracting,  its  convexity  into  the 
chest  is  diminished,  and  the  cavity  of  the  chest  is  enlarged.  At  the  same  time,  and 
by  some  consentaneous  influence,  the  intercostal  muscles  act — with  no  great  force, 
indeed,  in  undisturbed  breathing;  but,  in  proportion  as  they  act,  the  ribs  rotate  ob 
their  axes,  their  edges  are  thrown  outward,  and  thus  a  twofold  efi'ect  ensues  : — the 
posterior  margin  of  the  chest  is  expanded,  the  cavity  is  plainly  enlarged,  and  also,  by 
the  partial  rotation  of  every  rib,  the  cavity  is  still  more  increased. 

♦  Pcrcivall's  Hippopathology,  vol.  ii.,  No.  1,  p.  152. 


THE   PLEURA.  i79 

By  some  other  consentaneous  influence,  the  spinal  accessor}"^  nerve  likewise  exerts 
its  power,  and  the  sterno-maxillaris  muscle  is  stimulated  by  the  anterior  division  of  it, 
and  the  motion  of  the  head  and  neck  corresponds  with  and  assists  that  of  the  chest; 
while  the  posterior  division  of  the  accessory  nerve,  by  its  anastanioses  with  the  motoi 
nerves  of  the  levator  humeri  and  the  splenius,  and  many  other  of  the  muscles  of  the 
neck  and  the  shoulder,  and  by  its  direct  influence  on  the  rhomboideus,  associates 
almost  every  muscle  of  the  neck,  the  shoulder,  and  the  chest,  in  the  expansion  of  the 
thorax.  These  latter  are  muscles,  which,  in  undisturbed  respiration,  the  animal 
scarcely  needs;  but  which  are  necessary  to  him  when  tjie  respiration  is  much 
disturbed,  and  to  obtain  the  aid  of  which  he  will,  under  pneumonia,  obstinately  stand 
until  he  falls  exhausted  or  to  die. 

The  cavity  of  the  chest  is  now  enlarged.  But  this  is  a  closed  cavity,  and  between 
its  contents  and  the  parietes  of  the  chest  a  vacuum  would  be  formed ;  or  rather  an 
inequality  of  atmospheric  pressure  is  produced  from  the  moment  the  chest  begins  to 
dilate.  As  the  diaphragm  recedes,  there  is  nothing  to  counterbalance  the  pressure  of 
the  atmorspheric  air  communicating  with  the  lungs  through  the  medium  of  the  nose 
and  mouth,  and  it  is  forced  into  the  respiratory  tubes  already  described,  and  the  lungs 
are  expanded  and  still  kept  in  contact  with  the  receding  walls  of  the  chest.  There  is 
no  sucking,  no  inhalent  power  in  the  act  of  inspiration;  it  is  the  simple  enlargement 
of  the  chest  from  the  entrance  and  pressure  of  the  air. 

From  some  cause,  as  inexplicable  as  that  which  produced  the  expansion  of  the 
chest,  the  respirator)'-  nerves  cease  to  act;  and  the  diaphragm,  by  the  inherent 
elasticity  of  its  tendinous  expansion  and  muscular  fibres,  returns  to  its  natural  form, 
once  more  projecting  its  convexity  into  the  thorax.  The  abdominal  muscles,  also, 
which  had  been  put  on  the  stretch  by  the  forcing  of  the  viscera  into  the  posterior  part 
of  the  abdomen  by  means  of  the  straightening  of  the  diaphragm,  contract,  and 
accelerate  the  return  of  that  muscle  to  its  quiescent  figure ;  and  the  ribs,  all  armed 
wnth  elastic  cartilages,  regain  their  former  situation  and  figure.  The  muscles  of  the 
shoulder  and  the  chest  relax,  a  portion  of  the  lungs  are  pressed  on  every  side,  and  the 
air  w'ith  which  they  were  distended  is  again  forced  out.  There  is  only  one  set  of 
muscles  actively  employed  in  expiration,  namely,  the  abdominal :  the  elasticity  of 
the  parts  displaced  in  inspiration  being  almost  sufficient  to  accomplish  the  purpose. 

The  lungs,  however,  are  not  altogether  passive.  The  bronchial  tubes,  so  far  as 
they  can  be  traced,  are  lined  with  cartilage,  divided  and  subdivided  for  the  purpose 
of  folding  up  when  the  lungs  are  compressed,  but  elastic  enough  to  aff"ord  a  yielding 
resistance  against  both  unusual  expansion  and  contraction.  In  their  usual  state  the 
air-tubes  are  distended  beyond  their  natural  calibre ;  for  if  the  parietes  of  the  thorax 
are  perforated,  and  the  pressure  of  the  atmosphere  rendered  equal  within  and  without 
them,  the  lungs  immediately  collapse. 

THE    PLEURA. 

Tlie  walls  of  the  chest  are  lined,  and  the  lungs  are  covered  by  a  smooth  glistening 
membrane,  the  pleura.  It  is  a  serous  membrane,  so  called  from  the  nature  of  its 
exhalation,  in  distinction  from  the  mucous  secretion  yielded  by  the  membrane  of  the 
air-passages.  The  serous  membrane  generally  invests  the  most  important  organs, 
and  always  those  that  are  essentially  connected  with  life  ;  while  the  mucous  mem- 
brane lines  the  interior  of  the  greater  part  of  them.  The  pleura  is  the  investing 
membrane  of  the  lungs,  and  a  mucous  membrane  the  lining  one  of  the  bronchial  tubes. 

Among  the  circumstances  principally  to  be  noticed,  with  regard  to  the  pleura,  is 
the  polish  of  its  external  surface.  The  glistening  appearance  of  the  lungs,  and  of  the 
inside  of  the  chest,  is  to  be  attributed  to  the  membrane  by  w-hich  they  are  covered, 
and  by  means  of  which  the  motion  of  the  various  organs  is  freer  and  less  dangerous. 
Although  the  lungs,  and  the  bony  walls  which  contain  them,  are  in  constant  approxi- 
mation with  each  other,  both  in  expiration  and  inspiration,  yet  in  the  frequently 
hurried  and  violent  motion  of  the  animal,  and,  in  fact,  in  every  act  of  expiration  and 
inspiration,  of  dilatation  and  contraction,  much  and  injurious  friction  would  ensue  if 
the  surfaces  did  not  glide  freely  over  each  other  by  means  of  the  peculiar  polish  of 
this  membrane. 

Every  serous  membrane  has  innumerable  exhalent  vessels  upon  its  surface,  from 
which  a  considerable  quantity  of  fluid  is  poured  out.  In  life  and  during  health  it 
exists  in  the  chest  only  as  a  kind  of  dew,  just  sufficient  to  lubricate  the  surfaces. 


180  CONTENTS    OF   THE    CHEST. 

When  the  chest  is  opened  soon  after  death,  we  reco^ize  it  in  the  steam  that  zuseA. 
and  in  a  few  drops  of  fluid,  which,  being  condensed,  are  found  at  the  lowest  part  of 
the  chest. 

The  quantity,  however,  which  is  exhaled  from  all  the  serous  membranes,  must  be 
very  great.  It  is  perhaps  equal  or  superior  to  that  which  is  yielded  by  the  vessels 
on  the  surface  of  the  body.  If  very  liltle  is  found  in  ordinary  cases,  it  is  because  the 
absorbents  are  as  numerous  and  as  active  as  the  exhalents,  and,  during  health,  that 
which  is  poured  out  by  the  one  is  taken  up  by  the  other;  but  in  circumstances  of  dis- 
ease, either  when  the  exhalents  are  stimulated  to  undue  action,  or  the  power  of  the 
absorbents  is  diminished,  the  fluid  rapidly  and  greatly  accumulates.  Thus  we  have 
hydrothorax  or  dropsy  of  the  chest,  as  one  of  the  consequences  of  inflammation  of  the 
chest;  and  the  same  disturbed  balance  of  action  will  produce  similar  eff"usion  in  other 
cavities. 

The  extensibility  of  membrane  generally  is  nowhere  more  strikingly  displayed  than 
in  the  serous  membranes,  and  particularly  in  that  under  consideration.  How  different 
the  bulk  of  the  lungs  before  the  act  of  inspiration  has  commenced,  and  after  it  has 
been  completed,  and  especially  in  the  laborious  respiration  of  disease  or  rapid  exer- 
tion !  In  either  state  of  the  lungs  the  pleura  is  perfectly  fitted  to  that  which  it 
envelopes. 

The  pleura,  like  other  serous  membranes,  is  possessed  of  very  little  sensibility. 
Few  nerves  from  the  sensitive  column  of  the  spinal  chord  reach  it.  Acute  feeling 
would  render  these  membranes  generally,  and  this  membrane  in  particular,  unfit  for 
the  function  they  have  to  discharge.  It  has  too  much  motion,  even  during  sleep ;  and 
far  too  forcible  friction  with  the  parietes  of  the  thorax  in  morbid  or  hurried  respiration, 
to  render  it  convenient  or  useful  for  it  to  possess  much  sensation.  Some  of  those 
anatomists  whose  experiments  on  the  living  animal  do  no  credit  to  their  humanity, 
have  given  most  singular  proof  of  the  insensibility,  not  only  of  these  serous  mem- 
branes, but  of  the  organs  which  they  invest.  Bichat  frequently  examined  the  spleen 
of  dogs.  He  detached  it  from  some  of  its  adhesions,  and  left  it  protruding  from  the 
wound  in  the  abdomen,  in  order  "  to  study  the  phenomena;"  and  he  saw  "  them  tear 
ing  off  that  organ,  and  eating  it,  and  thus  feeding  upon  their  own  substance."  In 
some  experiments,  in  which  part  of  their  intestines  were  left  out,  he  observed  them, 
as  soon  as  they  had  the  opportunity,  tear  to  pieces  their  own  viscera  without  any 
visible  pain. 

Although  it  may  be  advantageous  that  these  important  organs  shall  be  thus  devoid 
of  sensibility  when  in  health,  in  order  that  we  may  be  unconscious  of  their  action  and 
motion,  and  that  they  may  be  rendered  perfectly  independent  of  the  will,  yet  it  is 
equally  needful  that,  by  the  feeling  of  pain,  we  should  be  warned  of  the  existence  oi 
any  dangerous  disease :  and  thence  it  happens  that  this  membrane,  and  also  the  organ 
which  it  invests,  acquire  under  inflammation  the  highest  degree  of  sensibility.  The 
countenance  of  the  horse  labouring  under  pleurisy  or  pneumonia  will  sufficiently  indi- 
cate a  state  of  suffering;  and  the  spasmed  bend  of  his  neck,  and  his  long  and  anxious 
and  intense  gaze  upon  his  side,  tell  us  that  that  suffering  is  extreme. 

Nature,  however,  is  wise  and  benevolent  even  here.  It  is  not  of  every  morbid 
affection,  or  morbid  change,  that  the  animal  is  conscious.  If  a  mucous  membrane  is 
diseased,  he  is  rendered  painfully  aware  of  that,  for  neither  respiration  nor  digestion 
could  be  perfectly  carried  on  while  there  was  any  considerable  lesion  of  it;  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  we  find  tubercles  in  the  parenchyma  of  the  lungs,  or  induration  or 
hepatization  of  their  substance,  or  extensive  adhesions,  of  which  there  were  few  or 
no  indications  during  life. 

The  pleura  adheres  intimately  to  the  ribs  and  to  the  substance  of  the  lungs;  yet  it 
is  a  very  singular  connexion.  It  is  not  a  continuance  of  the  same  organisation ;  it  is 
not  an  interchange  of  vessels.  The  organ  and  its  membrane,  although  so  closely 
connected  for  a  particular  purpose,  yet  in  very  many  cases,  and  where  it  would  leas 
of  all  be  suspected,  have  little  or  no  sympathy  with  each  other.  Inflammation  of  the 
lungs  will  sometimes  exist,  and  will  run  on  to  ulceration,  wliile  the  pleura  will  be 
very  little  affected  :  and,  much  oftener,  the  pleura  will  be  the  seat  of  inflammation 
and  will  be  attended  by  increased  exhalation  to  such  an  extent  as  to  suffocate  the 
animal,  and  yet  the  lungs  will  exhibit  little  other  morbid  appearance  ttian  that  o1 
mere  compression.     The  disease  of  a  mucous  membrane  spreads  to  other  parts — that 


THE   LUNGS— THE    HE  A  IV  T.  181 

of  a  serous  one  is  generally  isolated.  It  was  to  limit  the  progress  of  disease  that  this 
difference  of  structure  between  the  organ  and  its  membrane  was  contrived. 

The  investing  membrane  of  the  lungs  and  that  of  the  heart  are  in  continual  contact 
with  each  other,  but  they  are  as  distinct  and  unconnected,  as  if  they  were  placed  in 
different  parts  of  the  frame.     Is  there  no  meaning  in  this'? 

It  is  to  prcser\-e  the  perfect  independence  of  organs  equally  important,  yet  altogether 
different  in  structure  and  function  —  to  oppose  an  insuperable  barrier  to  hurtful  sym- 
pathy between  them,  and  especially  to  cut  off  the  communication  of  disease. 

Perhaps  a  little  light  begins  to  be  thrown  on  a  circumstance  of  which  we  have 
occasional  painful  experience.  While  we  may  administer  physic,  or  mild  aperients 
at  least,  in  pleurisy,  not  only  with  little  danger,  but  with  manifest  advantage,  we 
may  just  as  well  give  a  dose  of  poison  as  a  physic-ball  to  a  horse  labouring-  under 
pneumonia.  The  pleura  is  connected  with  the  lungs,  and  with  the  lungs  alone,  and 
the  organisation  is  so  different,  that  there  is  very  little  sympathy  between  them.  A 
physic-ball  may,  therefore,  act  as  a  counter-irritant,  or  as  giving  a  new  determination 
to  the  vital  current,  w  ithout  the  propagation  of  sympathetic  irritation  ;  but  the  lungs 
or  the  bronchial  tubes  that  ramify  through  them  are  continuous  with  the  mucous  mem- 
branes of  the  digestive  as  well  as  all  the  respirator)'  passages ;  and  on  account  of  the 
continuity  and  similarity  of  organisation,  there  is  much  sympathy  between  them.  If 
there  is  irritation  excited  at  the  same  time  in  two  different  portions  of  the  same  mem- 
brane, it  is  probable  that,  instead  of  being  shared  between  them,  the  one  will  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  other  —  will  increase  or  double  the  other,  and  act  with  fearful  and  fatal 
violence. 

THE  LUNGS. 

The  lungs  are  the  seat  of  a  peculiar  circulation.  They  convey  through  their  com- 
paratively little  bulk  the  blood,  and  other  fluids  scarcely  transformed  into  blood,  or 
soon  separated  from  it,  which  traverse  the  whole  of  the  frame.  They  consist  of  count- 
less ramifications  of  air-tubes  and  blood-vessels  connected  together  by  intervening 
cellular  substance. 

They  form  two  distinct  bodies,  the  right  somewhat  larger  than  the  left,  and  are 
divided  from  each  other  by  the  duplicature  of  the  pleura,  which  has  been  already 
described — the  mediastinum.  Each  lung  has  the  same  structure,  and  properties,  and 
uses.  Each  of  them  is  subdivided,  the  right  lobe  consisting  of  three  lobes,  and  the 
left  of  two.  Tlie  intention  of  these  divisions  is  probably  to  adapt  the  substance  of 
the  lungs  to  the  form  of  the  cavity  in  which  they  are  placed,  and  to  enable  them  more 
perfectly  to  occupy  and  fill  the  chest. 

If  one  of  these  lobes  is  cut  into,  it  is  found  to  consist  of  innumerable  irregularly 
formed  compartments,  to  which  anatomists  have  given  the  name  of  lobules,  or  little 
lobes.  They  are  distinct  from  each  other,  and  impervious.  On  close  examination, 
they  can  be  subdivided  almost  without  end.  There  is  no  communication  between 
them,  or  if  perchance  such  communication  exists,  it  constitutes  the  disease  known  by 
the  name  of  broken  tvind. 

On  the  delicate  membrane  of  which  these  cells  are  composed,  innumerable  minute 
blood-vessels  ramify.  They  proceed  from  the  heart,  through  the  medium  of  i\\e  jml- 
monary  artery — they  follow  all  the  subdivisions  of  the  bronchial  tubes — they  ramify 
upon  the  membrane  of  these  multitudinous  lobules,  and  at  length  return  to  the  heart, 
through  the  medium  of  the  pulmonary-  veins,  the  character  of  the  blood  which  they 
contain  being  essentially  changed.  The  mechanism  of  this,  and  the  effect  produced 
must  be  briefly  considered. 

THE  HEART. 

The  heart  is  placed  between  a  doubling  of  the  pleura — the  mediastinum  ,-  by  means 
of  which  it  is  supported  in  its  natural  situation,  and  all  dangerous  friction  between 
these  important  organs  is  avoided.  It  is  also  surrounded  by  a  membrane  or  bag  of 
its  own,  called  the  pericardium,  whose  office  is  of  a  similar  nature.  By  means  of 
the  heart,  the  blood  is  circnlated  through  the  frame. 

It  is  composed  of  four  cavities — two  above,  called  auricles,  fiom  their  supposed 
resemblance  to  the  ear  of  a  dog;  and  two  below,  termed  ventricles,  occupying  the  sub- 
stance of  the  heart.  In  point  of  fact,  there  are  two  hearts — the  one  on  the  left  side 
impelling  the  blood  through  the  frame,  the  other  on  the  right  side  conveying  it  through 
16 


182  CONTENTS    OF   THE   CHEST. 

the  pulmonary  system;  but,  united  in  the  manner  in  which  they  are,  their  junction 
contiibutes  to  their  mutual  strength,  and  both  circulations  are  carried  on  at  the  same 
time 

Th"  first  is  the  arterial  circulation.  No  function  can  be  discharged — life  cannot 
exist,  without  the  ])resence  of  arterial  blood.  The  left  ventricle  that  contains  it  con- 
tracts, and  by  the  power  of  that  contraction,  aided  by  other  means,  which  the  limits 
of  our  work  will  not  permit  us  to  describe,  the  blood  is  driven  through  the  whole 
arterial  circulation — the  capillary  vessels  and  the  veins — and  returns  again  to  the 
heart,  but  to  the  right  ventricle.  The  other  division  of  this  viscus  is  likewise 
employed  in  circulating  the  blood  thus  conveyed  to  it,  but  is  not  the  same  fluid  which 
was  contained  in  the  left  ventricle.  It  has  gradually  lost  its  vital  power.  As  it  has 
passed  along,  it  has  changed  from  red  to  black,  and  from  a  vital  to  a  poisonous  fluid. 
Ere  it  can  again  convey  the  principle  of  nutrition,  or  give  to  each  organ  that  impulse 
or  stimulus  which  enables  it  to  discharge  its  function,  it  must  be  materially  changed. 

When  the  right  ventricle  contracts,  and  the  blood  is  driven  into  the  lungs,  it  passes 
over  the  gossamer  membrane  of  which  the  lobules  of  the  lungs  have  been  described 
as  consisting;  the  lobules  being  filled  with  the  air  which  has  descended  through  the 
bronchial  tubes  in  the  act  of  inspiration.  This  delicate  membrane  permits  some  of 
the  principles  of  the  air  to  permeate  it.  The  oxygen  of  the  atmosphere  attracts  and 
combines  with  a  portion  of  the  superabundant  carbon  of  this  blood,  and  the  expired 
air  is  poisoned  with  carbonic  acid  gas.  Some  of  the  constituents  of  the  blood  attract 
a  portion  of  the  oxygen  of  the  air,  and  obtain  their  distinguishing  character  and  pro- 
perties as  arterial  blood,  and  being  thus  revivified,  it  passes  on  over  the  membrane  of 
the  lobes,  unites  into  small  and  then  larger  vessels,  and  at  length  pours  its  full  stream 
of  arterial  blood  into  the  left  auricle,  thence  to  ascend  into  the  ventricle,  and  to  be  dif- 
fused over  the  frame. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  HEART. 

It  may  be  readily  supposed  that  an  organ  so  complicated  is  subject  to  disease.  It 
is  so  to  a  fearful  extent;  and  it  sympathises  with  the  maladies  of  every  other  part. 
Until  lately,  however,  this  subject  has  been  shamefully  neglected,  and  the  writers  on 
the  veterinary  art  have  seemed  to  be  unaware  of  the  importance  of  the  organ,  and  the 
maladies  to  which  it  is  exposed.  The  owner  of  the.horse  and  the  veterinary  profes- 
sion generally,  are  deeply  indebted  to  Messrs.  Percivall  and  Pritchard*  for  much 
valuable  information  on  this  subject.  The  writer  of  this  work  acknowledges  his 
obligation  to  both  of  these  gentlemen.  To  Dr.  Hope  also,  and  particularly  to  Laennec, 
we  owe  much.  Mr.  Percivall  well  says,  "This  class  of  diseases  maybe  regarded  as 
the  least  advanced  of  any  in  veterinary  medicine — a  circumstance  not  to  be  ascribed 
so  much  to  their  comparative  rarity,  as  to  their  existing  undiscovered,  or  rather 
being  confounded  during  life  with  other  disorders,  and  particularly  with  pulmonary 
affections." 

The  best  place  to  examine  the  beating  of  the  heart  is  immediately  behind  the 
elbow,  on  the  left  side.  The  hand  applied  flat  against  the  ribs  will  give  the  number 
of  pulsations.  The  ear  thus  applied  will  enable  the  practitioner  better  to  ascertain 
the  character  of  the  pulsation.  The  stethoscope  afl:brds  an  uncertain  guide,  for  it  can 
not  be  flatly  and  evenly  applied. 

Pericarditis. — The  bag,  or  outer  investing  membrane  of  the  heart,  is  liable 
inflammation,  in  which  the  eff'used  fluid  becomes  organized,  and  deposited  iu  layers, 
increasing  the  thickness  of  the  pericardium,  and  the  difiiculty  of  the  expansion  and 
contraction  of  the  heart.  The  only  symptoms  on  which  dependence  can  be  placed, 
are  a  quickened  and  irregular  respiration ;  a  bounding  action  of  the  heart  in  an  early 
stage  of  the  disease;  but  that,  as  the  fluid  increases  and  becomes  concrete,  assuming 
a  feeble  and  fluttering  character. 

HvDROPS  Pericardii  is  the  term  used  to  designate  the  presence  of  the  fluid  sec.-eted 
in  consequence  of  this  inflammation,  and  varying  from  a  pint  to  a  gallon  or  more. 
In  addition  to  the  symptoms  already  described,  there  is  an  expression  of  alarm  and 
anxiety  in  the  countenance  of  the  animal  which  no  other  malady  produces.  The 
horse  generally  sinks  from  other  disease,  or  from  constitutional  irritation,  before  tha 

•  See  Pritchard's  papers  in  the  Veterinarian,  vol.  vi.,  and  Percivall's  Hippopathologv,  vol 
u..  Part  I. 


DISEASES    OF    THE   HEART.  183 

cavity  of  the  pericardium  is  filled ;  or  if  he  lingers  on,  most  dreadful  palpitations 
and  throbbings  accompany  the  advanced  stage  of  the  disease.  It  is  seldom  or  never 
that  this  disease  exists  alone,  but  is  combined  with  dropsy  of  the  chest  or  abdomen. 

Carditis  is  the  name  given  to  inflammation  of  the  muscular  substance  ot  the  heart. 
A  well  authenticated  instance  of  inflammation  of  the  substance  of  the  heart  does  not 
stand  on  record.  Some  other  organ  proves  to  be  the  chief  seat  of  mischief,  even 
•when  the  disturbance  of  the  heart  has  been  most  apparent. 

IxFLAMMATio.v  OF  THE  LiNiNG  OF  THE  Heart. — Mr.  Simpson  relates,  in  the  Vete- 
rinarian for  1834,  a  case  in  which  there  were  symptoms  of  severe  abdominal  pain; 
the  respiration  was  much  disturbed,  and  the  action  of  the  heart  took  on  an  extraordi- 
nary character.  Three  or  four  beats  succeeded  to  each  other,  so  violently  as  to  shake 
the  whole  frame,  and  to  be  visible  at  the  distance  of  several  yards,  with  intervals  of 
quietude  for  five  minutes  or  more.     At  length  this  violent  beating  became  constant. 

On  dissection  both  lungs  were  found  to  be  inflamed,  the  serum  in  the  pericardium 
increased  in  quantity,  and  the  internal  membrane  of  the  heart  violently  inflamed,  wuth 
spots  of  ecchymosis. 

This  would  seem  to  be  a  case  of  inflammation  of  the  heart ;  but  in  a  considerable 
proportion  of  the  cases  of  rabies,  these  spots  of  ecchymosis,  and  this  general  inflam- 
mation of  the  heart,  are  seen. 

Hyperthrophy  is  an  augmentation  or  thickening  of  the  substance  of  the  heart; 
and  although  not  dreamed  of  a  few  years  ago,  seems  now  to  be  a  disease  of  no  rare 
occurrence  among  horses.  The  heart  has  been  knowm  to  acquire  double  its  natural 
volume,  or  the  auricle  and  ventricle  on  one  side  have  been  thus  enlarged.  Mr. 
Thomson  of  Bath  relates,  in  The  Veterinarian,  a  very  singular  case.  A  horse  was 
brought  with  every  appearance  of  acute  rheumatism,  and  was  bled  and  physicked. 
On  the  following  day  he  was  standing  with  his  fore  legs  widely  extended,  the  nos- 
trils dilated,  the  breathing  quick  and  laborious,  the  eyes  sunk  in  their  orbits,  the 
pupils  dilated,  his  nose  turned  round  almost  to  his  elbow,  sighing,  and  his  counte- 
nance showing  approaching  dissolution. 

The  pulse  had  a  most  irregular  motion,  and  the  undulation  of  the  jugular  veins 
was  extending  to  the  very  roots  of  the  ears.     He  died  a  few  hours  afterwards. 

The  lungs  and  pleura  were  much  inflamed  ;  the  pericardium  was  inflamed  and  dis- 
tended by  fluid ;  the  heart  was«of  an  enormous  size  and  greatly  inflamed ;  both  the 
auricles  and  ventricles  were  filled  with  coagulated  blood;  the  greater  part  of  the 
chordae  tendineae  had  given  way ;  the  valves  did  not  approximate  to  perform  their 
function,  and  the  heart  altogether  presented  a  large  disorganized  mass,  weighing  thir- 
ty-four pounds.  The  animal  worked  constantly  on  the  farm,  and  had  never  been  put 
to  quick  or  very  laborious  work. 

Dilatation  is  increased  capacity  of  the  cavities  of  the  heart,  and  the  parietes  be- 
ing generally  thinned.  It  is  probable  that  this  is  a  more  frequent  disease  than  is 
generally  supposed ;  and  from  the  circulating  power  being  lessened,  or  almost  sus- 
pended, on  account  of  the  inability  of  the  cavities  to  propel  their  contents,  it  is  ac- 
companied by  much  and  rapid  emaciation.  In  the  Gardens  of  the  Zoological  Society 
of  London  this  is  a  disease  considerably  frequent,  and  almost  uniformly  fatal.  It 
attacks  the  smaller  animals,  and  particularly  the  quadrumana,  and  has  been  found 
in  the  deer  and  the  zebra.  It  is  characterised  by  slow  emaciation,  and  a  piteous 
expression  of  the  countenance ;  but  the  mischief  is  done  when  these  symptoms  ap- 
pear. 

Ossification  of  the  Heart. — There  are  but  too  many  instances  of  this  both  in 
the  right  and  the  left  auricles  of  the  heart,  the  aortic  valves,  the  abdominal  aorta, 
and  also  the  bronchial  and  other  glands.  Mr.  Percivall  observes  of  one  of  these 
cases,  that  "  the  cavity  could  have  been  but  a  passive  receptacle  for  the  blood,  and 
the  current  must  have  been  continued  without  any  or  with  hardly  any  fresh  impulse." 

Of  air  in  the  heart  destroying  the  horse,  there  are  some  interesting  accounts ; 
and  also  of  rupture  of  the  heart,  and  aneurism,  or  dilatation  of  the  aorta,  both  thoracic 
and  abdominal,  and  even  farther  removed  from  the  heart  and  in  the  iliac  artery.  The 
symptoms  that  would  certainly  indicate  the  existence  of  aneurism  are  yet  unknown, 
except  tenderness  about  the  loins  and  gradual  inability  to  work,  are  considered  as 
such :  but  it  is  interesting  to  know  of  the  existence  of  these  lesions.  Ere  long  the 
veterinary  surgeon  may  possibly  be  able  to  guess  at  them,  although  he  will  rarely 


184  CONTENTS    OF   THE    CHEST. 

have  more  power  in  averting  the  consequences  of  aneurism  than  the  human  surgeon 
possesses  ■with  regard  to  his  patient. 

Tliis  will  be  the  proper  place  to  describe  a  little  more  fully  the  circulation  of  the 
blood,  and  various  circumstances  connected  with  that  most  important  process. 

THE  ARTERIES. 

The  vessels  which  carrj'  the  blood  from  the  heart  are  called  arteries  {keeping  air — 
the  ancients  thought  that  they  contained  air).  They  are  composed  of  three  coats; 
the  outer  or  elastic  is  that  by  which  they  are  enabled  to  yield  to  the  gush  of  blood,  and 
enlarge  their  dimensions  as  it  is  forced  along  them,  and  by  which  also  they  contract 
again  as  soon  as  the  stream  has  passed ;  the  middle  coat  is  a  muscular  one,  by  which 
this  contraction  is  more  powerfully  performed,  and  the  blood  urged  on  in  its  course; 
the  inner  or  membranous  coat  is  the  mere  lining  of  the  tube. 

This  yielding  of  the  artery  to  the  gush  of  blood,  forced  into  it  by  the  contraction 
of  the  heart,  constitutes 

THE  PULSE. 

The  pulse  is  a  very  useful  assistant  to  the  practitioner  of  human  medicine,  and 
much  more  so  to  the  veterinary  surgeon,  whose  patients  cannot  describe  either  the 
seat  or  degree  of  ailment  or  pain.  The  number  of  pulsations  in  any  artery  will  give 
the  number  of  the  beatings  of  the  heart,  and  so  express  the  irritation  of  that  organ, 
and  of  the  frame  generally.  In  a  state  of  health,  the  heart  beats  in  a  farmer's  horse 
about  thirty-six  times  a  minute.  In  the  smaller,  and  in  the  thorough-bred  horse,  the 
pulsations  are  forty  or  forty-two.  This  is  said  to  be  the  standard  pulse — the  pulse 
of  health.  It  varies  singularly  little  in  horses  of  the  same  size  and  breed,  and  where 
it  beats  naturally  there  can  be  little  materially  wrong.  The  most  convenient  place 
to  feel  the  pulse,  is  at  the  lower  jaw  (p.  68)  a  little  behind  the  spot  where  the  sub- 
maxillary artery  and  vein,  and  the  parotid  duct,  come  from  under  the  jaw.  There 
the  number  of  pulsations  will  be  easily  counted,  and  the  character  of  the  pulse,  a 
matter  of  fully  equal  importance,  Avill  be  clearly  ascertained.  Many  horsemen  put 
the  hand  to  the  side.  They  can  certainly  count  the  pulse  there,  but  they  can  do  no- 
thing more.  We  must  be  able  to  press  the  artery  against  some  hard  body,  as  the 
jaw-bone,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  manner  in  which  the  blood  flows  through  it,  and 
the  quantity  that  flows. 

When  the  pulse  reaches  fifty  or  fifty-five,  some  degree  of  fever  may  be  apprehended, 
and  proper  precaution  should  be  taken.  Seventy  or  seventy-five  will  indicate  a  dan- 
gerous state,  and  put  the  owner  and  the  surgeon  not  a  little  on  the  alert.  Few  horses 
long  survive  a  pulse  of  one  hundred,  for,  by  this  excessive  action,  the  energies  of 
nature  are  speedily  worn  out. 

Some  things,  however,  should  be  taken  into  account  in  forming  our  conclusion  from 
the  frequency  of  the  pulse.  Exercise,  a  warm  stable,  and  fear,  will  wonderfully 
increase  the  number  of  pulsations. 

When  a  careless,  brutal  fellow  goes  up  to  a  horse,  and  speaks  hastily  to  him,  and 
handles  him  roughly,  he  adds  ten  beats  per  minute  to  the  pulse,  and  will  often  be 
misled  in  the  opinion  he  may  form  of  the  state  of  the  animal.  A  judicious  person 
will  approach  the  patient  gently,  and  pat  and  soothe  him,  and  even  then  the  circula- 
tion, probably,  will  be  a  little  disturbed.  He  should  take  the  additional  precaution 
of  noting  the  number  and  qualit)"-  of  the  pulse,  a  second  time,  before  he  leaves  the 
animal. 

If  a  (luick  pulse  indicate  irritation  and  fever,  a  slow  pulse  will  likewise  characterise 
diseases  of  an  opposite  description.  It  accompanies  the  sleepy  stage  of  staggers,  and 
everj'  malady  connected  with  deficiency  of  nervous  energy. 

The  heart  may  not  only  be  excited  to  more  frequent,  but  also  to  more  violent  action. 
It  may  contract  more  powerfully  upon  the  blood,  which  will  be  driven  with  greater 
^orce  through  the  arteries,  and  the  expansion  of  the  vessels  will  be  greater  and  more 
sudden.  Then  we  have  the  hard  pulse — the  sure  indicator  of  considerable  fever,  and 
calling  for  the  immediate  and  free  use  of  the  lancet. 

Sometimes  the  pulse  may  be  hard  and  jerking,  and  yet  small.  The  stream  though 
forcible  is  not  great.  The  heart  is  so  irritable  that  it  contracts  before  the  ventricle 
is  properly  filled.  The  practitioner  knows  that  this  indicates  a  dangerous  state  of 
disease.     It  is  an  almost  invariable  accompaniment  of  inflammation  of  the  bowels. 


INFLAMMATION.  185 

A  weak  pulse,  when  the  arterial  stream  flows  slowly,  is  caused  by  the  feeble  action 
of  the  heart.     It  is  the  reverse  of  fever,  and  expressive  of  debility. 

The  oppressed  pulse  is  when  the  arteries  seem  to  be  fully  distended  with  blood. 
There  is  obstruction  somewhere,  and  the  action  of  the  heart  can  hardly  force  the 
stream  along,  or  communicate  pulsation  to  the  current.  It  is  the  case  in  sudden 
intiammation  of  the  lungs.  They  are  overloaded  and  gorged  with  blood,  which  can- 
not find  its  way  through  their  minute  vessels.  This  accounts  for  the  well-known  fact 
of  a  copious  bleeding  increasing  a  pulse  previously  oppressed.  A  portion  being 
removed  from  the  distended  and  choked  vessels,  the  remainder  is  able  to  flow  on. 

There  are  many  other  varieties  of  the  pulse,  which  it  would  be  tedious  here  to  par- 
ticularise ;  it  must,  however,  be  observed,  that  during  the  act  of  bleeding-,  its  state 
should  be  carefully  observed.  ^Many  veterinary  surgeons,  and  gentlemen  too,  are  apt 
to  order  a  certain  quantity  of  blood  to  be  taken  away,  but  do  not  condescend  to  super- 
intend the  operation.  This  is  unpardonable  in  the  surgeon  and  censurable  in  the 
owner  of  the  horse.  The  animal  is  bled  for  some  particular  purpose.  There  is  some 
state  of  disease,  indicated  by  a  peculiar  quality  of  the  pulse,  whie4i  we  are  endeavour- 
ing to  alter.  The  most  experienced  practitioner  cannot  tell  what  quantity  of  blood 
must  be  abstracted  in  order  to  produce  the  desired  eflfect.  The  change  of  the  pulse 
can  alone  indicate  when  the  object  is  accomplished;  therefore,  the  Operator  should 
have  his  finger  on  the  artery  during  the  act  of  bleeding,  and,  comparatively  regardless 
of  the  quantity,  continue  to  take  blood,  until,  in  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  the  op- 
pressed pulse  becomes  fuller  and  more  distinct,  or  the  strong  pulse  of  considerable 
fcver  is  evidently  softer,  or  the  animal  exhibits  sj'mptoms  of  faintness. 

The  arteries  divide  as  they  proceed  through  the  frame,  and  branch  out  into  innu- 
merable minute  tubes,  termed  capillaries  (hair-like  tubes),  and  they  even  become  so 
small  as  to  elude  the  sight.  The  slightest  puncture  cannot  be  inflicted  without  wound- 
ing some  of  them. 

In  these  little  tubes,  the  nourishment  of  the  body  and  the  separation  of  all  the  vari- 
ous secretions  is  performed,  and  in  consequence  of  this,  the  blood  is  chang-ed.  When 
these  capillaries  unite  together,  and  begin  to  enlarge,  it  is  found  to  be  no  longer  arte- 
rial, or  of  a  florid  red  colour,  but  venous,  or  of  a  blacker  hue.  Therefore  the  principal 
termination  of  the  arteries  is  in  veins.  The  point  where  the  one  ends,  and  the  other 
commences,  cannot  be  ascertained.  It  is  when  red  arterial  blood,  having  dis- 
charged its  function  by  depositing  the  nutritious  parts,  is  changed  to  venous  or%lack 
blood. 

Branches  from  the  ganglia!  or  sympathetic  nerves  wind  round  these  vessels,  and 
endue  them  with  energy  to  discharge  their  functions.  When  the  nerves  communicate 
too  much  energj',  and  these  vessels  consequently  act  with  too  much  power,  Z7i/?amma- 
tion  is  produced.  If  this  disturbed  action  is  confined  to  a  small  space  or  a  single 
organ,  it  is  said  to  be  local,  as  inflammation  of  the  eye,  or  of  the  lungs  ;  but  when 
this  inordinate  action  spreads  from  its  original  seat,  and  embraces  the  whole  of  the 
arterial  system,/ei'er  is  said  to  be  present,  and  this  usually  increases  in  proportion  as 
the  local  disturbance  is  observable,  and  subsides  with  it 

INFLAMMATION. 

Local  inflammation  is  characterised  by  redness,  swelling,  heat,  and  pain.  The 
redness  proceeds  from  the  greater  quantity  of  blood  flowing  through  the  part,  occa- 
sioned by  the  increased  action  of  the  vessels.  The  swelling  arises  from  the  same 
cause,  and  from  the  deposit  of  fluid  in  the  neighbouring  substance.  The  natural  heat 
of  the  body  is  produced  by  the  gradual  change  which  takes  place  in  the  blood,  in 
passing  from  an  arterial  to  a  venous  state.  If  more  blood  is  driven  through  the  capil- 
laries of  an  inflamed  part,  and  in  which  this  change  is  effected,  more  heat  will  neces- 
sarily be  produced  there ;  and  the  pain  is  easily  accounted  for  by  the  distension  and 
pressure  which  must  be  produced,  and  the  participation  of  the  nerves  in  the  disturb- 
ance of  the  surrounding  parts. 

If  inflammation  consists  of  an  increased  flow  of  blood  to  and  through  the  part,  the 
ready  way  to  abate  it  is  to  lessen  the  q\iantity  of  blood.  If  we  take  away  the  fuel, 
the  fire  will  go  out.  All  other  means  are  comparatively  unimportant,  contrasted  with 
hleeding.  Blood  is  generally  abstracted  from  the  jugular  vein,  and  so  the  general 
quantity  may  be  lessened ;  but  if  it  can  be  taken  from  the  neighbourhood  of  the  dis- 
eased part,  it  will  be  productive  of  tenfold  benefit.  One  quart  of  blood  abstracted  from 
16*  Y 


18G  CONTENTS    OF   THE    CHEST. 

the  foot  in  acute  founder,  by  unloading  the  vessels  of  the  inflamed  part,  and  enabling 
them  to  contract,  and,  in  that  contraction,  to  acquire  tone  and  power  to  resist  future 
distension,  will  do  more  good  than  five  quarts  taken  from  the  general  circulation.  An 
ounce  of  blood  obtained  by  scarifying  the  swelled  vessels  of  the  inflamed  eye,  will 
give  as  much  relief  to  that  organ  as  a  copious  bleeding  from  the  jugular.  It  is  a  prin- 
ciple in  the  animal  frame  which  should  never  be  lost  sight  of  by  the  veterinary  sur- 
geon, or  the  horseman,  that  if  by  bleeding  the  process  of  inflanunatron  can  once  be 
checked, — if  it  can  be  suspended  but  for  a  little  while, — although  it  may  return,  it  is 
never  with  the  same  degree  of  violence,  and  in  many  cases  it  is  got  rid  of  entirely. 
Hence  the  necessity  of  bleeding  early,  and  bleeding  largely,  in  inflammation  of  the 
lungs,  or  of  the  bowels,  or  of  the  brain,  or  of  any  important  organ.  Many  horses  are 
lost  for  want  or  insuflSciency  of  bleeding,  but  we  never  knew  one  materially  injured 
by  the  most  copious  extraction  of  blood  in  the  early  stage  of  acute  inflammation.  'J^he 
horse  will  bear,  and  with  advantage,  the  loss  of  an  almost  incredible  quantity  of  blood, 
— four  quarts  taken  from  him,  will  be  comparatively  little  more  than  one  pound  taken 
from  the  human  being.  We  can  scarcely  conceive  of  a  considerable  inflammation  of 
any  part  of  the  horse,  whether  proceeding  from  sprains,  contusions,  or  any  other 
cause  in  which  bleeding,  local  (if  possible),  or  general,  or  both,  will  not  be  of  essen- 
tial service. 

Next  in  importance  to  bleeding,  is  purging.  Something  may  be  removed  from  the 
bowels,  the  retention  of  which  would  increase  the  general  irritation  and  fever.  The 
quantity  of  blood  will  be  materially  lessened,  for  the  serous  or  watery  fluid  which  is 
separated  from  it  by  a  brisk  purge,  the  action  of  which  in  the  horse  continues  probably 
more  than  twenty-four  hours,  is  enormous.  While  the  blood  is  thus  determiiied  to 
the  bowels,  less  even  of  that  which  remains  will  flow  through  the  inflamed  part. 
When  the  circulation  is  directed  to  one  set  of  vessels,  it  is  proportionately  diminished 
in  other  parts.  It  was  first  directed  to  the  inflamed  portions,  and  they  were  overloaded 
and  injured,  —  it  is  now  directed  to  the  bowels,  and  the  inflamed  parts  are  relieved. 
While  the  purging  contin\ies,  some  degree  of  languor  and  sickness  is  felt;  and  the 
force  of  the  circulation  is  thereby  diminished,  and  the  g-^neral  excitement  lessened. 
The  importance  of  physic  in  every  case  of  considerable  external  inflammation,  is  sufli- 
ciently  evident.  If  the  horse  is  laid  by  for  a  few  days  from  injury  of  the  foot,  or 
sprain,  or  poll-evil,  or  wound,  or  almost  any  cause  of  inflammation,  a  physic-ball 
should  be  given. 

In  cases  of  internal  inflammation,  much  judgment  is  required  to  determine  when  a 
purgative  may  be  beneficial  or  injurious.  In  inflammation  of  the  lungs  or  bo\\  els,  it 
should  never  be  given.  There  is  so  strong  a  sympathy  between  the  various  contents 
of  the  cavity  of  the  chest,  that  no  one  of  them  can  be  inflamed  to  any  great  extent, 
without  all  the  others  being  disposed  to  become  so ;  and,  therefore,  a  dose  of  physic 
in  inflamed  lungs,  would  perhaps  be  as  fatal  as  a  dose  of  poison.  The  excitement 
produced  on  the  bowels  by  the  purgative  may  run  on  to  inflammation,  which  no 
medical  skill  can  stop. 

The  means  of  abating  external  inflammation  are  various,  and  seeminorly  contra- 
dictory. The  heat  of  the  part  very  naturally  and  properly  led  to  the  application  of 
cold  embrocations  and  lotions.  Heat  has  a  strong  tendency  to  equalize  itself,  or  to 
leave  that  substance  which  has  a  too  great  quantity  of  it,  or  little  capacity  to  retain  it, 
for  another  which  has  less  of  it,  or  more  capacity.  Hence  the  advantage  of  cold  appli- 
cations, by  which  a  great  deal  of  the  unnatural  heat  is  speedily  abstracted  from  the 
inflamed  part.  The  foot  labouring  under  inflammation  is  put  into  cold  water,  or  the 
horse  is  made  to  stand  in  water  or  wet  clay.  Various  cold  applications  are  also  used 
to  sprains.  The  part  is  wetted  with  diluted  vinegar,  or  goulard,  or  salt  and  water. 
When  benefit  is  derived  from  these  applications,  it  is  to  be  attributed  to  their  coldness 
alone.  Water,  especially  when  cooled  below  the  natural  temperature,  is  as  good  an 
application  as  any  that  can  be  used.  Nitre  dissolved  in  water,  will  lower  the  tem- 
perature of  the  fluid  many  degrees;  but  the  lotion  must  be  applied  immediately  ai'ter 
the  salt  has  been  dissolved.  A  bandage  may  be  afterwards  applied  to  strengthe^i  the 
limb,  but  during  the  continuance  of  active  inflammation,  it  would  only  confine  .he 
heat  of  the  part,  or  prevent  it  from  benefiting  by  the  salutary  influence  of  the  cold 
produced  by  the  evaporation  of  the  water. 

Sometimes,  however,  we  resort  to  warm  fomentations,  and  if  benefit  is  derived  from 
their  use,  it  is  to  be  traced  to  the  warmth  of  the  fluid,  more  than  to  any  medicinal  pro 


FEVER.  .87 

petty  in  it.  Warm  water  will  do  as  much  good  to  the  horse,  who  has  so  thi>!l<  a  skin, 
as  any  decoction  of  chamomile,  or  marsh-mallow,  or  poppy  heads,  or  any  nostrum 
that  the  farrier  may  reconnnend.  Fomentations  increase  tlie  warmtli  of  the  skin,  and 
open  the  pores  of  it,  and  promote  perspiration,  and  thus  lessen  the  tension  and  swelling 
of  the  part,  assuage  pain,  and  relieve  inflammation.  Fomentations,  to  be  beneficial, 
should  be  long  and  frequently  applied,  and  at  as  great  a  degree  of  heat  as  can  be  used 
without  giving  the  animal  pain.  Poultices  are  more  permanent,  or  longer-continued 
fomentations.  The  part  is  exposed  to  the  influence  of  warmth  and  moisture  for  many 
hours  or  days  without  intermission,  and  perspiration  being  so  long  kept  up,  the  dis- 
tended vessels  will  be  very  materially  relieved.  The  advantage  derived  from  a  poul- 
tice is  attributable  to  the  heat  and  moisture,  which,  by  means  of  it,  can  be  long  applied 
to  the  skin,  and  it  should  be  composed  of  materials  which  will  best  retain  this  moisture 
and  heat.  The  bran  poultice  of  the  farrier  is,  consequently,  objectionable.  It  is 
never  perfectly  in  contact  with  the  surface  of  the  skin,  and  it  becomes  nearly  dry  in  a 
few  hours,  after  which  it  is  injurious  rather  than  beneficial.  Linseed-meal  is  a  much 
better  material  for  a  poultice,  for,  if  properly  made,  it  will  remain  moist  during  many 
hours. 

It  is  occasionally  very  difficult  to  decide  when  a  cold  or  a  hot  application  is  to  be 
used,  and  no  general  rule  can  be  laid  down,  except  that  in  cases  of  superficial  inflam- 
mation, and  in  the  early  stage,  cold  lotions  will  be  preferable;  but,  when  the  inflam- 
mation is  deeper  seated,  or  fully  established,  warm  fomentations  will  be  most  ser- 
viceable. 

Stimulating  applications  are  frequently  used  in  local  inflammation.  When  the 
disease  is  deeply  seated,  a  stimulating  application  to  the  skin  will  cause  some  irrita- 
tion and  inflammation  there,  and  lessen  or  sometimes  remove  the  original  malady ; 
hence  the  use  of  rowels  and  blisters  in  inflammation  of  the  chest.  Inflammation  to  a 
high  degree,  cannot  exist  in  parts  that  are  near  each  other.  If  we  excite  it  in  one,  we 
shall  abate  it  in  the  other,  and  also,  by  the  discharge  which  we  establish  from  the 
one,  we  shall  lessen  the  determination  of  blood  to  the  other. 

.  Stimulating  and  blistering  applications  should  never  be  applied  to  a  part  already 
inflamed.  A  fire  is  not  put  out  by  heaping  more  fuel  upon  it.  Hence  the  mischief 
which  the  farrier  often  does  by  rubbing  his  abominable  oils  on  a  recent  sprain,  hot 
and  tender.  Many  a  horse  has  been  ruined  by  this  absurd  treatment.  When  the 
heat  and  tenderness  have  disappeared  by  the  use  of  cold  lotions  or  fomentations,  and 
the  leg  or  sprained  part  remains  enlarged,  or  bony  matter  threatens  to  be  deposited,  it 
may  be  right  to  excite  inflammation  of  the  skin  by  a  blister,  in  order  to  rouse  the 
deeper-seated  absorbents  to  action,  and  enable  them  to  take  up  this  deposit;  but, 
except  to  hasten  the  natural  process  and  effects  of  inflammation,  a  blister,  or  stimu- 
lating application,  should  never  be  applied  to  a  part  already  inflamed. 

FEVER. 

Fever  is  general  increased  arterial  action,  either  without  any  local  affection,  or  in 
consequence  of  the  sympathy  of  the  system  with  inflammation  in  some  particular 
part. 

The  first  is  pure  fever.  Some  have  denied  that  that  exists  in  the  horse,  but  they 
must  have  been  strangely  careless  observers  of  the  diseases  of  that  animal.  The  truth 
of  the  matter  is,  that  the  usual  stable  management  and  general  treatment  of  the  horse 
are  so  absurd,  and  various  parts  of  him  are  rendered  so  liable  to  take  on  inflammation, 
that  pure  fever  will  exist  a  very  little  time  without  degenerating  into  inflammation. 
The  lungs  are  so  weakened  by  the  heated  and  foul  air  of  the  ill-ventilated  stable,  and 
by  sudden  changes  from  almost  insufferable  heat  to  intense  cold,  and  the  feet  are  so 
injured  by  hard  usage  and  injudicious  shoeing,  that,  sharing  from  the  beginning  in  the 
general  vascular  excitement  which  characterises  fever,  they  soon  become  excited  far 
beyond  other  portions  of  the  frame ;  and  that  which  commenced  as  fever  becomes 
inflammation  of  the  lungs  or  feet.  Pure  fever,  however,  is  sometimes  seen,  and  runs 
its  course  regularly. 

It  frequently  begins  with  a  cold  or  shivering  fit,  although  this  is  not  essential  to 
fever.  The  horse  is  dull,  unwilling  to  move,  has  a  staring  coat,  and  cold  legs  and 
feet.  This  is  succeeded  by  warmth  of  the  body ;  unequal  distribution  of  warmth  to 
the  legs ;  one  hot,  and  the  other  three  cold,  or  one  or  more  unnaturally  warm,  and  the 
others  unusually  cold,  but  not  the  deathlike  coldness  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs  ; 


188  CONTENTS    OF   THE   CHEST. 

the  pulse  quick,  soft, and  often  indistinct;  the  breathing  somewhat  laborious;  but  no 
fTough,  or  pawing,  or  looking  at  the  flanks.  The  animal  will  scarcely  eat,  and  is 
very  costive.  While  the  state  of  pure  fever  lasts,  the  shivering  fit  returns  at  nearly 
the  same  hour  every  day,  and  is  succeeded  by  the  warm  one,  and  that  often  by  a  slight 
decree  of  perspiration ;  and  these  alternate  during  several  days  until  local  inflamma- 
tion appears,  or  the  fever  gradually  subsides.  No  horse  ever  died  of  pure  fever.  If 
he  is  not  destroyed  by  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  or  feet,  or  bowels  succeeding  to  the 
fever,  he  gradually  recovers. 

What  has  been  said  of  the  treatment  of  local  inflammation  will  sufficiently  indicate 
that  which  should  be  resorted  to  in  fever.  Fever  is  general  increased  action  of  the 
heart  and  arteries,  and  therefore  evidently  appears  the  necessity  for  bleeding,  regu- 
lating the  quantity  of  blood  by  the  degree  of  fever,  and  usually  keeping  the  finger  on 
the  artery  until  some  evident  and  considerable  impression  is  made  upon  the  system. 
The  bowels  should  be  gently  opened ;  but  the  danger  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs, 
and  the  uniformly  injurious  consequence  of  purgation  in  that  disease,  will  prevent  the 
administration  of  an  active  purgative.  A  small  quantity  of  aloes  may  be  given  morn- 
ing and  night,  with  the  proper  fever  medicine,  until  the  bowels  are  slightly  relaxed, 
after  which  nothing  more  of  an  aperient  quality  should  be  administered.  Digitalis, 
emetic  tartar,  and  nitre  should  be  given  morning  and  night,  in  proportions  regulated 
by  the  circumstances  of  the  case.  The  horse  ehould  be  warmly  clothed,  but  be  placed 
in  a  cool  and  well-ventilated  stable. 

Symptomulic  ftver  is  increased  arterial  action,  proceeding  from  some  local  cause. 
No  organ  of  consequence  can  be  much  disordered  or  inflamed  without  the  neighbour- 
ing parts  being  disturbed,  and  the  whole  system  gradually  participating  in  the 
disturbance.  Inflammation  of  the  feet  or  of  the  lungs  never  existed  long  or  to  any 
material  extent,  without  being  accompanied  by  some  degree  of  fever. 

The  treatment  of  symptomatic  fever  should  resemble  that  of  simple  fever,  except 
that  particular  attention  must  be  paid  to  the  state  of  the  part  originally  diseased.  If 
the  inflammation  which  existed  there  can  be  subdued,  the  general  disturbance  will 
usually  cease. 

The  arteries  terminate  occasionally  in  openings  on  diflTerent  surfaces  of  the  body. 
On  the  skin  they  pour  out  the  perspiration,  and  on  the  different  cavities  of  the  frame 
they  yield  the  moisture  which  prevents  friction.  In  other  parts  they  terminate  in 
glands,  in  which  a  fluid  essentially  different  from  the  blood  is  secreted  or  separated : 
such  are  the  parotid  and  salivary  glands,  the  kidneys,  the  spleen,  and  the  various 
organs  or  laboratories  which  provide  so  many  and  such  diff'erent  sscretions,  for  the 
multifarious  purposes  of  life  ;  but  the  usual  termination  of  arteries  is  in  veins. 

THE  VEINS. 

These  vessels  carry  back  to  the  heart  the  blood  which  had  been  conveyed  to  the 
diff'erent  parts  by  the  arteries.  They  have  two  coats,  a  muscular  and  a  membranous 
one.  Both  of  them  are  thin  and  comparatively  weak.  They  are  more  numerous  and 
much  larger  than  the  arteries,  and  consequently  the  blood,  lessened  in  quantity  by  the 
various  secretions  separated  from  it,  flows  more  slowly  through  them.  It  is  forced  on 
partly  by  the  first  impulse  communicated  to  it  by  the  heart;  also,  in  the  extremities 
and  external  portions  of  the  frame,  by  the  pressure  of  the  muscles ;  and  in  the  cavity 
of  the  chest,  its  motion  is  assisted  or  principally  caused  by  the  sudden  expansion  of 
the  ventricles  of  the  heart,  after  they  have  closed  upon  and  driven  out  their  contents, 
and  thereby  causing  a  vacuum  which  the  blood  rushes  on  to  fill.  There  are  curious 
valves  in  various  parts  of  the  veins  which  prevent  the  blood  from  flowing  backward 
to  its  source. 

BOG  AND  BLOOD  SPAVIN. 

The  veins  of  the  horse,  although  their  coats  are  thin  compared  with  those  of  tho 
arteries,  are  not  subject  to  the  enlargements  (varicose  veins)  which  are  so  frequent, 
and  often  so  painful,  in  the  legs  of  the  human  being.  The  legs  of  the  horse  may 
exhibit  many  of  the  injurious  consequences  of  hard  work,  but  the  veins  will,  with  one 
exception,  be  unaltered  in  structure.  Attached  to  the  extremities  of  most  of  .the 
tendons,  and  between  the  tendons  and  other  parts,  are  little  bags  containing  a  mucous 
substance  to  enable  the  tendons  to  slide  over  each  other  without  friction,  and  to  move 
easily  on  the  neighbouring  parts.     From  violent  exercise  these  vessels  are  liable  to 


BLEEDING.  189 

enlarge  Windgalls  and  thoroughpins  are  instances  of  this.  There  is  one  of  them 
on  the  inside  of  the  hock  at  its  bending.  This  sometimes  becomes  considerably 
increased  in  size,  and  the  enlargement  is  called  a  bog-spavin.  A  vein  passes  over  this 
bag,  which  is  pressed  between  the  enlargement  and  the  skin,  and  the  passage  of  the 
blood  through  it  is  impeded;  the  vein  is  consequently  distended  by  the  accumulated 
blood,  and  the  distension  reaches  from  this  bag  as  low  down  as  the  next  valve.  This 
is  called  a  blood-spavin,  Ulood-spavin  then  is  the  consequence  of  bog-spavin.  It 
verv  rarely  occurs,  and  is,  in  the  majority  of  instances,  confounded  with  bog-spavin. 

Blood-spavin  does  not  always  cause  lameness,  except  the  horse  is  very  hard- 
worked,  and  then  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  lameness  should  not  be  attributed  to  the 
enlarged  mucous  bag  rather  than  to  the  distended  vein.  Both  of  these  diseases, 
however,  render  a  horse  unsound,  and  materially  lessen  his  value. 

Old  farriers  used  to  tie  the  vein,  and  so  cut  off  altogether  the  flow  of  the  blood. 
Some  of  them,  a  little  more  rational,  dissected  out  the  bag  which  caused  the  disten- 
sion of  the  vein  :  but  the  modern  and  more  prudent  way  is  to  endeavour  to  promote 
the  absorption  of  the  contents  of  the  bag.  This  may  be  attempted  by  pressure  long 
applied.  A  bandage  may  be  contrived  to  take  in  the  whole  of  the  hock,  except  its 
point;  and  a  compress  made  of  folded  linen  being  placed  on  the  bog-spavin,  may 
confine  the  principal  pressure  to  that  part.  It  is,  however,  very  difficult  to  adapt  a 
bandage  to  a  joint  which  admits  of  such  extensive  motion;  therefore  most  practi- 
tioners apply  two  or  three  successive  blisters  over  the  enlargement,  when  it  usually 
disappears.  Unfortunately,  however,  it  returns  if  any  extraordinary  exertion  is 
required  from  the  horse. 

BLEEDING. 

This  operation  is  performed  with  a  fleam  or  a  lancet.  The  first  is  the  common 
instrument,  and  the  safest,  except  in  skilful  hands.  The  lancet,  however,  has  a  more 
surgical  appearance,  and  will  be  adopted  by  the  veterinary  practitioner.  A  blood- 
stick — a  piece  of  hard  wood  loaded  at  one  end  with  lead — is  used  to  strike  the  fleam 
into  the  vein.  This  is  sometimes  done  with  too  great  violence,  and  the  opposite  side 
of  the  coat  of  the  vein  is  wounded.  Bad  cases  of  inflammation  have  resulted  from 
this.  If  the  fist  is  doubled,  and  the  fleam  is  sharp  and  is  struck  with  sufficient  force 
with  the  lower  part  of  the  hand,  the  bloodstick  may  be  dispensed  with. 

For  general  bleeding  the  jugular  vein  is  selected.  The  horse  is  blindfolded  on  the 
side  on  which  he  is  to  be  bled,  or  his  head  turned  well  away.  The  hair  is  smoothed 
along  the  course  of  the  vein  with  the  moistened  finger ;  then,  with  the  third  and  little 
fingers  of  the  left  hand,  which  holds  the  fleam,  pressure  is  made  on  the  vein  sufficient 
to  bring  it  fairly  into  view,  but  not  to  swell  it  too  much,  for  then,  presenting  a  rounded 
surface,  it  would  be  apt  to  roll  or  slip  under  the  blow.  The  point  to  he  selected  is 
about  two  inches  below  the  union  of  the  two  portions  of  the  jugular  at  the  angle  of 
the  jaw  (see  cut,  p.  125).  The  fleam  is  to  be  placed  in  a  direct  line  with  the  course 
of  the  vein,  and  over  the  precise  centre  of  the  vein,  as  close  to  it  as  possible,  but  its 
point  not  absolutely  touching  the  vein.  A  sharp  rap  with  the  bloodstick  or  the  hand 
on  that  part  of  the  back  of  the  fleam  immediately  over  the  blade,  will  cut  through  the 
vein,  and  the  blood  will  flow.  A  fleam  with  a  large  blade  should  always  be  preferred, 
for  the  operation  will  be  materially  shortened,  and  this  will  be  a  matter  of  some  con- 
sequence with  a  fidgety  or  restive  horse.  A  quantity  of  blood  drawn  speedily  will 
also  have  far  more  effect  on  the  system  than  double  the  weight  slowly  taken,  while 
the  wound  will  heal  just  as  readily  as  if  made  by  a  smaller  instrument.  There  is  no 
occasion  to  press  so  hard  against  the  neck  with  the  pail,  or  can.  as  some  do;  a  slight 
pressure,  if  the  incision  has  been  large  enough  and  straight,  and  in  the  middle  of  the 
vein,  will  cause  the  blood  to  flow  sufficiently  fast;  or,  the  finger  being  introduced  into 
the  mouth  between  the  tushes  and  the  grinders,  and  gently  moved  about,  will  keep 
the  mouth  in  motion,  and  hasten  the  rapidity  of  the  stream  by  the  action  and  pressure 
of  the  neighbouring  muscles. 

When  sufficient  blood  has  been  taken,  the  edges  of  the  wound  should  be  brought 
closely  and  exactly  together,  and  kept  together  by  a  small  sharp  pin  being  passed 
throuorh  them.  Round  this  a  little  tow,  or  a  few  hairs  from  the  mane  of  the  horse, 
should  be  wrapped,  so  as  to  cover  the  whole  of  the  incision ;  and  the  head  of  the 
horse  should  be  tied  up  for  several  hours  to  prevent  his  rubbing  the  part  against  the 
manger.     In  bringing  the  edges  of  the  wound  together,  and  introducing  the  pin,  care 


190  BLEEDING. 

shoiild  not  be  taken  to  draw  the  skin  too  much  from  the  neck,  otherwise  blood  will 
insinuate  itself  between  it  and  the  muscles  beneath,  and  cause  an  unsightly  and 
sometimes  troublesome  swelling. 

The  blood  should  be  received  into  a  vessel,  the  dimensions  of  which  are  exactly 
known,  so  that  the  operator  may  be  able  to  calculate  at  every  period  of  the  bleeding 
the  quantity  that  is  subtracted.  Care  likewise  should  be  taken  that  the  blood  flows 
in  a  regular  stream  into  the  centre  of  the  vessel,  for  if  it  is  suffered  to  trickle  down 
the  sides,  it  will  not  afterwards  undergo  those  changes  by  which  we  partially  judge 
of  the  extent  of  inflammation.  The  pulse,  however,  and  the  symptoms  of  the  case 
collectively,  will  form  a  better  criterion  than  any  change  in  the  blood.  Twent\--four 
hours  after  the  operation,  the  edges  of  the  wound  will  have  united,  and  the  pin  should 
be  withdrawn.  When  the  bleeding  is  to  be  repeated,  if  more  than  three  or  four  hour? 
have  elapsed,  it  will  be  better  to  make  a  fresh  incision  rather  than  to  open  the  old 
wound. 

Few  directions  are  necessary  for  the  use  of  the  lancet.  They  who  are  competent 
to  operate  with  it,  will  scarcely  require  any.  If  the  point  is  sufficiently  sharp  tlie 
lancet  can  scarcely  be  too  broad-shouldered ;  and  an  abscess  lancet  will  generally 
make  a  freer  incision  than  that  in  common  use.  Whatever  instrument  is  adopted,  too 
much  care  cannot  be  taken  to  have  it  perfectly  clean,  and  very  sharp.  It  should  be 
carefully  wiped  and  dried  immediately  after  the  operation,  otherwise,  in  a  very  short 
time,  the  edges  will  begin  to  be  corroded. 

For  general  bleeding  the  jugular  vein  is  selected  as  the  largest  superficial  one,  and 
most  easily  got  at.  In  every  affection  of  the  head,  and  in  cases  of  fever  or  extended 
inflammatory  action,  it  is  decidedly  the  best  place  for  bleeding.  In  local  inflamma- 
tion, blood  may  be  taken  from  any  of  the  superficial  veins.  In  supposed  affections 
of  the  shoulder,  or  of  the  fore-leg  or  foot,  the  plate  vein,  which  comes  from  the  inside 
of  the  arm,  and  runs  upwards  directly  in  front  of  it  towards  the  jugular,  may  be  opened. 
In  affections  of  the  hind  extremity,  blood  is  sometimes  extracted  from  the  saphsena,  or 
thigh-vein,  which  runs  across  the  inside  of  the  thigh.  In  foot  cases  it  may  be  taken 
from  the  coronet,  or,  much  more  safely,  from  the  toe ;  not  by  cutting  out,  as  the  far- 
rier does,  a  piece  of  the  sole  at  the  toe  of  the  frog,  which  sometimes  causes  a  wound 
difficult  to  heal,  and  followed  by  festering,  and  even  by  canker;  but  cutting  down  with 
a  fine  drawing-knife,  called  a  searcher,  at  the  union  between  the  crust  and  the  sole  at 
the  very  toe  until  the  blood  flows,  and,  if  necessary,  encouraging  its  discharge  by  dip- 
ping the  foot  in  warm  water.  The  mesh-work  of  both  arteries  and  veins  will  be  here 
divided,  and  blood  is  generally  obtained  in  any  quantity  that  may  be  needed.  The 
bleeding  may  be  stopped  with  the  greatest  ease,  by  placing  a  bit  of  tow  in  the  little 
groove  that  has  been  cut,  and  tacking  the  shoe  over  it.* 

*  A  great  improvement  has  lately  been  introduced  in  the  method  of  arresting  arterial 
haemorrhage.  The  operation  is  very  simple,  and,  with  common  care,  successful.  The  instru- 
ment Ls  a  pair  of  artery  forceps,  with  rather  sharper  teeth  than  the  common  forceps,  and  the 
blades  held  close  by  a  slide.  The  vessel  is  laid  bare,  detached  from  tbe  cellular  substance 
around  it,  and  the  artery  then  grasped  by  the  forceps,  the  instrument  deviating  a  very  little 
from  the  line  of  the  artery.  The  vessel  is  now  divided  close  to  the  forceps,  and  behind  them, 
and  the  forceps  are  twisted  four  or  five  times  round.  The  forceps  are  then  loosened,  and, 
generally  speaking,  not  more  than  a  drop  or  two  of  blood  will  have  been  lost.  This  method 
of  arresting  bleeding  has  been  applied  by  several  scientific  and  benevolent  men  with  almost 
constant  success.  It  has  been  readily  and  effectually,  practised  in  docking,  and  our  patients 
have  escaped  much  torture,  and  tetanus  lost  many  a  victim.  The  forceps  have  been  intro- 
duced, and  with  much  success,  in  castration,  and  thus  the  principal  danger  of  that  operation, 
as  well  as  the  most  painful  part  of  it,  is  removed.  The  colt  will  be  a  fair  subject  for  this 
experiment.  On  the  sheep  and  the  calf  it  may  be  readily  performed,  and  the  operator  will 
have  the  pleasing  consciousness  of  rescuing  many  a  poor  animal  from  the  unnecessary  inflic- 
lion  of  torture. 


MEMBRANE    OF    THE    NOSE.  191 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

We  now  proceed  to  the  consideration  of  the  diseases  of  the  respiratory  system. 
THE    MExMBRANE    OF   THE    NOSE. 

The  mucous  membrane  of  the  nose  is  distinguished  from  other  mucous  suifaces,  not 
only  by  its  thickness,  but  its  vasculariiy.  The  blood-vessels  are  likewise  superficial ; 
they  are  not  covered  even  by  integument,  but  merely  by  an  unsubstantial  mucous  coat. 
They  are  deeper  seated,  indeed,  than  in  the  human  being,  and  they  are  more  protected 
from  injury;  and  therefore  there  is  far  less  haemorrhage  from  the  nostril  of  the  horse 
than  from  that  of  the  human  being,  whether  spontaneous  or  accidental.  Lying  imme- 
diately  under  the  mucous  coat,  these  vessels  give  a  peculiar,  and,  to  the  horseman,  a 
most  important  tinge  to  the  membrane,  and  particularly  observable  on  the  sept\im. 
They  present  him  with  a  faithful  indication  of  the  state  of  the  circulation,  and  espe- 
cially in  the  membranes  of  the  other  respiratory  passages  with  which  this  is  con- 
tinuous. 

The  horseman  and  the  veterinary  surgeon  do  not  possess  many  of  the  auxiliaries  of 
the  human  practitioner.  Their  patients  are  dumb  ;  they  can  neither  tell  the  seat  nor 
the  degree  of  pain;  and  the  blunders  of  the  practitioner  are  seldom  buried  with  tne 
patient.  Well,  he  must  use  greater  diligence  in  availing  himself  of  the  advantages 
that  he  does  possess ;  and  he  has  some,  and  verj^  important  ones,  too.  The  vary?niT 
hue  of  the  Schneiderian  membrane  is  the  most  important  of  all ;  and,  with  reo-ard  to 

the  most  frequent  and  fatal  diseases  of  the  horse — those  of  the  respiratory  passao-es 

it  gives  almost  all  the  information  with  regard  to  the  state  of  the  circulation  inAose 
parts  that  can  possibly  be  required.  Veterinarians  too  generally  overlook  this.  It 
has  not  yet  been  sufficiently  taught  in  our  schools,  or  inculcated  m  our  best  works  on 
the  pathology  of  the  horse. 

It  is  the  custom  with  almost  every  horseman  who  takes  any  pains  to  ascertain  the 
state  of  his  patient,  to  turn  down  the  lower  eyelid,  and  to  form  his  opinion  of  the 
degree  of  general  inflammation  by  the  colour  which  the  lining  membrane  of  the  lid 
presents.  If  it  is  very  red,  he  concludes  that  there  is  considerable  fever;  if  it  is  of  a 
pale  pinkish  hue,  there  is  comparatively  little  danger.  This  is  a  very  important 
examination,  and  the  conclusion  which  he  draws  from  it  is  generally  true :  but  on  the 
septum  of  the  nose  he  has  a  membrane  more  immediately  continuous  with  those  of 
the  respirator}'  organs — more  easily  got  at — presenting  a  larger  surface — the  ramifica- 
tions of  the  blood-vessels  better  seen,  and,  what  is  trufy  important,  indicating  not  only 
the  general  affection  of  the  membranes,  but  of  those  with  which  he  is  most  of  all 
concerned. 

We  would  then  say  to  every  horseman  and  practitioner,  study  the  character  of  that 

portion  of  the  membrane  which  covers  the  lower  part  of  the  membrane  of  the  nose 

that  which  you  can  most  readily  bring  into  view.  Day  after  day,  and  under  all  the 
varying  circumstances  of  health  and  disease,  study  it  until  you  are  enabled  to  recog- 
nise, and  you  soon  will,  and  that  with  a  degTee  of  exactitude  you  would  have  scarcefy 
thought  possible,  the  pale  pink  hue  when  the  horse  is  in  health — the  increasing  blush 
of  red,  and  the  general  and  uniform  painting  of  the  membrane,  betokening  some'excite- 
ment  of  the  system  —  the  streaked  appearance  when  inflammation  is  threatening  or 
commencing — the  intensely  florid  red  of  inflammation  becoming  acute — the  startino 
of  the  vessels  from  their  gossamer  coat,  and  their  seeming  to  nm  bare  over  the  meiji" 
brane,  when  the  inflammation  is  at  the  highest — the  pale  ground  with  patches  of  vivi^ 
red,  showing  the  half-subdued  but  still  existing  fever — the  uniform  colour,  but  some 

what  redder  than  natural,  indicating  a  return  to  a  healthy  state  of  the  circulation the 

paleness  approaching  to  white,  accompanying  a  state  of  debility,  and  yet  some  radia- 
tions of  crimson,  showing  that  there  is  still  considerable  irritability,  and  that  mischief 
may  be  in  the  wind — the  pale  livid  colour  warning  you  that  the  disease  is  assuming 
a  typhoid  character — the  darker  livid  announcing  that  the  typhus  is  established,  and 
that  the  vital  current  is  stagnating — and  the  browner,  dirty  painting,  intermingling 
with  and  subduing  the  lividness,  and  indicating  that  the  game  is  up.  °  These  appear^ 


03  MEMBRANE    OF   THE   NOSE. 

ances  will  be  guides  to  our  opinion  and  treatment,  which  we  can  never  too  highly 
appreciate. 

CATARRH,    OR    COLD. 

Catarrh,  or  Cold,  is  attended  by  a  slight  dcfluxion  from  the  nose  —  now  and  then,  a 
slioliler  weeping  from  the  eyes,  and  some  increased  labour  of  breathing,  on  aec;>unt 
of  Ihe  uneasiness  which  the  animal  experiences  from  tlie  passage  of  the  air  over  the 
naturally  sensitive,  and  now  more  than  usually  irritable  surface,  and  from  the  air- 
passage  being  diminished  by  a  thickening  of  the  membrane.  When  this  is  a  simply 
local  fnflammation,  attended  by  no  loss  of  appetite  or  increased  animal  temperature, 
it  may  speedily  pass  over. 

In  many  cases,  however,  the  inflammation  of  a  membrane  naturally  so  sensitive, 
and  rendered  so  morbidly  irritable  by  our  absurd  treatment,  rapidly  spreads,  and 
involves  the  fauces,  the  lymphatic  and  some  of  the  salivary  glands,  the  throat,  the 
parotid  gland,  and  the  membrane  of  the  larynx.  We  have  then  increased  discharge 
from  the  nose,  greater  redness  of  the  membrane  of  the  nose,  more  defluxion  from  the 
eyes,  and  loss  of  appetite,  from  a  degree  of  fever  associating  itself  with  the  local 
atfection ;  and  there  also  being  a  greater  or  less  degree  of  pain  in  the  act  of  swallow- 
ing, and  which,  if  the  animal  feels  this,  he  will  never  eat.  Cough  now  appears  more 
or  less  frequent  or  painful ;  but  with  no  great  acceleration  of  the  pulse,  or  heaving 
of  ihe  flanks. 

Catarrh  may  arise  from  a  thousand  causes.  Membranes,  subjected  to  so  many 
sources  of  irritation,  soon  become  irritable.  Exposure  to  cold  or  rain,  change  of 
stable,  cliange  of  weather,  change  of  the  slightest  portion  of  clothing,  neglect  of 
grooming,  and  a  variety  of  circumstances  apparently  trifling,  and  which  they  who 
are  unaccustomed  to  horses  would  think  could  not  possibly  produce  any  injurious 
effect,  are  the  causes  of  catarrh.  In  the  spring  of  the  year,  and  while  moulting,  a 
great  many  young  horses  have  cough ;  and  in  the  dealers'  stables,  where  the  process 
of  making  up  the  horse  for  sale  is  carrying  on,  there  is  scarcely  one  of  them  that 
escapes  this  disease. 

In  the  majority  of  cases,  a  few  warm  mashes,  warm  clothing,  and  a  warm  stable — a 
f»ver-ball  or  two,  with  a  drachm  of  aloes  in  each,  and  a  little  antimony  in  the  evening, 
will  set  all  right.  Indeed,  all  would  soon  be  right  without  any  medicine  ;  and  much 
more  speedily  and  perfectly  than  if  the  cordials,  of  which  grooms  and  farriers  are  so 
fond,  had  been  given.  Nineteen  horses  out  of  twenty  with  common  catarrh  will  do 
well ;  but  in  the  twentieth  case,  a  neglected  cough  may  be  the  precursor  of  bronchitis, 
and  pneumonia.  These  chest  affections  often  insidiously  creep  on,  and  inflammation 
is  frequently  established  before  any  one  belonging  to  the  horse  is  aware  of  its  exist- 
ence. If  there  is  the  least  fever,  the  horse  should  be  bled.  A  common  cold,  attended 
by  heat  of  the  mouth  or  indisposition  to  feed,  should  never  pass  without  the  abstrac- 
tion of  blood.  A  physic-ball,  however,  should  not  be  given  in  catarrh  without  much 
consideration.  It  can  scarcely  be  known  what  sympathy  may  exist  between  the  por- 
tion of  membrane  already  affected,  and  the  mucous  membranes  generally.  In  severe 
thoracic  affection,  or  in  that  which  may  soon  become  so,  a  dose  of  physic  would  be 
little  better  than  a  dose  of  poison.  If,  however,  careful  investigation  renders  it  evi- 
dent that  there  is  no  affection  of  the  lungs,  and  that  the  disease  has  not  proceeded 
beyond  the  fauces,  small  doses  of  aloes  may  with  advantage  be  imited  with  other 
medicines,  in  order  to  evacuate  the  intestinal  canal,  and  reduce  the  faecal  discharge  to 
a  pultaceous  form. 

If  catarrh  is  accompanied  by  sore  throat ;  if  the  parotids  should  enlarge  and 
become  tender  —  there  are  no  tonsils,  amygdala;,  in  the  horse — or  if  the  submaxillary 
3-lands  should  be  inflamed,  and  the  animal  should  quid  his  food  and  gulp  his  water, 
this  will  be  an  additional  reason  for  bleeding,  and  also  for  warm  clothing  and  a  com- 
fortable stable.  A  hot  stable  is  not  meant  by  the  term  comfortable,  in  which  the  foul 
air  is  breathed  over  and  over  again,  but  a  temperature  some  degrees  above  that  of  the 
external  air,  and  where  that  determination  to  the  skin  and  increased  action  of  the 
fixhalent  vessels,  which  in  these  cases  are  so  desirable,  may  take  place.  Every  stable, 
both  for  horses  in  sickness  and  in  health,  should  have  in  it  a  thermometer. 

Some  stimulating  liniment  may  be  applied  over  the  inflamed  gland,  consisting  of 
turpentine  or  tincture  of  cantbarides,  diluted  with  spermaceti  or  neat's-foot  oil — strong 
lonough  to  produce  considerable  irritation  on  the  skin,  but  not  to  blister,  or  to  destroy 


INFLAMMATION    OF   THE  LARYNX.  193 

the  hair,  A  a  embrocation  sufficiently  powerful,  and  yet  that  never  destroys  the  hair, 
consists  of  equal  parts  of  hartshorn,  oil  of  turpentine,  and  camphorated  spirit,  with  a 
small  quantity  of  laudanum. 

INFLAMMATION    OF   THE   LARYNX. 

Strictly  speaking,  this  refers  to  inflammation  confined  to  the  larynx;  but  either 
catarrh  or  bronchitis,  or  both,  frequently  accompany  the  complaint. 

Its  approach  is  often  insidious,  scarcely  to  be  disting-uished  from  catarrh,  except  by 
being  attended  with  more  soreness  of  throat,  and  less  enlargement  of  the  parotid  glands. 
There  are  also  more  decided  and  violent  paroxysms  of  coughing  than  in  common 
catarrh,  attended  by  a  gurgling  noise,  which  may  be  heard  at  a  little  distance  from 
the  horse,  and  which,  by  auscultation,  is  decidedly  referrible  to  the  larynx.  The 
breatliing  is  shorter  and  quicker,  and  evidently  more  painful  than  catarrh ;  the  mem- 
brane of  the  nose  is  redder;  it  is  of  a  deep  modena  colour;  and  the  horse  shrinks, 
and  exhibits  great  pain  when  the  larynx  is  pressed  upon.  The  paroxysms  of  cough- 
ing become  more  frequent  and  violent,  and  the  animal  appears  at  times  almost 
suffocated. 

As  the  soreness  of  the  throat  proceeds,  the  head  of  the  animal  is  projected,  and  the 
neck  has  a  peculiar  stiffness.  There  is  also  much  difficulty  of  swallowing.  Con- 
siderable swelling  of  the  larynx  and  the  pharynx  ensue,  and  also  of  the  parotid,  sub- 
lingual, and  submaxillary  glands.  As  the  intlamm-ation  increases,  the  cough  becomes 
hoarse  and  feeble,  and  in  some  cases  altogether  suspended.  At  the  commencement, 
there  is  usually  little  or  no  nasal  detluxion ;  but  the  secretion  soon  appears,  either 
pure  or  mixed  with  an  unusual  quantity  of  saliva. 

Auscultation  is  a  very  important  aid  in  the  discovery  of  the  nature,  and  serious  or 
trifling  character  of  this  disease.  It  cannot  be  too  often  repeated,  that  it  is  one  of  the 
most  valuable  means  which  we  possess  of  detecting  the  seat,  intensity,  and  results  of 
the  maladies  of  the  respiratory  passages.  No  insrument  is  required ;  the  naked  eat 
can  be  applied  evenly  and  flatly,  and  with  a  very  slight  pressure,  on  any  part  that  it 
is  of  importance  to  examine.  The  healthy  sound,  when  the  ear  is  applied  to  the 
windpipe,  is  that  of  a  body  of  air  passing  uninterruptedly  through  a  smooth  tube  of 
somewhat  considerable  calibre  :  it  very  much  resembles  the  sound  of  a  pair  of  forge 
bellows,  when  not  too  violently  worked. 

He  who  is  desirous  of  ascertaining  whether  there  is  any  disease  in  the  larynx  of  a 
horse,  should  apply  his  ear  to  the  lower  part  of  the  windpipe.  If  he  finds  that  the  air 
passes  in  and  out  without  interruption,  there  is  no  disease  of  any  consequence  either 
in  the  windpipe  or  the  chest;  for  it  would  immediately  be  detected  by  the  loudness  or 
the  interruption  of  the  murmur.  Then  let  him  gradually  proceed  up  the  neck,  with 
his  ear  still  upon  the  windpipe.  Perhaps  he  soon  begins  to  recognise  a  little  gurgling, 
grating  sound.  As  he  continues  to  ascend,  that  sound  is  more  decisive,  mingled  with 
an  occasional  wheezing,  wh'.stling  noise.  He  can  have  no  surer  proof  that  here  is  the 
impediment  to  the  passage  of  the  air,  proceeding  from  the  thickening  of  the  membrane 
and  diminution  of  the  passage,  or  increased  secretion  of  mucus,  which  bubbles  and 
rattles  as  the  breath  passes.  By  the  degree  of  the  rattling  or  whistling,  the  owner 
will  judge  which  cause  of  obstruction  preponderates — in  fact,  he  will  have  discovered 
the  seat  and  the  state  of  the  disease  and  the  sooner  he  has  recourse  to  professional 
advice  the  better. 

Chronic  laryngitis  is  of  more  frequent  occurrence  than  acute.  ^lany  of  the  coughs 
♦hat  are  most  troublesome  are  to  be  traced  to  this  source. 

In  violent  cases  laryngitis  terminates  in  suffocation ;  in  others,  in  thick  wind  or 
in  roaring.  Occasionally  it  is  necessary  to  have  recourse  to  the  operation  of  trache- 
otomy. 

In  acute  laryngitis  the  treatment  to  be  pursued  is  sufficiently  plain.  Blood  must 
be  abstracted,  and  that  from  the  jugular  vein,  for  there  will  then  be  the  combined 
advantage  of  general  and  local  bleeding.  The  blood  must  be  somewhat  copiously 
withdrawn,  depending  on  the  degree  of  inflammation  —  the  practitioner  never  for  a 
moment  forgetting  that  he  has  to  do  with  inflammation  of  a  mucous  membrane,  and 
that  what  he  does  he  must  do  quickly.  He  will  have  lost  the  opportunity  of  strug- 
gling successfully  with  the  disease  when  it  has  altered  its  character  and  debility  has 
succeeded.  The  cases  must  be  few  and  far  between  when  the  surgeon  makes  up 
his  mind  tfo  any  determinate  quantity  of  blood,  and  leaves  his  assistant  or  his  groom 
17  z 


194  INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  TRACHEA— ROARING. 

to  abstract  it ;  he  must  himself  bleed,  and  until  the  pulse  flutters  o'  the  constitution 
is  evidently  affected. 

Next  must  be  given  the  fever  medicine  already  recommended  :  the  digitalis,  nitre, 
and  emetic  tartar,  with  aloes.  Aloes  may  here  be  safely  given,  because  the  chest  is 
not  yet  implicated.  To  this  must  be  added,  and  immediately,  a  blister,  and  a  sharp 
one.  The  surgeon  is  sure  of  the  part,  and  he  can  bring  his  counter-irritant  almost 
into  contact  vi^ith  it. 

Inflammation  of  the  larynx,  if  not  speedily  subdued,  produces  sad  disorganization 
in  this  curiously  formed  and  important  machine.  Lymph  is  effused,  morbidly  adhe- 
sive, and  speedily  organised — the  membrane  becomes  thickened,  considerably,  per- 
manently so — the  submucous  cellular  tissue  becomes  cedematous ;  the  inflammation 
spreads  from  the  membrane  of  the  larynx  to  the  cartilages,  and  difficulty  of  breath- 
ing, and  at  length  confirmed  roaring,  ensue. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  TRACHEA. 

Inflammation  of  the  membrane  of  the  larynx,  and  especially  when  it  has  run  on 
to  ulceration,  may  rapidly  spread,  and  involve  the  greater  part  or  the  whole  of  the 
lining  membrane  of  the  trachea.  Auscultation  will  discover  when  this  is  taking 
place.  If  the  disease  is  extending  down  the  trachea,  it  must  be  followed.  A  blis- 
ter must  reach  as  low  as  the  rattling  sound  can  be  detected,  and  somewhat  beyond 
this.  The  fever  medicines  must  be  administered  in  somewhat  increased  doses  ;  and 
the  bleeding  must  be  repeated,  if  the  state  of  the  pulse  does  not  indicate  the  con- 
trary. 

Generally  speaking,  however,  althongh  the  inflammation  is  now  approaching  the 
chest,  its  extension  into  the  trachea  is  not  an  unfavourable  symptom.  It  is  spread 
over  a  more  extended  surface,  and  is  not  so  intense  or  untractable.  It  is  involving  a 
part  of  the  frame  less  complicated,  and  where  less  mischief  can  be  effected.  True, 
if  the  case  is  neglected,  it  must  terminate  fatally  ;  but  it  is  coming  more  within  reach, 
and  more  under  command,  and,  the  proper  means  being  adopted,  the  change  is  rather 
a  favourable  one. 

The  disorganizations  produced  in  the  trachea  are  similar  to  some  which  have  been 
described  in  the  larynx.  The  same  formation  of  organised  bands  of  coagulated 
lymph,  the  same  thickening  of  membrane,  diminution  of  calibre,  and  foundation  for 
roaring. 

ROARING. 

The  present  will  be  the  proper  place  to  speak  of  that  singular  impairment  of  the 
respiratory  function  recognised  by  this  name.  It  is  an  unnatural,  loud  grunting  sound 
made  by  the  animal  in  the  act  of  breathing  when  in  quick  action  or  on  any  sudden 
exertion.  On  carefully  listening  to  the  sound,  it  will  appear  that  the  roaring  i&  pro- 
duced in  the  act  of  inspiration,  and  not  in  that  of  expiration.  If  the  horse  is  b/iskly 
trotted  on  a  level  surface,  and  more  particularly  if  he  is  hurried  up  hill,  or  if  he  is 
suddenly  threatened  with  a  stick,  this  peculiar  sound  will  be  heard  and  cannot  be 
mistaken.  When  dishonest  dealers  are  showing  a  horse  that  roars,  but  not  to  any 
great  degree,  they  trot  away  gently,  and  as  soon  as  they  are  too  far  for  the  sound  to 
be  heard,  show  off  the  best  paces  of  the  animal ;  on  returning,  they  gradually  slacken 
their  speed  when  they  come  within  a  suspicious  distance.  This  is  sometimes  techni* 
cally  called  "  the  dealers'  long  trot." 

Roaring  is  exceedingly  unpleasant  to  the  rider,  and  it  is  manifest  unsoundness.  It 
is  the  sudden  and  violent  rushing  of  the  air  through  a  tube  of  diminished  calibre ; 
and  if  the  impediment,  whatever  it  is,  renders  it  so  difficult  for  the  air  to  pa&s  in  some- 
what increased  action,  sufficient  cannot  be  admitted  to  give  an  adequate  supply  of 
artcrialized  blood  in  extraordinary  or  long-continued  exertion.  Therefore,  as  impair- 
ing the  function  of  respiration,  although,  sometimes,  only  on  extraordinary  occasions 
it  is  unsoundness.  In  as  many  cases  as  otherwise,  it  is  a  very  serious  cause  of  un- 
soundness. The  roarer,  when  hardly  pressed,  is  often  blown  even  to  the  ha/;«rd  of 
suffocation,  and  there  are  cases  on  record  of  his  suddenly  dropping  and  dying  when 
urged  to  the  top  of  his  speed. 

It  must  not,  however,  be  taken  for  granted  that  the  roarer  is  always  worthless. 
There  are  few  hunts  in  which  there  is  not  one  of  these  horses,  who  acquits  himself 
very  fairly  in  the  field ;  and  it  has  occasionally  so  happened  that  the  roarer  has  been 


ROARING.  195 

the  very  crack  horse  of  the  hunt ;  yet  he  must  be  ridden  with  judgmeni,  and  spared 
a  little  \vh?n  goin^  up-hill.  There  is  a  village  in  the  West  Riding  of  Yorkshire, 
through  which  a  band  of  smugglers  used  frequently  to  pass  in  the  dead  of  night; 
the  horse  of  the  leader,  and  the  best  horse  of  the  troop,  and  on  which  his  owner 
would  bid  defiance  to  all  pursuit,  was  so  rank  a  roarer,  that  he  could  be  heard  at  a 
considerable  distance.  The  clattering  of  all  the  rest  scarcely  made  so  much  noise  as 
the  roaring  of  the  captain's  horse.  When  this  became  a  little  too  bad,  and  he  did 
not  fear  immediate  pursuit,  the  smuggler  used  to  halt  the  troop  'at  some  convenient 
hayrick  on  the  roadside,  and,  having  suffered  the  animal  to  distend  his  stomach  with 
this  dry  food,  as  he  was  always  ready  enough  to  do,  he  would  remount  and  gallop 
on,  and,  for  a  while,  the  roaring  was  scarcely  heard.  It  is  somewhat  difficult  to  ac- 
count for  this.  Perhaps  the  loaded  stomach  now  pressing  against  the  diaphragm, 
that  muscle  had  harder  work  to  displace  this  viscus  in  the  act  of  enlarging  the  chest 
and  producing  an  act  of  inspiration,  and  accomplished  it  more  slowly,  and  therefore, 
the  air  passing  more  slowly  by,  the  roaring  was  diminished.  We  do  not  dare  to  cal 
culate  what  must  have  been  the  increased  labour  of  the  diaphragm  in  moving  the  load 
ed  stomach,  nor  how  much  sooner  the  horse  must  have  been  exhausted.  This  did  not 
enter  into  the  owner's  reckoning,  and  probably  the  application  of  whip  and  spur  would 
deprive  him  of  the  means  of  forming  a  proper  calculation  of  it. 

Eclipse  was  a  "high-blower."  He  drew  his  breath  hard,  and  with  apparent  difS 
culty.  The  upper  air-passages,  perhaps  those  of  the  head,  did  not  correspond  with 
his  unusually  capacious  chest ;  yet  he  was  never  beaten.  It  is  said  that  he  never  met 
with  an  antagonist  fairly  to  put  him  to  the  top  of  his  speed,  and  that  the  actual  effect 
of  this  disproportion  in  the  two  extremities  of  the  respiratory  apparatus  was  not 
thoroughly  tested.  Mares  comparatively  seldom  become  roarers.  It  appears  to  be 
difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  assign  any  satisfactory  reason  for  this ;  but  the  fact  is 
too  notorious  among  horsemen,  to  admit  of  doubt. 

Roaring  proceeds  from  obstruction  in  some  portion  of  the  respiratory  canal,  and 
oftenest  in  the  larj'nx,  for  there  is  least  room  to  spare — that  cartilaginous  box  being 
occupied  by  the  mechanism  of  the  voice  :  next  in  frequency  it  is  in  the  trachea,  but, 
in  fact,  obstruction  anywhere  will  produce  it.  ^Nlr.  Blaine,  quoting  from  a  French 
journalist,  says,  that  a  piece  of  riband  lodged  within  one  of  the  nasal  fossae  produced 
roaring,  and  that  even  the  displacement  of  a  molar  tooth  has  been  the  supposed  cause 
of  it.  Polypi  in  the  nostrils  have  been  accompanied  by  it.  Mr.  Sewell  found,  as  an 
evident  cause  of  roaring,  an  exostosis  between  the  two  first  ribs,  and  pressing  upon 
the  trachea ;  and  Mr.  Percivall  goes  farther,  and  says  that  his  father  repeatedly  blis- 
tered and  fired  a  horse  for  bad  roaring,  and  even  performed  the  operation  of  trache- 
otomy, and  at  length  the  roaring  being  so  loud  when  the  horse  was  led  out  of  the 
stable,  that  it  was  painful  to  hear  it — the  poor  animal  was  destroyed.  No  thickening 
of  the  membrane  was  found,  no  disease  of  the  larjmx  or  trachea ;  but  the  lungs  were 
hepatized  throughout  the  greater  part  of  their  substaner,  and  many  of  the  smaller 
divisions  of  the  bronchi  were  so  compressed,  that  they  were  hardly  pervious. 

Bands  of  Coagulated  Lymph. — A  frequent  cause  of  roaring  is  bands  of  coagulated 
lymph,  morbidly  viscid  and  tenacious,  adhering  firmly  on  one  side,  and  by  some  act 
of  coughing  brought  into  contact  with  and  adhering  to  the  other  side,  and  becoming 
gradually  organized.  At  other  times  there  have  been  rings  of  coagulated  lymph 
adhering  to  the  lining  of  the  trachea,  but  not  organized.  In  either  case  they  form  a 
mechanical  obstruction,  and  will  account  for  tlie  roaring  noise  produced  by  the  air 
rushing  violently  through  the  diminished  calibre,  in  hurried  respiration.  Thickening 
of  the  membrane  is  a  more  frequent  cause  of  roaring  than  the  transverse  bands  of 
coagulated  lymph.  In  many  morbid  specimens  it  is  double  or  treble  its  natural  thick- 
ness, and  covered  with  manifold  ulcerations.  This  is  particularly  annoying  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  windpipe,  where  the  passages,  in  their  natural  state,  are  narrow. 
Thus  it  is  that  roaring  is  the  occasional  consequence  of  strangles  and  catarrh,  and 
other  aflTections  of  the  superior  passages. 

There  is  scarcely  a  horse  of  five  or  six  years  old  who  has  not  a  portion  of  the  thy- 
roid cartilage  ossified.  In  some  cases  the  greater  part  of  the  cartilages  are  becoming 
bony,  or  sufficiently  so  to  weaken  or  destroy  their  elastic  power,  and  consequently  to 
render  it  impossible  for  them  to  be  freely  and  fully  acted  upon  by  the  delicate  muscles 
of  the  larynx. 

Chronic  cough  occasionally  terminates  in  roaring.     Some  have  imagined  that  the 


196  ROARING. 

dealers'  habit  of  coughing  the  horse,  i.  e.  pressing  upon  the  larynx  to  make  him  cough 
in  order  that  they  may  judge  of  the  state  of  his  wind  l)y  the  sound  that  is  emitted,  has 
produced  inflammation  about  the  larynx,  which  has  terminated  in  roaring,  or  assisted 
in  producing  it.  That  pain  is  given  to  the  animal  by  the  rough  and  violent  way  in 
which  the  object  is  sometimes  attempted  to  be  accomplished,  is  evident  enough,  and 
this  must,  in  process  of  time,  lead  to  mischief;  but  sufficient  inflammation  and  sub- 
sequent ossification  of  the  cartilages  would  scarcely  be  produced,  to  be  a  cause  of 
roaring. 

The  Disease  of  Draught-Horses  generally. — There  can  he  no  doubt  of  the  fact,  that 
the  majority  of  roarers  are  draught-horses,  and  horses  of  quick  draught.  They  are 
not  only  subject  to  the  usual  predisposing  causes  of  this  obstruction,  but  there  is  some- 
thing superadded, — resulting  from  their  habits  or  mode  of  work, — not  indeed  necessa- 
rily resulting,  but  that  which  the  folly  as  well  as  cruelly  of  man  has  introduced — the 
system  of  tight-reining.  To  a  certain  extent,  the  curb-rein  is  necessary.  Without  it 
there  would  be  scarcely  any  command  over  a  wilful  horse,  and  it  would  need  a  strong 
arm  occasionally  to  guide  even  the  most  willing.  Without  the  curb-rein  the  horse 
would  carry  himself  low;  he  would  go  carelessly  along;  he  would  become  a  stum- 
bler ;  and  if  he  were  disposed  at  any  time  to  run  away,  the  strongest  arm  would  have 
little  power  to  stop  him ;  but  there  is  no  necessity  for  the  tight  rein,  and  for  the  long 
and  previous  discipline  to  which  the  carriage-horse  is  subjected.  There  is  no  necessity 
that  the  lower  jaw,  whether  the  channel  is  wide  or  narrow,  should  be  so  forced  on  the 
neck,  or  that  the  larynx  and  the  portion  of  the  windpipe  immediately  beneath  it  should 
be  flattened,  and  bent,  and  twisted,  and  the  respiratory  passage  not  only  obstructed, 
but  in  a  manner  closed.  The  mischief  is  usually  done  when  the  horse  is  young.  It 
is  effected  in  some  measure  by  the  impatience  of  the  animal,  unused  to  control,  and 
suffering  pain.  In  the  violent  tossing  of  his  head  he  bruises  the  larynx,  and  produces 
inflammation.  The  head  of  the  riding-horse  is  gradually  brought  to  its  proper  place 
by  the  hands  of  the  breaker,  who  skilfully  increases  or  relaxes  the  pressure,  and 
humours  and^lays  with  the  mouth ;  but  the  poor  carriage-horse  is  confined  by  a  rein 
that  never  slackens,  and  his  nose  is  bent  in  at  the  expense  of  the  larynx  and  wind- 
pipe. The  injury  is  materially  increased  if  the  head  is  not  naturally  well  set  on,  or 
the  neck  is  thick,  or  the  jaws  narrow. 

Connected  with  this  is  the  common  notion  that  crib-biting  is  a  cause  of  roaring. 
That  is  altogether  erroneous.  There  is  no  possible  connexion  between  the  com- 
plaints: but  one  of  the  methods  that  used  to  be  resorted  to  in  order  to  cure  crib-biting 
might  be  a  cause  of  roaring,  namely,  the  strap  so  tightly  buckled  round  the  upper 
part  of  the  neck  as  to  compress,  and  distort,  and  paralyse  the  larynx. 

Facts  have  established  the  hereditary  predisposition  to  roaring,  beyond  the  possi- 
bility of  doubt. 

In  France  it  is  notorious  that  three-fourths  of  the  horses  from  Cottentin  are  roarers, 
and  some  of  them  are  roarers  at  six  months  old  ;  but  about  La  Hague  and  Le  Bocase, 
not  a  roarer  is  known.  There  is  certainly  a  considerable  difference  in  the  soil  of  the 
two  districts ;  the  first  is  low  and  marshy,  the  latter  elevated  and  dry  :  but  tradition 
traces  it  to  the  introduction  of  some  foreign  horses  into  Cottentin,  who  bequeathed 
this  infirmity  to  their  progeny. 

In  our  own  country,  there  is  as  decisive  a  proof.  There  was  a  valuable  stallion  in 
Norfolk,  belonging  to  Major  Wilson,  of  Didlington.  He  was  a  great  favourite,  and 
seemed  to  be  getting  some  excellent  stock  ;  but  he  was  a  roarer,  and  some  of  the 
breeders  took  alarm  at  this.  They  had  occasionally  too  painful  experience  of  the 
communication  of  the  defects  of  the  parent  to  his  progeny  ;  and  they  feared  that  roar- 
ing might  possibly  be  among  these  hereditary  evils.  Sir  Charles  Bunbury  was 
requested  to  obtain  Mr.  Cline's  opinion  on  the  subject.  Mr.  Cline  was  a  deservedly 
eminent  human  surgeon  :  he  had  exerted  himself  in  the  estahlishment  of  the  Veteri- 
nary College :  he  was  an  examiner  of  veterinary  pupils,  and  therefore  it  was  supposed 
that  he  must  be  competent  to  give  an  opinion.  He  gave  one,  and  at  considerable 
length  : — "The  disorder  in  the  horse,"  said  he,  "which  constitutes  a  roarer,  is  caused 
by  a  membranous  projection  in  a  part  of  the  windpipe,  and  is  the  consequence  of  thai 
part  having  been  inflamed  from  a  cold,  and  injudiciously  treated.  A  roarer,  therefore 
is  not  a  diseased  horse,  for  his  lungs  and  every  other  part  may  he  perfectly  sound 
The  existence  of  roaring  in  a  stallion  cannot  be  of  any  consequence.  It  cannot  be 
propagated  any  more  than  a  broken  bone,  or  any  other  accident." — A  fair  specimf  ii 


BRONCHOCELE.  197 

of  the  horse-knowledge  of  one  of  the  best  of  the  medical  examiners  c )  veterinary 
pupils. 

Sir  Charles  returned  full  of  glee ;  the  good  people  of  Norfolk  and  Suffolk  were 
satisfied ;  Major  Wilson's  horse  was  in  high  request:  but  in  a  few  years  a  areat  part 
of  the  two  counties  was  overrun  with  roarers,  and  many  a  breeder  half  ruined. 
Roaring  is  not,  however,  necessarily  hereditary.  Mr.  Goodwin,  whose  name  is  Erreat 
authority,  states  that  Taurus,  a  celebrated  racer  that  had  become  a  roarer,  had  cov^ered 
several  mares,  and  tlieir  produce  all  turned  out  well,  and  had  won  several  races.  In 
no  instance  did  his  progeny  exhibit  this  defect,  notwithstanding  that  his  own  family 
were  notorious  for  being  roarers.     Eclipse  also  is  said  to  have  been  a  roarer. 

What  then  is  to  be  done  with  these  animals  "?  Abandon  them  to  their  fate  1  No, 
not  so ;  but  there  is  no  necessity  rashly  to  undertake  a  hopeless  affair.  All  possible 
knowledge  must  be  obtained  of  the  origin  of  the  disease.  Did  it  follow  strano-les, 
catarrh,  bronchitis,  or  any  affection  of  the  respiratory  passages  ?  Is  it  of  long  stand- 
ing ■?  Is  it  now  accompanied  by  cough  or  any  symptoms  of  general  or  local  irrita- 
tion ]  Can  any  disorganization  of  these  parts  be  detected"?  Any  distortion  of  the 
larynx  1  Did  it  follow  breaking-in  to  harness "?  The  answer  to  these  questions  will 
materially  guide  any  future  proceedings.  If  there  is  plain  distortion  of  the  larynx  or 
trachea,  or  the  disease  can  be  associated,  in  point  of  time,  with  breaking-in  to  harness, 
or  tlie  coachman  or  proprietor  has  been  accustomed  to  rein  the  animal  in  too  tightly 
or  too  cruelly,  or  the  sire  was  a  roarer,  it  is  almost  useless  to  have  anything  to  do 
wit  1  the  case.  But  if  it  is  of  rather  recent  date,  and  following  closely  on  some  dis- 
ease with  which  it  can  be  clearly  connected,  careful  examination  of  the  patient  may 
be  commenced.  Is  there  cough  ?  Can  any  heat  or  tenderness  be  detected  about  the 
larynx  or  trachea?  Is  there  in  every  part  the  same  uniform  rushing  noise;  or,  on 
some  particular  spot,  can  a  more  violent  breathing,  a  wheezing  or  whistlino-,  or  a 
rattling  and  guggling,  be  detected  ]  Is  that  wheezing  or  rattling  either  confined  to 
one  spot,  or  less  sonorous  as  the  ear  recedes  from  that  spot  above  or  below ;  or  is  it 
diffused  over  a  considerable  portion  of  the  trachea  1 

In  these  cases  it  would  be  fair  to  bleed,  purge,  and  most  certainly  to  blister.  The 
.  e?.r  will  guide  to  the  part  to  which  the  blister  should  be  applied.  The  physic  having 
set,  a  course  of  fever  medicine  should  be  commenced.  It  should  be  considered  as  a 
case  of  chronic  inflammation,  and  to  be  subdued  by  a  continuance  of  moderate  deple- 
tory measures.  Probably  blood  should  again  be  abstracted  in  less  quantity  ;  a  second 
dose  of  physic  should  be  given,  and,  most  certainly,  the  blister  should  be  repeated, 
or  kept  discharging  by  means  of  some  stimulatintr  unguent.  The  degree  of  success 
which  attends  these  measures  would  determine  ^le  farther  pursuit  of  them.  If  no 
relief  is  obtained  after  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks,  perhaps  the  experimenter  would 
ponder  on  another  mode  of  treatment.  He  would  again  carefully  explore  the  whole 
extent  of  the  trachea,  and  if  he  could  yet  refer  the  rattling  or  wheezing  to  the  same 
point  at  which  he  had  before  observed  it,  he  would  boldly  propose  tracheotomy,  for 
he  could  certainly  cut  upon  the  seat  of  disease. 

If  he  found  one  of  these  organised  bands,  the  removal  of  it  would  afford  immediate 
relief;  or  if  he  found  merely  a  thickened  membrane,  no  harm  would  be  done ;  or  the 
loss  of  blood  might  abate  the  local  inflammation.  No  one  would  eagerly  undertake 
a  case  of  roaring ;  but,  having  undertaken  it,  he  should  give  the  measures  that  he 
adopts  a  fair  trial,  remembering  that,  in  every  chronic  case  like  this,  the  only  hope 
of  success  depends  on  perseverance. 

BRONCHOCELE. 

Mr.  Percivall  is  almost  the  only  author  who  takes  notice  of  enlargement  of  the 
thyroid  glands — two  oval  bodies  below  the  larynx,  and  attached  to  the  trachea.  The 
use  of  them  has  never  been  satisfactorily  explained.  They  sometimes  grow  to  the 
size  of  an  egg,  or  larger,  but  are  unattended  by  cough  or  fever,  and  are  nothino"  more 
than  an  eye-sore.  The  iodine  ointment  has  occasionally  been  applied  with  success. 
The  blister  or  the  seton  may  also  be  useful. 

EPIDEMIC    CATARRH. 

Var.ous  names  are  given  to  this  disease — influenza,  distemper,  catarrhal  fever,  and 
epidemic  catarrh.     Its  usual  history  is  as  follows. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year — a  cold,  wet  spring — and  that  succeeding  to  a  mild  winter, 
17* 


198  EPIDEMIC    CATARRH. 

and  especially  among  young  horses,  and  those  in  high  condition,  or  made  up  for  siU, 
or  that  have  been  kept  in  hot  stables,  or  exposed  to  the  usual  causes  of  inflammation, 
this  disease  principally,  and  sometimes  almost  exclusively,  prevails.  Those  that  are 
in  moderate  work,  and  that  are  correspondingly  fed,  generally  escape ;  or  even  when 
it  appears  in  most  of  the  stables  in  a  narrower  or  wider  district,  horses  in  barracks, 
regularly  worked  and  moderately  fed,  although  not  entirely  exempt,  are  comparatively 
seldom  diseased. 

If  it  has  been  observed  from  the  beginning,  it  will  be  found  that  the  attack  is 
usually  sudden,  ushered  in  by  shivering,  and  that  quickly  succeeded  by  acceleration 
of  pulse,  heat  of  mouth,  staring  coat,  tucked-up  belly,  diminution  of  appetite,  painful 
but  not  loud  cough,  heaving  at  the  flanks,  redness  of  the  membrane  of  the  nose, 
swelled  and  weeping  eye,  dejected  countenance — these  are  the  symptoms  of  catarrh, 
but  under  a  somewhat  aggravated  form. 

It  clearly  is  not  inflammation  of  the  lungs  ;  for  there  is  no  coldness  of  the  extremi- 
ties, no  looking  at  the  flanks,  no  stiff  immovable  position,  no  obstinate  standing  up. 
It  is  not  simple  catarrh ;  for  as  early  as  the  second  day  there  is  evident  debility.  The 
horse  staggers  as  he  walks. 

It  is  inflammation  of  the  respiratory  passages  generally.  It  commences  in  the  mem- 
brane of  the  nose,  but  it  gradually  involves  the  whole  of  the  respiratory  apparatus 
Before  the  disease  has  been  established  four-and-twenty  hours,  there  is  frequently  sore- 
throat.  The  horse  quids  his  hay,  and  gulps  his  water.  There  is  no  great  enlargement  of 
the  glands ;  the  parotids  are  a  little  tumefied,  the  submaxillary  somewhat  more  so,  but 
not  at  all  equivalent  to  the  degree  of  soreness.  That  soreness  is  excessive,  and  day  aftei 
day  the  horse  will  obstinately  refuse  to  eat.  Discharge  from  the  nose  soon  follows 
in  condderable  quantity  :  thick,  very  early  purulent,  and  sometimes  foetid.  The 
breathing  is  accelerated  and  laborious  at  the  beginning,  but  does  not  always  increase 
with  the  progress  of  the  disease — nay,  sometimes,  a  dieceitful  calm  succeeds,  and  the 
pulse,  quickened  and  full  at  first,  soon  loses  its  firmness,  and  although  it  usually 
maintains  its  unnatural  quickness,  yet  it  occasionally  deviates  from  this,  and  subsides 
to  little  more  than  its  natural  standard.  The  extremities  continue  to  be  comfortably 
warm,  or  at  least  the  temperature  is  variable,  and  there  is  not  in  the  manner  of  the 
animal,  or  in  any  one  symptom,  a  decided  reference  to  any  particular  part  or  spot,  as 
the  chief  seat  of  disease. 

Thus  the  malady  proceeds  for  an  uncertain  period  :  occasionally  for  several  days— . 
in  not  a  few  instances  through  the  whole  of  its  course,  and  the  animal  dies  exhausted 
by  extensive  or  general  irritation  :  but  in  other  cases  the  inflammation  assumes  a 
local  determination,  and  we  have  bronchitis  or  pneumonia,  but  of  no  very  acute  cha- 
racter, yet  difficult  to  treat,  from  the  general  debility  with  which  it  is  connected. 
Sometimes  there  are  considerable  swellings  in  various  parts,  as  the  chest,  the  belly, 
the  extremities,  and  particularly  the  head.  The  brain  is  occasionally  affected ;  the 
horse  grows  stupid ;  the  conjunctiva  is  alarmingly  red  ;  the  animal  becomes  gradually 
unconscious,  and  delirium  follows.  A  curious  thickening,  that  may  be  mistaken  for 
severe  sprain,  is  sometimes  observed  about  the  tendons.  It  is  seen  under  the  knee 
or  about  the  fetlock.  It  is  hot  and  tender,  and  the  lameness  is  considerable.  The* 
feet  occasionally  suffer  severely.  There  is  a  determination  of  fever  to  them  far  more 
violent  than  the  original  disease,  and  separation  of  the  lamina:^  and  descent  of  the  sole 
ensue.  It  may  be  easily  imagined  how  roaring  may  be  connected  with  epidemic 
catarrh  ;  but  it  is  rarely  or  never  followed  by  glanders.  These  changes  of  situation 
are  not  fatal,  but  the  practitioner  is  rather  glad  to  see  them,  except  indeed  when  the 
feet  are  attacked ;  for  the  disease  seems  inclined  to  shift  its  situation  or  character, 
and  is  more  easily  subdued. 

The  most  decided  character  in  this  disease  is  debility.  Not  the  stiff,  unwilling 
motion  of  the  horse  with  pneumonia,  and  which  has  been  mistaken  for  debility — 
every  muscle  being  needed  for  the  purposes  of  respiration,  and  therefore  imperfectly 
used  in  locomotion — but  actual  loss  of  power  in  the  muscular  system  generally.  The 
horse  staggers  from  the  second  day.  He  threatens  to  fall  if  he  is  moved.  He  is 
sometimes  down,  permanently  down,  on  the  third  or  fourth  day.  The  emaciation  is 
•also  occasionally  rapid  and  extreme. 

At  length  the  medical  treatment  which  has  been  employed  succeeds,  or  nature 
begins  to  rally.  The  cough  somewhat  subsides  ;  the  pulse  assumes  its  natura. 
standard ;  the  countenance  acquires  a  little  more  animation ;   the  horse  will  eat  a 


EPIDEMIC    CATARRH.  199 

small  quantity  of  some  choice  thing;  and  health  and  strength  slowly,  very  slowly 
indeed,  return  :  but  at  other  times,  when  there  had  been  no  decided  change  during 
the  progress  of  the  disease,  no  manageable  metastasis  of  inflammation  while  llu're 
was  sufficient  power  left  in  the  constitution  to  struggle  with  it,  a  strange  exacerbation 
af  symptoms  accompanies  the  closing  scene.  The  extremities  become  deathly  cold ; 
the  flanks  heave  ;  the  countenance  betrays  greater  distress  ;  the  membrane  of  the  nose 
is  of  an  intense  red  ;  and  inflammation  of  the  substance  of  the  lungs  and  congestion 
and  death  speedily  follow. 

At  other  times  the  redness  of  the  nostril  suddenly  disappears;  it  becomes  purple, 
livid,  dirty  brown,  and  the  discharge  is  bloody  and  fatid,  the  breath  and  all  the 
excretions  becoming  foetid  too.  The  mild  character  of  the  disease  gives  way  to 
malignant  typhus :  swellings,  and  purulent  ulcers,  spread  over  different  parts  of  the 
frame,  and  the  animal  is  soon  destroyed. 

Post-mortem  Examination. — Examination  after  death  sufficiently  displays  the  real 
character  of  the  disease,  inflammation  first  of  the  respiratory  passages,  and,  in  fatal 
or  aggravated  cases,  of  the  mucous  membranes  generally.  From  the  pharynx,  to  the 
termination  of  the  small  intestines,  and  often  including  even  the  larger  ones,  there 
will  not  be  a  part  free  from  inflammation ;  the  upper  part  of  the  trachea  will  be  filled 
with  adhesive  spume,  and  the  lining  membrane  thickened,  injected,  or  ulcerated  ;  the 
lining  tunic  of  the  bronchi  will  exhibit  unequivocal  marks  of  inflanmration ;  the  sub- 
stance of  the  lungs  will  be  engorged,  and  often  inflamed  ;  the  heart  will  partake  of 
the  same  affection  ;  its  external  coat  will  be  red,  or  purple,  or  black,  and  its  internal 
one  will  exhibit  spots  of  ecchymosis ;  the  pericardium  will  be  thickened,  and  the 
pericardiac  and  pleuritic  bags  will  contain  an  undue  quantity  of  serous,  or  bloody- 
serous,  or  purulent  fluid. 

The  oesophagus  will  be  inflamed,  sometimes  ulcerated  —  the  stomach  always  so  ; 
the  small  intestines  will  uniformly  present  patches  of  inflammation  or  ulceration. 
The  liver  will  be  inflamed — the  spleen  enlarged — no  part,  indeed,  will  have  escaped  ; 
and  if  the  malady  has  assumed  a  typhoid  form  in  its  latter  stages,  the  universality 
and  malignancy  of  the  ulceration  will  be  excessive. 

This  disease  is  clearly  attributable  to  atmospheric  influence,  but  of  the  precise 
nature  of  this  influence  we  are  altogether  ignorant.     It  is  some  foreign  injurious 

Srinciple  which  mingles  with  and  contaminates  the  air,  but  whence  this  poison  is 
erived,  or  how  it  is  diffused,  we  know  not.  It  is  engendered,  or  it  is  most  prevalent, 
in  cold  ungenial  weather ;  or  this  weather  may  dispose  the  patient  for  catarrh,  or 
prepare  the  tissues  to  be  affected  by  causes  which  would  otherwise  be  harmless,  or 
which  may  at  all  times  exist. 

It  is  most  frequent  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  but  it  occasionally  rages  in  autumn 
and  in  winter.  It  is  epidemic  ,•  it  spreads  over  large  districts.  It  sometimes  pervades 
the  whole  country.  Scarcely  a  stable  escapes.  Its  appearance  is  sudden,  its  progress 
rapid.  Mr.  Wilkinson  had  3G  new  cases  in  one  day.  It  is  said  that  a  celebrated 
practitioner  in  London  had  nearly  double  that  number  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours 
At  other  times  it  is  endemic.  It  pervades  one  town ;  one  little  tract  of  country.  It 
is  confined  to  spots  exceedingly  circumscribed.  It  is  dependent  on  atmospheric 
agency,  but  this  requires  some  injurious  adjuvant  and  the  principle  of  contagion  must 
probably  be  called  into  play.  It  has  been  rife  enough  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  metro- 
polis, while  in  the  upper  and  north-western  districts  scarcely  a  case  has  occurred. 
It  has  occasionally  been  confined  to  a  locality  not  extending  half-a-mile  in  any  direc- 
tion. In  one  of  the  cavalry  barracks  the  majority  of  the  horses  on  one  side  of  the 
yard  were  attacked  by  epidemic  catarrh,  while  there  was  not  a  sick  horse  on  the 
other  side.  These  prevalences  of  disease,  and  these  exceptions,  are  altogether  unac- 
countable. The  stables,  and  the  system  of  stable  management,  have  been  most 
carefully  inquired  into  in  the  infected  and  the  healthy  districts,  and  no  satisfactory 
difference  could  be  ascertained.  One  fact,  however,  has  been  established,  and  a  very 
important  one  it  is  to  the  horse  proprietor  as  well  as  the  practitioner.  The  probability 
of  the  disease  seems  to  be  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  horses  inhabiting  the  stable. 
Two  or  three  horses  shut  up  in  a  comparatively  close  stable  may  escape.  Out  of 
thirty  horses,  distributed  through  ten  or  fifteen  little  stables,  not  one  may  be  afl'ected , 
but  in  a  stable  containing  ten  or  twelve  horses  the  disease  will  assuredly  appear, 
although  it  may  be  proportionally  larger  and  well  ventilated.  It  is  on  this  account 
that  postmasters  and  horse-dealers  dread  its  appearance.     In  a  sickly  season  their 


;500  EPIDEMIC    CATARRH. 

stables  are  never  free  from  it ;  and  if,  perchance,  it  does  enter  one  of  their  largest 
stables,  almost  every  horse  will  be  affected.  Therefore  also  it  is  that  grooms  have  so 
much  dread  of  a  distempered  stable,  and  that  the  odds  are  so  seriously  affected  if 
distemper  has  broken  out  in  a  racing  establishment. 

Does  this  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  epidemic  catarrh  is  contagious?  Not  neces- 
sarily, but  it  excites  strong  suspicion  of  its  being  so  ;  and  there  are  so  many  facts  of 
the  disease  following  the  introduction  of  a  distempered  horse  into  an  establishment, 
that  this  malady  must  rank  among  those  that  are  both  contagious  and  epidemic. 
There  are  few  well-informed  grooms,  or  extensive  owners  of  horses,  and  living  much 
among  them,  or  veterinary  surgeons  of  considerable  practice,  who  entertain  the  least 
doubt  about  the  matter.  Then  every  necessary  precaution  should  be  adopted.  The 
horse  that  exhibits  symptoms  of  epidemic  catarrh  should  be  removed  as  soon  as 
possible.  The  affected  horses  should  be  removed,  and  not  the  sound  ones,  for  they, 
although  apparently  sound,  may  have  the  malady  lurking  about  them,  and  may  more 
widely  propagate  the  disease. 

With  regard  to  the  treatment  of  epidemic  catarrh,  there  may  be,  and  is  at  times, 
considerable  difficulty.  It  is  a  disease  of  the  mucous  membrane,  and  thus  connected 
with  much  debility ;  but  it  is  also  a  disease  of  a  febrile  character,  and  the  inflamma- 
tion is  occasionally  intense.  The  veterinary  surgeon,  therefore,  must  judge  for 
himself  Is  the  disease  in  its  earliest  stage  marked  by  evident  inflammatory  action  1 
Is  there  much  redness  of  the  membrane  of  the  nose — much  acceleration  of  the  pulse 
' — much  heaving  of  the  flanks  ]  If  so,  blood  must  be  abstracted.  The  orifice  should 
be  large  that  the  blood  may  flow  quickly,  and  the  circulation  be  sooner  affected  ;  and 
the  medical  attendant  should  be  present  at  this  first  venesection,  that  he  may  close  the 
orifice  as  soon  as  the  pulse  begins  to  falter.  This  attention  to  the  first  bleeding  is 
indispensable.  It  is  the  carelessness  with  which  it  is  performed  —  the  ignorance  of 
the  object  to  be  accomplished,  and  the  effect  actually  produced,  that  destroys  half  the 
horses  that  are  lost  from  this  malady.  The  first  falter  of  the  pulse  is  the  signal  to 
suspend  the  bleeding.     Every  drop  lost  afterwards  may  be  wanted. 

If  there  is  no  appearance  of  febrile  action,  or  only  a  very  slight  one,  small  doses  of 
aloes  may  be  given,  combined  with  the  fever  medicines  recommended  for  catarrh. 
As  soon  as  the  faces  are  pultaceous,  or  even  before  that,  the  aloes  should  be  omitted 
and  the  fever  medicine  continued.  It  will  rarely  be  prudent  to  continue  the  aloes 
beyond  the  third  drachm. 

A  stricter  attention  must  be  paid  to  diet  than  the  veterinarian  usually  enforces,  or 
the  groom  dreams  of.  No  corn  must  be  allowed,  but  mashes  and  thin  gruel.  The 
water  should  be  entirely  taken  away,  and  a  bucket  of  gruel  suspended  in  the  box. 
This  is  an  excellent  plan  with  regard  to  every  sick  horse  that  we  do  not  wish  to 
reduce  too  much ;  and  when  he  finds  that  the  morning  and  evening  pass  over,  and  his 
water  is  not  offered  to  him,  he  will  readily  take  to  the  gruel,  and  drink  as  much  of  it 
as  is  good  for  him.  Green  meat  should  be  early  offered ;  such  as  grass,  tares  (the 
latter  especially),  lucerne,  and,  above  all,  carrots.  If  these  cannot  be  procured,  a 
little  hay  may  be  whetted,  and  offered  morsel  after  morsel  by  the  hand.  Should  this 
be  refused,  the  hay  may  be  damped  with  water  slightly  salted,  and  then  the  patient 
will  generally  seize  it  with  avidity. 

Should  the  horse  refuse  to  eat  during  the  two  or  three  first  days,  there  is  no  occa- 
sion to  be  in  a  hurry  to  drench  with  gruel ;  it  will  make  the  mouth  sore,  and  the  throat 
sore,  and  tease  and  disgust :  but  if  he  should  long  continue  obstinately  to  refuse  his 
food,  nutriment  must  be  forced  upon  him.  Good  thick  gruel  must  be  horned  down, 
or,  what  is  better,  given  by  means  of  Read's  pump. 

The  practitioner  will  often  and  anxiously  have  recourse  to  auscultation.  He  will 
listen  for  the  mucous  rattle,  creeping  down  the  windpipe,  and  entering  the  bronchial 
passages.  If  he  cannot  detect  it  below  the  larynx,  he  will  apply  a  strong  blister, 
reachmg  from  ear  to  ear,  and  extending  to  the  second  or  third  ring  of  the  trachea. 
If  he  can  trace  the  rattle  in  the  windpipe,  he  must  follow  it, — he  must  blister  as  far 
as  the  disease  has  spread.  This  will  often  have  an  excellent  effect,  not  only  as  a 
counter-irritant,  but  as  rousing  the  languid  powers  of  the  constitution.  A  roM-el  of 
tolerable  size  between  the  fore-legs  cannot  do  harm.  It  may  act  as  a  derivative,  or 
it  may  take  away  a  disposition  to  inflammation  in  the  contiguous  port'on  of  the  chest. 

Tlie  inflammation  which  characterizes  the  early  stage  of  this  disease  is  at  first  con- 
fined to  the  membrane  of  the  mouth  and  the  fauces.     Can  fomentations  be  applied"? 


i 


EPIDEMIC    CATARRH.  201 

Yes,  and  to  the  very  part,  by  means  of  a  hot  mash^  not  thrown  into  the  manger  over 
which  the  head  of  the  horse  cannot  be  confined,  but  placed  in  that  too-much-under- 
valued and  discarded  article  of  stable-furniture,  the  nose-bag.  The  vapour  or  the 
ivater  will,  at  every  inspiration,  pass  over  the  inflamed  surface,  xn  the  majority  of 
cases  relief  will  speedily  be  obtained,  and  that  suppuration  from  the  part  so  necessary 
to  the  permanent  removal  of  the  inflammation — a  copious  discharge  of  mucus  or  puru- 
lent matter  from  the  nostrils — will  be  hastened.  If  the  discharge  does  not  appear  so 
speedily  as  could  be  wished,  a  stimulant  should  be  applied  to  the  part.  The  vapour 
impregnated  with  turpentine  arising  from  fresh  yellow  deal  saw-dust,  used  instead  of 
bran,  will  have  very  considerable  effect  in  quickening  and  increasing  the  suppuration. 
It  may  even  be  resorted  to  almost  from  the  beginning,  if  there  is  not  evidently  much 
irritability  of  membrane. 

A  hood  is  a  useful  article  of  clothing  in  these  cases.  It  increases  the  perspiration 
from  the  surface  covering  the  inflamed  part — a  circumstance  always  of  considerable 
moment. 

An  equable  warmth  should  be  preserved,  if  possible,  over  the  whole  body.  The 
hand-brush  should  be  gently  used  every  day,  and  harder  and  more  effectual  rubbing 
applied  to  the  legs.  The  patient  should,  if  possible,  be  placed  in  a  loose  box,  in  which 
he  may  toddle  about,  and  take  a  little  exercise,  and  out  of  which  he  should  rarely,  if 
at  all,  be  taken.  The  exercise  of  which  the  groom  is  so  fond  in  these  cases,  and 
which  must  in  the  most  peremptory  terms  be  forbidden,  has  destroyed  thousands  of 
horses.  The  air  should  be  fresh  and  uncontaminated,  but  never  chiily ;  for  the  object 
is  to  increase  and  not  to  repress  cutaneous  perspiration ;  to  produce,  if  possible,  a 
determination  of  blood  to  the  skin,  and  not  to  drive  it  to  the  part  already  too  much 
overloaded.  In  order  to  accomplish  this,  the  clothing  should  be  rather  warmer  than 
usual. 

The  case  may  proceed  somewhat  slowly,  and  not  quite  satisfactorily  to  the  practi 
tioner  or  his  employer.  There  is  not  much  fever — there  is  little  or  no  local  inflam- 
mation; but  there  is  great  emaciation  and  debility,  and  total  loss  of  appetite.  The 
quantity  of  the  sedative  may  then  be  lessened  but  not  omitted  altogether ;  for  the  fire 
may  not  be  extinguished,  although  for  a  little  while  concealed.  There  are  no  diseases 
so  insidious  and  treacherous  as  these.  ^lild  and  vegetable  tonics,  such  as  gentian 
and  ginger,  may  be  given.  Two  days  after  this  the  sedative  may  be  altogether  omit- 
ted, and  the  tonic  gradually  increased. 

The  feeding  should  now  be  sedulously  attended  to.  Almost  every  kind  of  green 
meat  that  can  be  obt?:ned  should  be  given,  particularly  carrots  nicely  scraped  and 
sliced.  The  food  should  be  changed  as  often  as  the  capricious  appetite  prompts ;  and 
occasionally,  if  necessary,  the  patient  should  be  forced  with  gruel  as  thick  as  it  will 
run  from  the  horn,  but  the  gradual  return  of  health  should  be  well  assured,  before  one 
morsel  of  corn  is  given.* 

A  very  few  weeks  ago,  the  author  received  from  his  friend,  IMr.  Percivall,  the  fol 
lowing  account  of  a  new  and  destructive  epidemic  among  horses  : — 

"From  the  close  of  the  past  year  and  the  beginning  of  the  present,  up  to  the  time 
I  am  writing,  the  influenza  among  horses  has  continued  to  prevail  in  the  metropolis 
and  different  parts  of  the  country  with  more  or  less  fatality.  In  London  it  has 
assumed  the  form  of  laryngitis,  associated  in  some  instances  with  bronchitis  ;  in  others 
—  in  all  I  believe  where  it  has  proved  fatal  —  with  pleurisy.  The  parenchymatous 
structure  of  the  lungs  has  not  partaken  of  the  disease,  or  but  consecutively  and  slightly. 
The  earliest  and  most  characteristic  symptom  has  been  snre  throat ;  causing  trouble- 
some dry  short  cough,  but  rarely  occasioningf  any  difficulty  of  deglutition,  and,  in  no 
instance  that  I  have  seen,  severe  or  extensive  enough  to  produce  anything  like  dis- 
gorgement or  return  of  the  masticated  matters  through  the  nose,  and  yet  the  slightest 
pressure  on  the  larynx  has  excited  an  act  of  coughing.  But  seldom  has  any  glandular 
enlargement  appeared.  The  symptom  secondarily  remarkable  after  the  sore  throat 
and  cough  has  been  a  dispiritedness  or  dulness.  for  which  most  epidemics  of  the  kind 
are  remarkable.  The  animal,  at  the  time  of  sickening,  has  hung  his  head  under  the 
manger,  with  his  eyes  half  shut,  and  his  lower  lip  pendent,  without  evincing  any 

*  An  interesting  account  of  epidemic  among  horses  will  be  found  in  the  Association  Part  of 
"  The  Veterinarian,"  vols.  xii.  and  xv.  A  work,  by  the  author  of  this  volume,  is  in  prepara 
tion,  on  the  epiiemics  that  have  prevailed  among  all  our  domesticated  animals. 

2a 


202  EPIDEMIC    CATARRH. 

alarm  or  even  much  notice,  though  a  person  entered  his  abode  or  approached  I  im ; 
and  if  in  a  box,  his  head  is  often  found  during  his  illness  turned  toward  the  door  or 
window.  Fever,  without  any  disturbance  of  the  respiration,  has  always  been  present; 
the  pulse  has  been  accelerated,  though  rather  small  and  weak  in  its  beat  than  indica 
tive  of  strength ;  the  mouth  has  been  hot,  sometimes  burning  hot,  afterwards  moist, 
and  perhaps  saponaceous ;  the  skin  and  extremities  in  general  have  been  warm.  Now 
and  then  the  prostration  and  appearance  of  debility  have  been  such,  and  so  rapid  in 
their  manifestation,  that,  shortly  after  being  attacked,  a  horse  has  staggeringly  walked 
twenty  yards  only — the  distance  from  his  stable  into  an  infirmary-box.  The  appetite, 
though  impaired  much,  has  seldom  been  altogether  lost.  Generally,  if  a  little  fresh 
hay  has  been  offered,  it  has  been  taken  and  eaten ;  but  to  mashes  there  has  been  com- 
monly great  aversion.  During  the  long  continuance  of  the  wind  in  the  east,  the  sore 
throat  and  cough  have  been  unattended  by  any  flux  from  the  nose;  but  since  the  wind 
has  shifted  within  this  last  fortnight  or  three  weeks,  discharges  from  the  nostrils  have 
appeared,  profuse  even  in  quantity,  and  purulent  in  their  nature;  in  fact,  the  disease 
has  assumed  a  more  catarrhal  character — ergo,  I  might  add,  a  more  favourable  one. 

"The  disorder  has  exhibited  every  phase  and  degree  of  intensity,  from  the  slightest 
perceivable  dulness,  which  has  passed  off  with  simply  a  change  in  the  diet,  to  an 
insidious,  unyielding,  unsubduable  pleurisy,  ending  in  hydrothorax,  in  spite  of  every- 
thing that  could  be  done,  and  most  timely  done.  So  long  as  the  disease  has  confined 
itself  to  the  throat,  and  that  there  has  been  along  with  that  only  dejection,  prostration, 
and  fever,  there  has  existed  no  cause  for  alarm ;  but  when  such  symptoms  have,  after 
some  days'  continuance,  not  abated,  and  have,  on  the  contrary,  rather  increased,  and 
others  have  arisen  which  but  too  well  have  authorised  suspicions  that  '  mischief  was 
brewing  in  the  chest,'  then  there  became  the  strongest  reasons  for  alarm  for  the  safety 
of  the  patient.  What  is  now  to  be  done  ?  The  practitioner  durst  not  bleed  a  second 
time,  at  least  not  generally,  for  the  patient's  strength  would  not  endure  it,  although  he 
is  certain  a  pleurisy  is  consuming  his  patient.  He  possesses  no  effectual  means  for 
topical  blood-letting.  Neither  blisters  nor  rowels,  nor  plugs  nor  setons,  Avill  take 
any  effect.  Cathartic  medicine  he  must  not  administer ;  nauseants  are  uncertain  and 
doubtful  in  their  efficacy;  sedatives,  tonics,  and  stimulants  and  narcotics,  appear 
counter-indicated,  inflammation  existing,  and,  when  tried  under  such  circumstances, 
have,  1  believe,  never  failed  to  do  harm. 

"Dissatisfied  with  one  and  all  of  these  remedies  in  the  late  influenza  —  though  the 
losses  I  have  experienced  have,  after  all,  not  been  so  very  comparatively  great,  being 
no  more,  since  the  beginning  of  the  year,  than  three  out  of  nearly  forty  cases  —  I 
repeat,  having,  as  I  thought,  reason  to  be  dissatisfied  for  losing  even  these  three  cases, 
considering  that  they  came  under  my  care  at  the  earliest  period  of  indisposition,  I 
determined,  in  any  similar  cases  that  might  occur,  to  have  recourse  to  that  medicine 
which,  in  all  membranous  inflammations  in  particular,  is  the  physician's  sheet-anchor, 
and  which  I  had  exhibited,  and  still  continue  to  do,  myself,  in  other  disorders,  though 
I  had  never  given  it  a  fair  trial  in  epidemics  having  that  tendency  wliich  I  have 
described  the  present  one  unifonnly  to  have  indicated,  viz.,  the  destruction  of  life  by 
an  inflammation  attacking  membranous  parts,  of  a  nature  over  which,  being  forbidden 
to  bleed,  we  appeared  to  possess  little  or  no  power.  Could  we  have  drawn  blood 
from  the  sides  or  breast,  by  cupping  or  by  leeches,  in  any  tolerable  quantity,  we 
might  have  had  some  control  over  the  internal  disease;  but  barred  from  this,  and 
without  any  remedy  save  a  counter-irritant,  which  we  could  not  make  act,  or  an 
internal  medicine,  whose  action  became  extremely  dubious,  if  not  positively  hurtful, 
w^hatwas  to  be  done?  I  repeat,  I  made  up  my  mind  to  experiment  with  the  surgeon's 
remedy  in  the  same  disease,  namely,  mercury ;  and  that  I  have  had  reason  to  feel 
gratified  at  the  result  will,  I  think,  appear  from  the  following  cases : — 

"  Case  I. — April  8.  Every  symptom  of  the  prevailing  epidemic  :  and  considerably 
aggravated  on  the  10th,  when  the  horse  laboured  under  much  prostration  of  strength, 
and  staggered  considerably  in  his  gait.  The  following  l)all  was  then  ordon-d  to  be 
given  him  twice  a  day  :  K  Hydrarg.  chlorid.  3i,  farin.  avena;  3ss.  terebinth,  vulg. 
q.  s.  ut  fiat  bol.  One  to  be  given  morning  and  night.  He  soon  began  to  improve: 
and  was  returned  to  the  stable  on  the  2Gth,  convalescent.  A  second  patient  of  the 
same  character  was  cured  in  eighteen  days,  and  a  third  in  nineteen  days."  Tht- 
author  of  this  work  had  the  ple;isure  of  witnessing  these  cases. 

Mr.  Percivall  adds,  "  Lest  it  should  be  said,  after  the  perusal  of  these  three  cases 


» 


MALIGNANT   EPIDEMIC.  203 

that  they  do  not  appear  to  have  been  of  a  dang-erous  character,  or  to  have  required 
anything  out  of  the  ordinary  line  of  treatment,  1  beg  to  observe,  that  at  the  periods 
at  which  I  submitted  them  to  the  action  of  mercury,  they  so  much  resembled  three 
others  that  had  preceded  them,  and  the  disease  had  proved  fatal,  that,  under  a  con- 
tinuance of  treatment  of  any  ordinary  kind,  I  certainly  should  have  entertained  fears 
for  their  safety, 

''  It  must  be  remembered  that  they  were  cases  in  which  blood-letting,  except  at  the 
commencement,  was  altogether  forbidden ;  and  that,  at  the  critical  period  when  mer- 
cury was  introduced,  they  had  taken  an  unfavourable  turn,  and  that  nothing  in  the 
shape  of  remedy  appeared  available,  save  internal  medicine  and  counter-irritation,  and 
that  the  latter  had  not,  and  did  not.  show  results  betokening  the  welfare  of  the  patients. 
Under  these  circumstances,  the  mercury  was  exhibited.  That  it  entered  the  system, 
and  must  have  had  more  or  less  influence  on  the  disease,  appears  evident  from  its 
effect  on  the  gums.  That  it  proved  the  means  of  cure,  I  cannot,  from  so  few  cases, 
take  upon  myself  to  assert ;  but  I  would  recommend  it  in  similar  cases  to  the  notice 
of  practitioners." 

THE    MALIGNANT   EPIDEMIC. 

Continental  veterinarians  describe  a  malignant  variety  or  termination  of  this  disease ; 
and  the  imperfect  history  of  veterinary  medicine  in  Britain  is  not  without  its  records 
of  it.  So  lately  as  the  year  LSI 5,  an  epidemic  of  a  malignant  character  reigned 
among  horses.  Three  out  of  five  who  were  attacked  died.  It  reappeared  in  1823, 
but  was  not  so  fatal.  It  was  said  that  the  horses  that  died,  were  ultimately  farcied : 
the  truth  was,  that  swellings  and  ulcerations,  with  fcetid  discharge,  appeared  in 
various  parts,  or  almost  all  over  them — the  natural  swellings  of  the  complaint  which 
has  just  been  considered,  but  aggravated  and  malionant.  Our  recollection  of  the 
classic  lore  of  our  early  j-ears  will  furnish  us  with  instances  of  the  same  pest  in  dis- 
tant times  and  countries.  We  have  not  forgotten  the  vivid  description  of  Apollo 
darting  his  fiery  arrows  among  the  Greeks,  and  involving  in  one  common  destruction, 
the  human  being,  the  mule,  the  horse,  the  ox,  and  the  dog.  Lucretius,  when  describ- 
ing the  plague  at  Athens,  speaks  of  a  malignant  epidemic  affecting  almost  every 
animal — 

Nor  longer  birds  at  noon,  nor  beasts  at  night 
Their  native  woods  deserted  ;  with  the  pest 
Remote  they  langiiished,  and  full  frequent  died  : 
But  chief,  the  dog  his  generous  strength  resigned. 

In  1714,  a  malignant  epidemic  was  imported  from  the  Continent,  and  in  the  course 
of  a  few  months  destroyed  70,000  horses  and  cattle.  It  continued  to  visit  other  coun- 
tries, with  but  short  intervals,  for  fifty  years  afterwards.  Out  of  evil,  however,  came 
good.  The  Continental  agriculturists  were  alarmed  by  this  destruction  of  their  pro- 
perty. The  different  governments  participated  in  the  terror,  and  veterinary  schools 
were  established,  in  which  the  anatomy  and  diseases  of  these  animals  might  be 
studied,  and  the  cause  and  treatment  of  these  periodical  pests  discovered.  From  the 
time  that  this  branch  of  medical  science  began  to  receive  the  attention  it  deserved, 
these  epidemics,  if  they  have  not  quite  ceased,  have  changed  their  character,  and 
have  become  comparatively  mild  and  manageable.  As,  however,  they  yet  occur,  and 
are  far  too  fatal,  we  must  endeavour  to  collect  the  symptoms,  and  point  out  the  treat- 
ment of  them. 

The  malignant  epidemic  was  almost  uniformly  ushered  in  by  inflammation  of  the 
mucous  membrane  of  the  respiratory  passages,  but  soon  involving  other  portions, 
and  then  ensued  a  diarrhoea,  which  no  art  could  arrest.  The  fever,  acute  at  first, 
lapidly  passed  over,  and  was  succeeded  by  great  prostration  of  strength.  The  inflam- 
mation then  spread  to  the  cellular  texture,  and  there  was  a  peculiar  disposition  to  the 
formation  of  phlegmonous  tumours :  sometimes  there  were  pustular  emptions,  but, 
oftener,  deep-seated  tumours  rapidly  proceeding  to  suppuration.  Connected  with 
this  was  a  strong  tendency  to  decomposition,  and  unless  the  animal  was  relieved  by 
some  critical  flux  or  evacuation,  malignant  typhus  was  established,  and  the  horse 
speedih'  sunk. 

Tlie  most  satisfactory  account  of-  one  of  these  epidemics  is  given  us  by  Professoi 
Brugnone,  of  Turin.     It  commenced  with  loss  of  appetite,  staring  coat,  a  wild  and 


204  THE   MALIGNANT   EPIDEMIC. 

wandering  look,  and  a  staggering  from  the  very  commencement.  The  horse  would 
continually  lie  down  and  get  up  again,  as  if  tormented  by  colic  ;  and  he  gazed  alter- 
nately at  both  flanks.  In  the  moments  of  comparative  ease,  there  were  universal 
twitchmgs  of  the  skin,  and  spasms  of  the  limbs.  The  temperature  of  the  ears  and 
feet  was  variable.  If  there  happened  to  be  about  the  animal  any  old  wound  or  scar 
from  setoning  or  firing,  it  opened  afresh  and  discharged  a  quantity  of  thick  and  black 
blood.  Very  shortly  afterwards  the  flanks,  which  were  quiet  before,  began  to  heave, 
the  nostrils  were  dilated,  the  head  extended  for  breath.  The  horse  had  by  this  time 
become  so  weak  that,  if  he  lay  or  fell  down,  he  could  rise  no  more  ;  or  if  ne  was  up, 
he  would  stand  trembling,  staggering,  and  threatening  to  fall  every  moment.  The 
mouth  was  dry,  the  tongue  white,  and  the  breath  foetid ;  a  discharge  of  yellow  or 
bloody  foBtid  matter  proceeded  from  the  nose,  and  foetid  bloci  from  the  anus.  The 
duration  of  the  disease  did  not  usually  exceed  twelve  or  twenty-four  hours ;  or  if  the 
animal  lingered  on,  swellings  of  the  head  and  throat,  and  sheath,  and  scrotum,  fol- 
lowed, and  he  died  exhausted  or  in  convulsions. 

Black  spots  of  extravasation  were  found  in  the  cellular  membrane,  in  the  tissue  of 
all  the  membranes,  and  on  the  stomach.  The  mesenteric  and  lymphatic  glands  were 
engorged,  black,  and  gangrenous.  The  membrane  of  the  nose  and  the  pharynx  was 
highly  injected,  the  lungs  were  filled  with  black  and  frothy  blood,  or  with  black  and 
livid  spots.     The  brain  and  its  meninges  were  unaltered. 

It  commenced  in  March  1783.  The  barracks  then  contained  one  hundred  and  six- 
teen horses ;  all  but  thirteen  were  attacked,  and  seventy-eight  of  them  died.  The 
horses  of  both  the  oflScers  and  men  were  subject  to  the  attack  of  it;  and  three  horses 
from  the  town  died,  two  of  which  had  drawn  the  carts  that  conveyed  the  carcasses 
away,  and  the  other  stood  under  a  window,  from  which  the  dung  of  an  infected  stable 
had  been  thrown  out.  The  disease  would  probably  have  spread,  but  the  most  sum- 
mary measures  for  arresting  its  progress  were  adopted ;  every  horse  in  the  town  was 
killed  that  had  had  the  slightest  communication  with  those  in  the  barracks.  One 
horse  was  inoculated  with  the  pus  discharged  from  the  ulcer  of  an  infected  horse,  and 
he  died.  A  portion  of  his  thymus  gland  was  introduced  under  the  skin  of  another 
horse,  and  he  also  died. 

Cause. — The  disease  was  supposed  to  be  connected  with  the  food  of  the  horses.  All 
the  oats  had  been  consumed,  and  the  lulium  itmulentum,  or  awned  darnel,  had  been 
given  instead.  //  is  said  that  the  darnel  is  occasionally  used  by  brewers  to  give  an 
intoxicating  quality  to  their  malt  liquor.  For  fifteen  days  no  alteration  of  health 
was  perceived,  and  then,  in  less  than  eighteen  hours,  nearly  forty  perished.  The  sta- 
bles were  not  crowded,  and  there  was  no  improper  treatment.  A  man  disinterred 
some  of  the  horses  to  get  at  the  fat ;  swellings  rapidly  appeared  in  his  throat,  and  he 
died  in  two  days.  A  portion  of  their  flesh  was  given  to  two  pigs  and  some  dogs,  and 
they  died. 

M.  Brugnone  found  that  bleeding  only  accelerated  the  death  of  the  patient.  He 
afterwards  tried,  and  ineffectually,  acids,  cordials,  purgatives,  vesicatories,  and  the 
actual  cautery ;  and  he  frankly  attributes  to  the  power  of  nature  the  recovery  of  the 
few  who  survived. 

Gilbert's  Jccount  nf  ihe  Epidemic  of  1795. — M.  Gilbert  describes  a  malignant  epi- 
demic which  appeared  in  Paris  in  1795,  characterized  by  dulness,  loss  of  appetite, 
weakness,  pulse  at  first  rapid  and  full,  and  afterwards  continuing  rapid,  but  gradu- 
ally becoming  small,  weak,  and  intermittent.  The  bowels  at  first  constipated,  and 
then  violent  purging  succeeding.  The  weakness  rapidly  increasing,  accompanied 
by  foetid  breath,  and  foetid  evacuations.  Tumours  soon  appeared  about  the  limbs, 
under  the  chest,  and  in  the  head,  the  neck  and  loins.  If  they  suppurated  and  burst, 
the  animal  usually  did  well ;  but  otherwise  he  inevitably  perished.  The  formation 
of  these  tumours  "was  critical.  If  they  rapidly  advanced,  it  was  considered  as  a 
favourable  symptom ;  but  if  they  continued  obscure,  a  fatal  termination  was  prog- 
nosticated. 

Bleeding,  even  in  an  early  stage,  seemed  here  also  to  be  injurious,  and  increafeed 
the  debility.  Physic  was  given,  and  mild  and  nutritious  food,  gruel,  and  cordials. 
Deep  incisions  were  made  into  the  tumours,  and  the  cautery  applied.  Stimulating 
frictions  were  also  used,  but  all  were  of  little  avail. 

These  cases  have  been  narrated  at  considerable  length,  in  order  to  give  some  idea 
"^f  the  nature  of  this  disease,  and  because,  with  the  exception  of  a  short  but  very 


BRONCHITIS.  205 

excellent  account  of  the  malignant  epidemic  m  the  last  edition  of  Mtn  B.aine'^  Vete- 
rinary Outlines,  there  will  not  be  found  any  satisiactory  history  of  it  in  ihe  wriunfrs 
of  our  English  veterinarians.  It  is  evidently  a  disease  of  the  mucous  membranes, 
both  the  respiratory  and  digestive.  It  is  accompanied  by  early  and  great  debility, 
loss  of  ail  vital  power,  vitiation  of  every  secretion,  effusions  and  tumours  everywhere, 
and  it  runs  its  course  with  fearful  rapidity.  If  it  was  seen  at  its  outset,  the  practi- 
tioner would  probably  bleed;  but  if  a  few  hours  only  had  elapsed,  he  would  find 
witli  Messrs.  Brognone  and  Gilbert,  that  venesection  would  only  hasten  the  catas 
trophe.  Stimulants  should  be  administered  mingled  with  opium,  and  the  spirit  of 
nitrous  ether  in  doses  of  three  or  four  ounces,  with  an  ounce  or  more  of  laudanum. 
The  quantity  of  opium  should  be  regulated  by  the  spasms  and  the  diarrhcea.  These 
medicines  should  be  repeated  in  a  few  hours,  combined,  perhaps,  with  ginger  and 
gentian.  If  these  failed,  there  is  little  else  to  be  done.  Deep  incisions  into  the  tu- 
mours, or  blisters  over  them,  might  be  proper  measures ;  but  the  princijjal  attention 
should  be  directed  to  the  arresting  of  the  contagion.  The  infected  should  be  imme- 
diately removed  from  the  healthy.  All  offensive  matter  should  be  carefully  cleared 
away,  and  no  small  portion  of  chloride  of  lime  used  in  washing  the  animal,  and  par- 
ticularly his  ulcers.  It  might  with  great  propriety  be  administered  internally,  while 
the  stable,  and  everything  that  belonged  to  the  patient,  should  undergo  a  careful  ablu- 
ion  with  the  same  powerful  disinfectant. 

BRONCHITIS. 

This  is  not  generally  a  primary  disease.  That  inflammation  of  the  superior  respi- 
ratory passages,  constituting  catarrh,  gradually  creeps  downwards  and  involves  the 
larj'nx  and  the  trachea,  and  at  length,  possibly,  the  farthest  and  the  minutest  ramifi- 
cations of  the  air-tubes.  When  it  is  found  to  be  thus  advancing,  its  progress  should 
be  carefully  watched  by  the  assistance  of  auscultation.  The  distant  murmur  of  the 
healthy  lung  cannot  be  mistaken,  nor  the  crepitating  sound  of  pneumonia;  and  in 
bronchitis  the  blood  may  be  heard  filtering  or  breaking  through  the  divisions  of  the 
lobuli,  and  accounting  for  that  congestion  or  filling  of  the  cells  with  mucus  and  blood, 
which  is  found  after  intense  inflammation.  Inflammation  precedes  this  increased  dis- 
charge of  mucus.  Even  that  may  be  detected.  The  inflamed  membrane  is  thickened 
and  tense.  It  assumes  an  almost  cartilaginous  structure,  and  the  murmur  is  not  only 
louder,  but  has  a  kind  of  snoring  sound.  Some  have  imagined  that  a  sound  like  a 
metallic  ring  is  mingled  with  it;  but  this  is  never  very  distinct. 

The  interrupted  whizzing  sound  has  often  and  clearly  indicated  a  case  of  bronchitis, 
and  there  are  many  corroborative  symptoms  which  should  be  regarded.  The  variable 
temperature  of  the  extremities  will  be  an  important  guide — not  deathly  cold  as  in 
pneumonia,  nor  of  increased  temperature,  as  often  in  catarrh,  but  with  a  tendency  to 
coldness,  yet  this  varying  much.  The  pulse  will  assist  the  diagnosis — more  rapid 
than  in  catarrh,  much  more  so  than  in  the  early  stage  of  pneumonia :  not  so  hard  as 
in  pleurisy,  no  ire  so  than  in  catarrh,  and  much  more  so  than  in  pneumonia.  The  res- 
piration should  next  be  examined,  abundantly  more  rapid  than  in  catarrh,  pneumonia, 
or  pleurisy  ;  generally  as  rapid  and  often  more  so  than  the  pulse,  and  accompanied  by 
a  A\''heezing  sound,  heard  at  some  distance.  Mr.  Percivall  relates  a  case  in  which  the 
respiration  was  more  than  one  hundred  in  a  minute.  Mr.  C.  Percivall  describes  an 
interesting  case  in  which  the  respiration  was  quick  in  the  extreme ;  and  he  remarks, 
that  he  does  "  not  remember  to  have  seen  a  horse  with  his  respiration  so  disturbed." 

In  addition  to  these  clearly  characteristic  symptoms,  will  be  observed  a  haggard 
countenance,  to  which  the  anxious  look  of  the  horse  labouring  under  inflammation  of 
the  lungs  cannot  for  a  moment  be  compared ;  also  an  evident  dread  of  suffocation, 
expressed,  not  by  inability  to  move,  as  in  pneumonia,  but  frequently  an  obstinate 
refusal  to  do  so ;  cough  painful  in  the  extreme;  breath  hot,  yet  no  marked  pain  in  the 
part,  and  no  looking  at  the  side  or  flanks. 

As  the  disease  proceeds,  there  will  be  considerable  discharge  from  the  nostrils, 
much  more  than  in  catarrh,  because  greater  extent  of  membrane  is  effected.  It  will 
be  muco-purulent  at  first,  but  will  soon  become  amber-coloured  or  green,  or  greyish 
green ;  and  that  not  from  any  portion  of  the  food  being  returned,  but  from  the  pecu- 
liar hue  of  the  secretion  from  ulcers  in  the  bronchial  passages.  Small  organised 
p'.eces  will  mingle  with  the  discharge, — portions  of  mucus  condensed  and  hardened 
18 


200  PNEUMONIA  — INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  LUNGS. 

and  forced  from  the  inside  of  the  tube.  If  the  disease  proceeds,  the  discharge  becomea 
bloody,  and  then,  and  sometimes  earlier,  it  is  fcetid. 

The  natural  termination  of  this  disease,  if  unchecked,  is  in  pneumonia.  Although 
we  cannot  trace  the  air-tubes  to  their  termination,  the  inflammation  will  penetrate 
mto  the  lobuli,  and  affect  the  membranes  of  the  air-cells  or  divisions  which  they  con- 
lain.  There  is  metastasis  of  inflammation  oftener  here  than  in  pure  pneumonia,  and 
the  disease  is  most  frequently  transferred  to  the  feet.  If,  however,  there  is  neither 
pneumonia  nor  metastasis  of  inflammation,  and  the  disease  pursues  its  course,  the 
animal  dies  from  suffocation.  If  the  air-passages  are  clogged,  there  can  be  no  sup- 
ply of  arterial iz'ed  blood. 

Like  every  other  inflammation  of  the  respiratory  passages,  bronchitis  is  clearly 
epidemic.  There  is  a  disposition  to  inflammation  in  the  respiratory  apparatus  gene- 
rally, but  it  depends  on  some  unknown  atmospheric  influence  whether  this  shall  take 
on  the  form  of  catarrh,  bronchitis,  or  pneumonia.  It  has  not,  however,  been  yet 
proved  to  be  contagious. 

Here  again  the  first  step  will  be  to  bleed ;  and  here  too  will  be  the  paramount 
necessity  of  the  personal  attendance  of  some  well-informed  person  while  the  animal  is 
bled.  This  is  a  disease  of  a  mucous, — and  an  extended  mucous  surface;  and  while 
our  measures  must  be  prompt,  there  is  a  tendency  to  debility  which  we  should  never 
forget.  Although  the  horse  may  be  distressed  quite  to  the  extent  which  Mr.  Charles 
Percivall  describes,  yet  he  would  not  bear  the  loss  of  four  pounds  of  blood  without 
fainting.  No  determinate  quantity  of  blood  will  therefore  be  taken,  but  the  vein  will 
not  be  closed  until  the  pulse  falters,  and  the  animal  staggers,  and  in  a  minute  or  two 
would  fall.  This  may  probably  effect  the  desired  object;  if  it  does  not,  it  is  possible 
that  the  practitioner  may  not  have  a  second  opportunity. 

The  medical  attendant  should  be  cautious  in  the  administration  of  piirgafives,  for 
the  reasons  that  nave  again  and  again  been  stated  ;  but  if  the  bowels  are  evidently 
constipated,  small  doses  of  aloes  must  be  given  with  the  febrifuge  medicine,  and  their 
speedy  action  promoted  by  injections,  so  that  a  small  quantity  may  suffice. 

A  blister  is  always  indicated  in  bronchitis.  It  can  never  do  harm,  and  it  not  unfre- 
quently  affords  decided  relief.  It  should  extend  over  the  brisket  and  sides,  and  up 
the  trachea  to  the  larynx.  The  food,  if  the  horse  is  disposed  to  eat,  should  be  mashes. 
No  corn  should  be  offered,  nor  should  the  horse  be  coaxed  to  eat. 

PNEUMONIA  — INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  LUNGS. 

The  intimate  structure  of  the  lungs  has  never  been  satisfactorily  demonstrated. 
They  appear,  however,  to  be  composed  of  minute  cells  or  pouches,  into  which  the  air 
is  at  length  conducted,  and  over  the  delicate  membrane  constituting  the  divisions  of 
which  myriads  of  minute  blood-vessels  are  ramifying.  The  blood  is  not  merely  per- 
meating them,  but  it  is  undergoing  a  vital  change  in  them  ;  there  is  a  constant  decom- 
position of  the  air,  or  of  the  blood,  or  of  both;  and,  during  the  excitement  of  exercise, 
that  decomposition  proceeds  with  fearful  rapidity.  Then  it  can  readily  be  conceived 
Jiat  a  membrane  so  delicate  as  this  must  be,  in  order  that  its  interposition  shall  be 
no  hindrance  to  the  arterialisation  of  the  blood  ;  so  fragile  also,  and  so  loaded  with 
blood-vessels,  will  be  exceedingly  subject  to  inflammation,  and  that  of  a  most  dan- 
gerous character. 

Inflammation  of  the  substance  of  the  lungs  is  the  not  unfrequent  consetpjence  of 
all  the  diseases  of  the  respiratory  passages  that  have  been  treated  on.  Catarrh, 
influenza,  bronchitis,  if  neglected  or  badly  managed,  or,  sometimes  in  spite  of  the 
most  skilful  treatment,  will  spread  along  the  mucous  membrane,  and  at  length  involve 
the  termination  of  the  air-passages.  At  other  times,  there  is  pure  pneumonia.  This 
cellular  texture  is  the  primary  seat  of  inflammation.  It  is  often  so  in  the  over-worked 
horse.  After  a  long  and  hard  day's  hunt,  it  is  very  common  for  horses  to  be  attacked 
by  pure  pneumonia.  A  prodigiously  increased  quantity  of  blood  is  iiurried  through 
these  small  vessels,  for  the  vast  expenditure  of  arterial  blood  in  rapid  progression 
must  be  provided  for.  These  minutest  of  the  capillaries  are  distended  and  irritated, 
their  contractile  power  is  destroyed,  inflammation  is  produced,  mechanical  injury  is 
effected,  the  vessels  are  ruptured,  blood  is  poured  into  the  interstitial  texture,  and 
intense  inflammation  and  congestion,  with  all  their  train  of  fatal  consequences,  ensue 

The  following  are  the  most  frequent  causes  of  pneumonia.  A  sudden  transition 
from  heat  to  cold ;  a  change  from  a  warm  stable  to  a  colder  one  ;  a  neglect  of  the  usua 


PNEUMONIA  — INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  LUNGS.  207 

clothing ;  a  neglect  even  of  some  little  comforts  ;  riding  far  and  fast  against  a  cold 
wind,  especially  in  snowy  weather;  loitering  about  when  unusual  perspiration  has 
been  excited;  loitering  tediously  by  the  side  of  a  covert  on  a  chilly  blowing  morning. 

It  has  not  unfrequently  happened  that  when  horses  have  been  turned  out  too  early 
to  grass,  or  without  gradual  preparation,  pneumonia  has  supervened.  Few  are,  under 
any  management,  so  subject  to  pneumonia  as  those  who,  in  poor  condition  and  with- 
out preparation,  are  turned  into  a  salt-marsh. 

On  the  other  hand,  a  sudden  and  considerable  change  from  cold  to  heat  may  be 
followed  by  intiammation  of  the  lungs.  Many  horses  perish  in  the  dealers'  stables 
from  this  cause.  The  circulation  is  considerably  quickened;  more  blood,  and  that 
with  more  than  natural  rapidity,  is  driven  through  the  lungs,  previously  disposed  to 
take  on  inflammatory  action.  The  sudden  removal  from  a  heated  stable  to  the  cold 
air,  for  the  purpose  of  examination,  has  also  much  to  do  with  the  production  of 
disease. 

Whether  it  is  the  consequence  of  previous  disease  of  the  respiratory  passasjes,  or 
that  inflammation  first  appears  in  the  cellular  texture  of  the  lungs,  pneumonia  is 
usually  ushered  in  by  a  shivering  fit.  The  horse  is  cold  all  over ;  this,  however, 
soon  passes  otf,  and  we  have  general  warmth,  or  heat  of  the  skin  above  the  usual 
temperature,  but  accompanied  b}"^  coldness  of  the  extremities  —  intense  deathy  cold- 
ness. This  is  a  perfectly  diagnostic  symptom.  It  will  never  deceive.  It  is  an  early 
symptom.  It  is  found  when  there  is  little  or  no  constitutional  disturbance  ;  when 
the  pulse  is  scarcely  affected,  and  the  flanks  heave  not  at  all,  but  the  horse  is  merely 
supposed  to  be  dull  and  off  his  feed.  It  is  that  bj'  which  the  progress  of  the  disease 
may  be  unhesitatingly  marked,  when  many  scarcely  suspect  its  existence. 

The  puls.e  is  not  alwa3's  at  first  much  increased  in  rapidity,  and  but  rarely  or  never 
hard  ;  but  it  is  obscure,  oppressed.  The  heart  is  labouring  to  accomplish  its  object ; 
the  circulation  through  the  lungs  is  impeded;  the  vessels  are  engorged  —  the}"  are 
often  ruptured  ;  blood  is  extravasated  into  the  air-cells ;  it  accumulates  in  the  right 
side  of  the  heart  and  in  the  larger  vessels ;  and  in  the  venous  circulation  generally 
there  is  a  mechanical  obstruction  which  the  heart  has  not  power  to  overcome.  Hence 
the  obscure,  oppressed  pulse ;  the  inefliectual  attempt  to  urge  on  the  blood ;  and 
hence,  too,  the  remarkable  result  of  bleeding  in  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  for  the 
pulse  becomes  rounder,  fuller,  quicker.  When  blood  is  abstracted,  a  portion  of  the 
opposing  force  is  removed,  and  the  heart  being  enabled  to  accomplish  its  object,  the 
pulse  is  developed. 

It  is  only,  however,  in  the  early  insidious  stage  that  the  flanks  are  occasionally 
quiet.  If  the  compressibilitv'  of  the  lungs  is  diminished  by  the  thickening  of  the 
membrane,  or  the  engorgement  of  the  vessels,  or  the  filling  of  the  cells,  it  will  be 
harder  work  to  force  the  air  out ;  there  must  be  a  stronger  eflbrt,  and  that  pressure 
which  cannot  be  accomplished  by  one  eflbrt  is  attempted  over  and  over  again.  The 
respiration  is  quickened — laborious ;  the  inspiration  is  lengthened  ;  the  expiration  is 
rapid  ;  and  when,  after  all,  the  lungs  cannot  be  compressed  by  the  usual  means,  every 
muscle  that  can  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  part  is  called  into  action.  Hence  the 
horse  will  not  lie  down,  for  he  can  use  the  muscles  of  the  spine  and  the  shoulder 
with  most  advantage  as  he  stands ;  hence,  too,  the  very"  peculiar  stiffness  of  position 
—  the  disinclination  to  move.  The  horse  with  decided  pneumonia  can  scarcely  be 
induced  to  move  at  all ;  he  cannot  spare  for  a  moment  the  assistance  which  he  derives 
from  certain  muscles,  and  he  will  continue  obstinately  to  stand  until  he  falls  exhausted 
or  dying.  How  eagerly  does  the  veterinarian  ask  when  he  goes  into  the  stable  — 
"Was  he  down  last  night  V  And  he  concludes,  that  much  progress  has  not  been 
made  towards  amendment  in  the  case  when  the  answer  is  in  the  negative.  When 
the  patient,  wearied  out,  lies  do\\Ti,  it  is  only  for  a  moment ;  for  if  the  inflammation 
is  not  subdued,  he  cannot  dispense  with  the  auxilian,"  muscles.  He  frequently,  and 
with  doleful  expression,  looks  at  his  sides — at  one  side  or  at  both,  accordinely  as  <^ne 
or  both  are  involved.  There  is  not,  however,  the  decidedly  haggard  countenance  of 
bronchitis;  and  in  bronchitis  the  horse  rarely  or  never  gazes  at  his  flanks.  His  is  a 
dread  of  suffocation  more  than  a  feeling  of  pain.  The  head  is  protruded,  and  the 
nostrils  distended,  and  the  mouth  and  the  breath  intensely  hot.  The  nose  is  injected 
frorr:  tne  earliest  period  ;  and  soon  afterw'ards  there  is  not  merely  injection,  but  the 
membrane  is  uniformly  and  intensely  red.  The  variation  in  this  intensity  is  anxiously 


208  PNEUMONIA.  — INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  LUNGS. 

marked  by  the  observant  practitioner;  and  he  regards  with  fear  and  despair  tlie  livid 
or  dirty  brownish  liue  that  gradually  creeps  on. 

The  unfavourable  symptoms  are,  increased  coldness  of  the  ears  and  feet,  if  that  bo 
possible ;  partial  sweats,  grinding  of  the  teeth,  evident  weakness,  staggerimr,  the 
animal  not  lying  down.  The  pulse  becomes  quicker,  and  weak  and  flutteriu"' ;  the 
membrane  of  the  nose  paler,  but  of  a  dirty  hue ;  the  animal  growing  stupid,  comatose. 
At  length  he  falls,  but  he  gets  up  immediately.  For  awhile  he  is  up  and  down  almost 
every  minute,  until  he  is  no  longer  able  to  rise  ;  he  struggles  severely  ;  he  pileously 
groans;  the  pulse  becomes  more  rapid,  fainter,  and  he  dies  of  suffocation.  The 
disease  sometimes  runs  its  course  with  strange  rapidity.  A  horse  has  been  destroyed 
by  pure  pneumonia  in  twelve  hours.  The  vessels  ramifying  over  the  tells  have 
yielded  to  the  fearful  impulse  of  the  blood,  and  the  lungs  have  presented  one  mass 
of  congestion. 

The  favourable  symptoms  are,  the  return  of  a  little  warmth  to  the  extremities — the 
circulation  beginning  again  to  assume  its  natural  character,  and,  next  to  this,  the 
lying  down  quietly  and  without  uneasiness;  showing  us  that  he  is  beginning  to  do 
without  the  auxiliary  muscles.  These  are  good  symptoms,  and  they  wilT  rarely 
deceive. 

Congestion  is  a  frequent  termination  of  pneumonia.  Not  only  are  the  vessels 
gorged — the  congestion  which  accompanies  common  inflammation — but  their  parietes 
are  necessarily  so  thin,  in  order  that  the  change  in  the  blood  may  take  place  although 
they  are  interposed,  that  they  are  easily  ruptured,  and  the  cells  are  filled  with  blood. 
This  effused  blood  soon  coagulates,  and  the  lung,  when  cut  into,  presents  a  black, 
softened,  pulpy  kind  of  appearance,  termed,  by  the  farrier  and  the  groom,  roiienness, 
and  being  supposed  by  them  to  indicate  an  old  disease.  It  proves  only  the  violence 
of  the  disease,  the  rupture  of  many  a  vessel  surcharged  with  blood  ;  and  it  also  proves 
that  the  disease  is  of  recent  date,  for  in  no  great  length  of  time,  the  serous  portion  of 
the  blood  becomes  absorbed,  the  more  solid  one  becomes  organized,  the  cells  are 
obliterated,  and  the  lung  is  hepatized,  or  bears  considerable  resemblance  to  liver. 

In  every  case  of  pneumonia,  early  and  anxious  recourse  should  be  had  to  ausculta- 
tion. Here,  again,  is  the  advantage  of  being  perfectly  acquainted  with  the  deep 
distant  murmur  presented  by  the  healthy  lung.  This  sound  is  most  distinct  in  the 
young  horse,  and  especially  if  he  is  a  little  out  of  condition.  On  such  a  horse  the 
tyro  should  commence  his  study  of  the  exploration  of  the  chest.  There  he  will  make 
himself  best  acquainted  with  the  respiratory  murmur  in  its  full  state  of  development. 
He  should  next  take  an  older  and  somewhat  fatter  horse  ;  he  will  there  recognize  the 
same  sound,  but  fainter,  more  distant.  In  still  older  animals,  there  will  sometimes 
be  a  little  difficulty  in  detecting  it  at  all.  Repeated  experiments  of  this  kind  will 
gradually  teach  the  examiner  what  kind  of  healthy  murmur  he  should  expect  from 
every  horse  that  is  presented  to  him,  and  thus  he  will  be  better  enabled  to  appreciate 
the  different  sounds  exhibited  under  disease. 

If  pneumonia  exists  to  any  considerable  degree,  this  murmur  is  soon  changed  for, 
or  mingled  with,  a  curious  crepitating  sound,  which,  having  been  once  heard,  cannot 
afterwards  be  mistaken.  It  is  caused  by  the  infiltration  of  blood  into  the  air-cells. 
Its  loudness  and  perfect  character  will  characterize  the  intensity  of  the  disease,  and 
the  portion  of  the  chest  at  which  it  can  be  distingiiished  will  indicate  its  extent. 

The  whole  lung,  however,  is  not  always  affected,  or  there  are  only  portions  or 
patches  of  it  in  which  the  inflammation  is  so  intense  as  to  produce  congestion  and 
hepatization.  Enough  remains  either  unaffected,  or  yet  pervious  for  the  function  of 
respiration  to  be  performed,  and  the  animal  lingers  on,  or  perhaps  recovers.  By  care- 
ful examination  with  the  ear,  this  also  may  be  ascertained.  Where  the  lung  is  im- 
pervious— where  no  air  passes — no  sound  will  be  heard,  not  even  the  natural  murmur. 
Around  it  the  murmur  will  be  heard,  and  loudly.  It  will  be  a  kind  of  rushing  sound  ; 
for  the  same  quantity  of  blood  must  be  artcrialized,  and  the  air  must  pass  more  rapidly 
and  forcibly  through  the  remaining  tubes.  If  there  is  considerable  inflammation  or 
tendency  to  congestion,  the  crepitating,  crackling  sound  will  be  recognized,  and  in 
proportion  to  the  intensity  of  the  inflammation.  The  advantages  to  be  derived  from 
the  study  of  auscultation  are  not  overrated.  It  was  strong  language  lately  applied  by 
an  able  critic  to  the  use  of  auscultation,  that  "  it  converts  the  organ  of  hearing  into  an 
organ  of  vision,  enabling  the  listener  to  observe,  with  the  clearness  of  ocular  demon- 


PNEUMONIA.-INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  LUNGS.  209 

stranon,  the  ravages  which  disease  occasionally  commits  in  the  very  centre  of  tho 
rib-cased  cavity  of  the  body." 

A  horse  with  any  portion  of  the  lungs  hepatized  cannot  be  sound.  He  cannot  be 
capable  of  continued  extra  exertion.  His  imperfect  and  mutilated  lung  cannot  supply 
the  arterialized  blood  which  long-continued  and  rapid  progression  requires,  and  that 
portion  which  is  compelled  to  do  the  work  of  the  whole  lung  must  be  exposed  to  injury 
and  indammation  from  many  a  cause  that  would  otherwise  be  harmless. 

Another  consequence  of  inflammation  of  the  substance  of  the  lungs  is  the  formation 
of  tubercles.  A  greater  or  smaller  number  of  distinct  cysts  are  formed  —  cells  into 
which  some  tluid  is  poured  in  the  progress  of  inflammation  :  these  vary  in  size  from 
a  pin's  point  to  a  large  egg.  Ey  degrees  the  fluid  becomes  concrete ;  and  so  it  con- 
tinues for  a  while — the  consequence  and  the  source  of  inflammation.  It  occupies  a 
space  that  should  be  employed  in  the  function  of  respiration,  and  by  its  pressure  it 
irritates  the  neighbouring  parts,  and  .exposes  them  to  inflammation. 

By  and  by,  however,  another  process,  never  sufliciently  explained,  commences. 
The  tubercle  begins  to  soften  at  its  centre, — a  process  of  suppuration  is  set  up,  and 
proceeds  until  the  contents  of  the  cyst  become  again  fluid,  but  of  a  different  character, 
for  they  now  consist  of  pus.  The  pus  increases;  the  cyst  becomes  more  and  more 
distended ;  it  encroaches  on  the  substance  of  the  lungs  ;  it  comes  into  contact  with 
other  tubercles,  and  the  walls  opposed  to  each  other  are  absorbed  by  their  mutual 
pressure ;  they  run  together,  and  form  one  cyst,  or  regular  excavation,  and  this  some- 
times proceeds  until  a  considerable  portion  of  the  lung  is,  as  it  were,  hollowed  out. 
By  and  by,  however,  the  vomica  presses  upon  some  bronchial  passage ;  the  cyst  gives 
way,  and  the  purulent  contents  are  poured  into  the  bronchia;,  and  got  rid  of  by  the 
act  of  coughing.  At  other  times  the  quantity  is  too  great  to  be  thus  disposed  of,  and 
the  animal  is  suffocated.  Occasionally  it  will  break  through  the  pleuritic  covering 
of  the  lung,  and  pour  its  contents  into  the  thorax. 

Abscesses  may  exist  in  the  lungs  undiscovered. — It  is  scarcely  conceivable  to  what 
extent  they  sometimes  exist  in  animals  of  slow  work,  without  being  detected  by  the 
usual  means  of  examination.  Mr.  Hales  says  that  he  gave  a  physic-ball  to  a  cart- 
mare  with  a  bad  foot,  and  she  soon  afterwards  died  suddenly.  When  inquiring  as  to 
the  cause  of  death,  he  was  told,  and  not  very  good-humouredly,  that  his  physic  had 
killed  her.  He  asked  if  it  had  purged  her  violently  1  "  No  !"  it  was  replied,  "  it 
had  not  operated  at  all."  She  was  opened,  and  the  mystery  was  all  unravelled. 
The  thorax  was  deluged  with  pus,  and  there  were  then  in  the  lungs  several  large 
abscesses,  one  of  which  contained  at  least  a  quart  of  pus.  The  mare  had  not  shown 
a  symptom  of  chest  affection,  and  the  gentleman  to  whom  she  belonged  declared  that 
he  had  believed  her  to  be  as  sound  as  any  horse  he  had  in  his  possession. 

The  resolution  or  gradual  abatement  of  inflammation  is  the  termination  most  to  be 
desired  in  this  state  of  disease,  for  then  the  engorgement  of  the  vessels  will  gradually 
cease,  and  the  thickening  of  the  membrane  and  the  interstitial  deposit  be  taken  up, 
and  the  effusion  into  the  cells  likewise  absorbed,  and  the  lungs  will  gradually  resume 
their  former  cellular  texture,  yet  not  perfectly ;  for  there  will  be  some  induration, 
slight  but  general ;  or  some  more  perfect  induration  of  certain  parts;  or  the  rupture 
of  some  of  the  air-cells ;  or  an  irritability  of  membrane  predisposing  to  renewed  inflam- 
mation. The  horse  will  not  always  be  as  useful  as  before ;  there  will  be  chronic 
cough,  thick  wind,  broken  wind;  but  these  merit  distinct  consideration;  and,  for  the 
present,  we  proceed  to  the  treatment  of  pneumonia. 

There  is  inflammation  of  that  organ  through  which  all  the  blood  in  the  frame  passes 
— that  organ  most  of  all  subject  to  congestion.  Then  nothing  can  be  so  important  as 
to  lessen  the  quantity  of  blood  which  the  heart  is  endeavouring  to  force  through  the 
minute  vessels  of  the  lungs,  distended,  irritated,  breaking.  Immediate  recourse  must 
be  had  to  the  lancet,  and  the  stream  of  blood  must  be  suffered  to  flow  on  until  the 
pulse  falters,  and  the  animal  bears  heavy  upon  the  pail.  This  blood  must  be  extracted 
as  quickly  as  possible,  and  the  lancet  should  be  broad-shouldered,  and  the  orifice 
large.  This  is  the  secret  of  treating  inflammation  of  a  vital  organ.  The  disease  ;3 
w^eakened  or  destroyed,  without  permanently  impairing  the  strength  of  the  patient; 
whereas,  by  small  bleedings,  and  with  a  small  stream," the  strength  of  the  patient  is 
sapped,  while  the  disease  remains  untouched. 

Next  comes  purging,  if  we  dared  ;  for  by  having  recourse  to  it  some  cause  of  excite- 
ment would  be  got  rid  of,  the  circulating  fluid  would  be  lessened,  and  a  new  detenni- 
18*  2b 


210  PNEUMONIA.      INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  LUNGS. 

nation  of  the  vital  current  produced  ;  but  experience  teaches,  that  in  pneumonia  there 
is  so  much  sympathy  with  the  abdominal  viscera, — there  is  such  a  I'atal  tendency  in 
the  inflammation  to  spread  over  every  mucous  membrane,  that  purging  is  almost  to  a 
certainty  followed  by  inflammation,  and  that  inflammation  bids  defiance  to  every 
attempt  to  arrest  it.  It  may  be  said  with  perfect  confidence  that,  in  the  majority  of 
cases,  a  physic-ball  would  be  a  dose  of  poison  to  a  horse  labouring  under  pneumonia. 

May  we  not  relax  the  bowels'?  Yes,  if  we  can  stop  ther«.  We  may,  after  the 
inflammation  has  evidently  a  little  subsided,  venture  upon,  yet  very  cautiously,  small 
doses  of  aloes  in  our  fever  medicine,  and  we  may  quicken  their  operation  by  frequent 
injections  of  warm  soap  and  Avater;  omitting  the  purgative,  however,  tlie  moment  the 
faeces  are  becoming  pultaceous.  We  must,  however,  be  assured  that  the  inflamma- 
tion is  subsiding,  and  there  nmst  be  considerable  constipation,  or  the  purgative  had 
better  be  let  alone. 

If  we  must  not  give  physic,  we  must  endeavour  to  find  some  other  auxiliary  to  the 
bleeding,  and  we  have  it  in  the  compound  of  digitalis,  nitre,  and  emetic  tartar,  which 
has  been  so  often  recommended. 

The  greatest  care  should  be  taken  of  the  patient  labouring  under  this  complaint. 
His  legs  should  be  well  hand-rubbed,  in  order  to  restore,  if  possible,  the  circulation 
to  the  extremities.  Comfortable  flannel  rollers  should  encase  the  legs  from  the  foot 
to  the  knee.  He  should  be  covered  up  warm.  There  cannot  be  a  doubt  about  this. 
As  for  air,  in  warm  weather  he  cannot  have  too  much.  In  cold  weather,  his  box  must 
be  airy,  but  not  chilly.  We  want  to  determine  the  blood  to  the  extremities  and  the 
skin,  but  not  all  the  clothing  in  the  world  will  keep  our  patient  warm,  if  he  is  placed 
in  a  cold  and  uncomfortable  situation. 

As  for  food,  we  think  not  of  it.  In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  he  will  not  touch  any- 
thing ;  or  if  he  is  inclined  to  eat,  we  give  him  nothing  but  a  bran-mash,  or  a  little 
green  meat,  or  a  few  carrots. 

We  now  look  about  us  for  some  counter-irritant.  W-'e  wish  to  excite  some  power- 
ful action  in  another  part  of  the  frame,  and  which  shall  divert  the  current  of  blood 
from  that  which  was  first  affected.  We  recognise  it  as  a  law  of  nature,  and  of  which 
we  here  eagerly  avail  ourselves,  that  if  we  have  a  morbid  action  in  some  vital  ocgan 
—  an  unusual  determination  of  blood  to  it  —  we  can  abate,  perhaps  we  can  at  once 
arrest,  that  morbid  action  hy  exciting  a  similar  or  a  greater  disturbance  in  some  con- 
tiguous and  not  dangerous  part.  Therefore  we  blister  the  sides  and  the  brisket,  and 
produce  all  the  irritation  we  can  on  the  integument ;  and  in  proportion  as  we  do  so, 
we  abate,  or  stand  a  chance  of  abating,  the  inflammation  within. 

We  have  recourse  to  a  blister  in  preference  to  a  seton ;  and  decidedly  so,  for  our 
stimulus  can  be  spread  over  a  larger  surface, — there  is  more  chance  of  its  being  applied 
to  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  the  original  inflammation  —  and,  most  assuredly, 
from  the  extent  of  surface  on  which  we  can  act,  we  can  employ  a  quantity  of  stimulus 
beyond  comparison  greater  than  a  seton  w'ould  pennit  us  to  do.  Rowels  aie  frequently 
excellent  adjuvants  to  the  blister,  but  should  not  be  depended  upon  alone. 

In  the  latter  stage  of  disease  the  blister  will  not  act,  because  the  powers  of  nature 
are  exhausted.  We  must  repeat  it, — we  must  rouse  the  sinking  energies  of  the  frame, 
if  we  can,  although  the  eff'ort  will  generally  be  fruitless.  The  not  rising  of  a  blister, 
in  the  latter  stage  of  the  disease,  may,  too  often,  be  regarded  as  the  precursor  of  death, 
especially  if  it  is  accompanied  by  a  livid  or  brown  colour  of  the  membrane  of  the  nose. 

Pneumonia,  like  bronchitis,  requires  anxious  watching.  The  first  object  is  to  sub- 
due the  inflammation,  and  our  measures  must  be  prompt  and  decisive.  If  the  mouth 
continues  hot,  and  the  extremities  cold,  and  the  nose  red,  we  must  bleed  again  and 
again,  and  that  in  rapid  succession.  The  good  which  we  can  do  must  be  done  ai 
first,  or  not  at  all. 

W^hen  we  have  obtained  a  little  returning  warmth  to  the  extremities,  we  must  con- 
tinue to  administer  our  sedative  medicines  without  one  grain  of  a  carmmative  or  a 
tonic ;  and  the  return  of  the  deathy-cold  foot  will  be  a  signal  for  forther  depletion. 

The  commencement  of  the  state  of  convalescence  requires  the  same  guarded  prac- 
tice, as  in  bronchitis.  As  many  horses  are  lost  by  impatience  now,  as  by  want  of 
decision  at  first.  If  we  have  subdued  the  disease,  we  should  let  well  alone.  We 
should  guard  against  the  return  of  the  foe  by  the  continued  administration  of  our  seda- 
tives in  smaller  quantities ;  but  give  no  tonics  unless  debility  is  rapidly  succeeding. 
When  we  have  apparently  weathered  the  storm,  we  must  still  be  cautious  ;  we  must 


CHRONIC    COUGH.  21- 

consider  the  nature  and  the  seat  of  the  disease,  and  the  predisposition  to  returning 
inflammation.  If  the  season  will  permit,  two  or  three  months'  run  at  grass  should 
succeed  to  our  medical  treatment;  but  if  this  is  impracticable,  we  must  put  otf  the 
period  of  active  work  as  long  as  it  can  be  delayed ;  and  even  after  that  permit  the 
horse  to  return  as  gradually  as  may  be  to  his  usual  employment  and  food. 

Most  frequent  in  occurrence  among  the  consequences  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs, 
is 

CHRONIC    COUGH. 

It  would  occupy  more  space  than  can  be  devoted  to  this  part  of  our  subject,  to  treat 
of  all  the  causes  of  obstinate  cough.  The  irritability  of  so  great  a  portion  of  the  air- 
passages,  occasioned  by  previous  and  violent  inflammation  of  them,  is  the  most  fre- 
quent. It  is  sometimes  connected  with  worms.  There  is  much  sympathy  between 
the  lungs  and  the  intestines,  and  the  one  readily  participates  in  the  irritation  produced 
in  the  other.  That  it  is  caused  by  glanders  can  be  easily  imagined,  because  that  dis- 
ease is,  in  its  early  stagre,  seated  in  or  near  the  principal  air-passages,  and  little  time 
passes  before  the  lungs  become  affected.  It  is  the  necessary  attendant  of  thick  wind 
and  broken  wind,  for  these  proceed  from  alterations  of  the  structure  of  the  lungs. 

Notwithstanding  the  clearness  of  the  cause,  the  cure  is  not  so  evident.  If  a  harsh 
hollow  cough  is  accompanied  by  a  staring  coat,  and  the  appearance  of  worms, — a  few 
worm-balls  may  expel  these  parasites,  and  remove  the  irritation  of  the  intestinal  canal. 
If  it  proceeds  from  irritability  of  the  air-passages,  which  will  be  discovered  by  the 
horse  coughing  after  drinking,  or  when  he  first  goes  out  of  the  stable  in  the  morning, 
or  b}'  his  occasionally  snorting  out  thick  mucus  from  the  nose,  medicines  may  be 
given,  and  sometimes  with  advantage,  to  diminish  irritation  generally.  Small  doses 
of  digitalis,  emetic  tartar,  and  nitre,  administered  every  night,  frequently  have  a  bene- 
ficial effect,  especially  w-hen  mixed  with  tar,  which  seems  to  have  a  powerful  influence 
in  allaying  the  irritation.  These  balls  should,  if  necessarj',  be  regularly  given  for  a 
considerable  time.  They  are  sufficiently  powerful  to  quiet  slight  excitement  of  this 
kind,  but  not  to  nauseate  the  horse,  or  interfere  with  his  food  or  his  work.  A  blister, 
extending  from  the  root  of  one  ear  to  that  of  the  other,  taking  in  the  whole  of  the 
channel,  and  reaching  six  or  eight  inches  down  the  windpipe,  has  been  tried  and 
often  with  good  eflect,  on  the  supposition  that  the  irritation  may  exist  in  the  fauces 
or  the  larynx.  The  blister  has  sometimes  been  extended  through  the  whole  course 
of  the  windpipe,  until  it  enters  the  chest. 

Feeding  has  much  influence  on  this  complaint.  Too  much  dry  meat,  and  espe- 
cially chaff,  increase  it.  It  is  asrgravated  when  the  horse  is  suffered  to  eat  his  litter; 
and  it  is  often  relieved  when  spring  tares  are  given.     Carrots  afford  decided  relief. 

The  seat  of  the  disease,  however,  is  so  uncertain,  and  all  our  means  and  appliances 
so  ineflicacious,  and  the  cough  itself  so  little  interfering,  and  sometimes  interfering  not 
at  all  with  the  health  of  the  animal,  that  it  is  scarcely  worth  while  to  persevere  in 
any  mode  of  treatment  that  is  not  evidently  attended  with  benefit.  The  principal 
consideration  to  induce  us  to  meddle  at  all  with  chronic  cough  is  the  knowledge  that 
horses  afflicted  with  it  are  more  liable  than  others  to  be  affected  by  changes  of  tem- 
perature, and  that  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  or  of  the  respiratory  passages,  often 
assumes  in  them  a  ven,-  alarming  character;  to  which,  perhaps,  may  be  added,  that  a 
horse  with  chronic  cough  cannot  be  warranted  sound. 

^^"hen  chronic  cough  chiefly  occurs  after  eating,  the  seat  of  the  disease  is  evidently 
in  the  substance  of  the  lungs.  The  stomach  distended  with  food  presses  upon  the 
diaphragm,  and  the  diaphragm  upon  the  lungs;  and  the  lungs,  already  labouring 
under  some  congestion,  are  less  capable  of  transmitting  the  air.  In  the  violent  eflort 
to  discharge  their  function,  irritation  is  produced ;  and  the  act  of  coughing  is  the  con- 
sequence of  that  irritation. 

The  Veterinary  Surgeon  labours  under  great  disadvantage  in  the  treatment  of  his 
patients.  He  must  not  only  subdue  the  malady,  but  he  must  remove  all  its  conse- 
quences. He  must  leave  his  patient  perfectly  sound,  or  he  has  done  comparatively  nothing. 
This  is  a  task  always  difficult,  and  sometimes  impossible  to  be  accomplished.  The 
two  most  frequent  consequences  of  severe  chest  affections  in  the  horse  are  recognised 
nnder  the  terms  thick  wind  and  broken  wind.  The  breathing  is  hurried  in  both,  and 
the  horse  is  generally  much  distressed  when  put  upon  his  speed ;  but  it  is  simply 
quick  breathing  in  the  first,  with  a  peculiar  sound  like  half  roaring — the  inspirationa 


212  THICK-WIND. 

and  expirations  being  rapid,  forcible,  but  equal.  In  the  second,  the  breathing  is  also 
hurried,  but  the  inspiration  does  not  differ  materially  from  the  natural  one,  while  the 
expiration  is  difficult,  or  doubly  laborious.  The  changes  of  structure  which  accom- 
pany these  states  of  morbid  respiration  are  as  opposite  as  can  be  imagined.  Indura- 
tion of  the  substance  of  the  lungs,  diminution  of  the  number  or  the  calibre  of  the  air- 
passages,  are  the  causes  of  thick-wind.  If  the  portion  of  lung  employed  is  lessened, 
or  the  bronchial  tubes  will  not  admit  so  much  air,  the  quick  succession  of  efforts  must 
make  up  for  the  diminished  effect  produced  by  each.  In  broken-icihd  there  is  rupture 
of  the  air-cells,  and  an  unnatural  inter-communication  between  iIkhi  in  the  same 
lobule,  or  between  those  of  the  neighbouring  lobuli.  The  structure  of  the  lung,  and 
the  discharge  of  function,  and  the  treatment,  too,  being  so  differejit,  these  diseases 
require  separate  consideration. 

THICK-WIND. 

When  treating  of  pneumonia,  it  was  observed,  that  not  only  are  the  vessels  which 
ramify  over  the  delicate  membrane  of  the  air-cells  gorged  with  blood,  but  they  are 
sometimes  ruptured,  and  the  cells  are  filled  with  blood.  The  black,  softened,  pulpy 
appearance  of  the  lungs  thus  produced,  is  the  rottenness  of  the  groom  and  farrier, 
proving  equally  the  intensity  of  the  inflammation,  and  that  it  is  of  recent  date.  If 
the  horse  is  not  speedily  destroyed  by  this  lesion  of  the  substance  of  the  lungs,  the 
serous  portion  of  the  effused  blood  is  absorbed,  and  the  solid  becomes  organised. 
The  cells  are  obliterated,  and  the  lung  is  hepatized,  —  its  structure  bears  considerable 
resemblance  to  that  of  the  liver.  This  may  occur  in  patches,  or  it  may  involve  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  lung. 

If  a  portion  of  the  lung  is  thus  rendered  impervious,  the  remainder  will  have  addi- 
tional work  to  perform.  The  same  quantity  of  blood  must  be  supplied  with  air  ;  and 
if  the  working  part  of  the  machine  is  diminished,  it  must  move  with  greater  velocity 
as  well  as  force  —  the  respiration  must  be  quicker  and  more  laborious.  This  quick 
and  laboured  breathing  can  be  detected  even  when  the  animal  is  at  rest ;  and  it  is 
indicated  plainly  enough  by  his  sad  distress  when  he  is  urged  to  unusual  or  continued 
speed.  The  inspirations  and  the  expirations  are  shorter,  as  well  as  more  violent ; 
the  air  must  be  more  rapidly  admitted,  and  more  thoroughly  pressed  out;  and  this  is 
accompanied  by  a  peculiar  sound  that  can  rarely  be  mistaken. 

We  may  guess  at  the  commencement  of  the  evil,  by  the  laborious  heaving  of  the 
flanks;  but  by  auscultation  alone  can  we  ascertain  its  progress.  The  increase  of  the 
crepitus  will  tell  us  that  the  mischief  is  beginning,  and  the  cessation  of  the  murmur 
will  clearly  mark  out  the  extent  of  the  congestion. 

The  inflammatory  stage  of  the  disease  having  passed,  and  comparative  health  being 
restored,  and  some  return  to  usefulness  having  been  established — the  horse  being  now 
thick-winded — auscultation  will  be  far  more  valuable  than  is  generally  imagined.  It 
will  faithfully  indicate  the  quantity  of  hepatization,  and  so  give  a  clue  to  the  degree 
of  usefulness,  or  the  extent  to  which  we  may  tax  the  respiratory  system  ;  and  it  will 
also  serve  to  distinguish,  and  that  very  clearly,  between  this  cause  of  thick-wind,  and 
the  morbid  changes  that  may  have  resulted  from  bronchitis,  or  thickening  of  the 
parietes  of  the  air-passages,  and  not  the  obliteration  of  the  air-cells. 

Of  the  treatment,  little  can  be  said.  We  know  not  by  what  means  we  can  excite 
the  absorbents  to  take  up  the  solid  organised  mass  of  hepatization,  or  restore  tne 
membrane  of  the  cells,  and  the  minute  vessels  ramifying  over  them,  now  confounded 
and  lost.  We  have  a  somewhat  better  chance,  and  yet  not  mucii,  in  removing  the 
thickening  of  the  membrane,  for  counter-irritants,  extensively  and  perseveringly 
applied  to  the  external  parietes  of  the  chest,  may  do  something.  If  thick-wind  imme- 
diately followed  broncliitis,  it  would  certainly  be  justifiable  practice  to  blister  the 
brisket  and  sides,  and  that  repeatedly ;  and  to  administer  purgatives,  if  we  dared,  or 
diuretic  s,  more  effectual  than  the  purgatives,  and  always  safe. 

Our  attention  must  be  principally  confined  to  diet  and  management.  A  thick 
winded  horse  should  have  his  full  proportion,  or  rather  more  than  his  proportion  of 
corn,  and  a  diminished  quantity  of  less  nutritious  food,  in  order  that  the  stomach  may 
never  be  overloaded,  and  press  upon  the  diaphragm,  and  so  upon  the  lungs,  and 
increase  the  labour  of  these  already  over-worked  organs.  Particular  care  should  be 
ijiken  that  the  horse  is  not  worked  immediately  after  a  hV  neal.     The  overcomm-r 


BROKEN. WIND.  213 

of  the  pressure  and  weight  of  the  stomach,  will' be  a  serious  addition  to  the  extra 
work  which  tlie  lungs  already  have  to  perform  from  their  altered  structure. 

Something  may  be  done  in  the  palliation  of  thick-wind,  and  more  than  has  been 
generally  supposed,  by  means  of  exercise.  If  the  thick-winded  horse  is  put,  as  it 
were,  into  a  regular  system  of  training;  if  he  is  daily  exercised  to  the  fair  extent  of 
his  power,  and  without  seriously  distressing  him,  his  breathing  will  become  freer  and 
deeper,  and  his  wind  will  materially  improve.  We  shall  call  to  our  aid  one  of  the 
most  powerful  excitants  of  the  absorbent  system  —  pressure,  that  of  the  air  upon  the 
tube — the  working  part  of  the  lung  upon  the  disorganised  —  and,  adjusting  this  so  as 
not  to  excite  irritation  or  inflammation,  we  may  sometimes  do  wonders.  This  is  the 
very  secret  of  training,  and  the  power  and  the  durability  of  the  hunter  and  the  racer 
depend  entirely  upon  this. 

Thick-wind,  however,  is  not  always  the  consequence  of  disease.  There  are  certain 
cloddy,  round-chested  horses,  that  are  naturally  thick-winded,  at  least  to  a  certain 
extent.  They  are  capable  of  that  slow  exertion  for  w^hich  nature  designed  them,  but 
they  are  immediately  distressed  if  put  a  little  out  of  their  usual  pace.  A  circular 
chest,  whether  the  horse  is  large  or  small,  indicates  thick-wind.  The  circular  chest 
is  a  capacious  one,  and  the  lungs  which  fill  it  are  large,  and  they  supply  sufficient 
arterialised  blood  to  produce  plenty  of  flesh  and  fat,  and  these  horses  are  always  fat. 
This  is  the  point  of  proof  to  which  we  look,  when  all  that  we  want  from  the  animal 
is  flesh  and  fat ;  but  the  expanding  form  of  the  chest  is  that  which  we  require  in  the 
animal  of  speed — the  deep  as  well  as  the  broad  chest — always  capacious  for  the  pur- 
pose of  muscular  strength,  and  becoming  considerably  more  so  when  arterialised  blood 
is  rapidly  expended  in  quick  progression.  We  cannot  enlarge  the  capacity  of  a  circle ; 
and  if  more  blood  is  to  be  furnished,  that  which  cannot  be  done  by  increase  of  surface, 
must  be  accomplished  by  frequency  of  action.  Therefore  it  is  that  all  our  heavy 
draught-horses  are  thick-winded.  It  is  of  little  detriment  to  them,  for  their  work  is 
slow ;  or  rather  it  is  an  advantage  to  them,  for  the  circular  chest,  always  at  its  greatest 
capacity,  enables  them  to  acquire  that  weight  which  it  is  so  advantageous  for  them  to 
throw  into  the  collar. 

BROKEN-WIND. 

This  is  immediately  recognisable  by  the  manner  of  breathing.  The  inspiration  is 
performed  in  somewhat  less  than  the  natural  time,  and  with  an  increased  degree  of 
labour:  but  the  expiration  has  a  peculiar  difficulty  accompanying  it.  It  is  accom- 
plished by  a  double  effort,  in  the  first  of  which,  as  Mr.  Blaine  has  well  explained  it, 
"  the  usual  muscles  operate ;  and  in  the  other,  the  auxiliary  muscles,  particularly  the 
abdominal,  are  put  on  the  stretch  to  complete  the  expulsion  more  perfectly  ;  and  that 
being  done,  the  flank  falls,  or  the  abdominal  muscles  relax  with  a  kind  of  jerk  or 
spasm." 

The  majority  of  veterinary  surgeons  attribute  broken-wind  to  an  emphysematous 
state  of  the  lungs.  In  almost  every  broken-winded  horse  which  he  has  examined 
after  death,  the  author  of  this  work  has  found  dilatation  of  some  of  the  air-cells,  and 
particularly  towards  the  edges  of  the  lobes.  There  has  been  rupture  through  the 
parietes  of  some  of  the  cells,  and  they  have  evidently  communicated  with  one 
another,  and  the  air  could  be  easily  forced  from  one  portion  of  the  cells  to  another. 
There  was  also  a  crepitating  noise  while  this  pressure  was  made,  as  if  the  attenuated 
membrane  of  some  of  the  cells  had  given  way.  These  were  the  true  broken  cells, 
and  hence  the  derivation  of  the  name  of  the  disease. 

Broken-wind  is  preceded  or  accompanied  by  cough — a  cough  perfectly  character- 
istic, and  by  which  the  horseman  would,  in  the  dark,  detect  the  existence  of  the  dis- 
ease. It  is  short — seemingly  cut  short — grunting,  and  followed  by  wheezing.  When 
the  animal  is  suddenly  struck  or  threatened,  there  is  a  low  grunt  of  the  same  nature 
as  that  of  roaring,  but  not  so  loud.  Broken-wind  is  usually  preceded  by  cough;  the 
cough  becomes  chronic,  leads  on  to  thick-wind,  and  then  there  is  but  a  step  to  broken- 
wind.  It  is  the  consequence  of  the  cough  which  accompanies  catarrh  and  bronchitis 
oftener  than  that  attending  or  following  pneumonia ;  and  of  inflammation,  and  pro- 
bably, thickening  of  the  membrane  of  the  bronchise,  rather  than  of  congestion  of  the 
air-cells. 

Laennec,  whose  illustrations  of  the  diseases  of  the  chest  are  invaluable  to  the  hu 
man  surgeon,  comes  to  our  assistance,  and,  while  describing  emphysema  of  the  lungs 


214  BROKEN- WIND. 

of  the  human  being,  gives  us  an  explication  of  broken-wind,  more  satisfactory  than 
is  to  ne  found  in  any  of  our  veterinary  writers.  He  attributes  what  he  calls  dry  ca- 
tarrh "to  the  partial  obstruction  of  the  smaller  bronchial  tubes,  by  the  swelling  of 
their  inner  membrane.  The  muscles  of  inspiration  are  numerous  and  powerful,  while 
expiration  is  chiefly  left  to  the  elasticity  of  the  parts :  then  it  may  happen  that  the 
air  which,  during  inspiration,  had  overcome  the  resistance  opposed  to  its  entrance  by 
the  tumid  state  of  the  membrane,  is  unable  to  force  its  way  through  the  same  obsta- 
cle during  expiration,  and  remains  imprisoned  in  the  cells,  as  it  were,  by  a  valve. 
The  succeeding  inspirations  introduce  a  fresh  supply  of  air,  and  gradually  dilate  the 
cells  to  a  greater  or  less  extent;  and  if  the  obstruction  is  of  some  continuance,  the 
dilated  condition  of  the  cells  becomes  permanent." 

Some  circumstances  attending  this  disease  may  now,  probably,  be  accounted  for. 
A  troublesome  cough,  and  sometimes  of  long  continuance,  is  the  foundation  of  the 
disease,  or  indicates  that  irritable  state  of  the  bronchial  membrane  with  which  broken- 
wind  is  almost  necessarily  associated.  Horses  that  are  greedy  feeders,  or  devour 
large  quantities  of  slightly  nutritious  food,  or  are  worked  with  a  stomach  distended 
by  this  food,  are  very  subject  to  broken-wind.  More  depends  upon  the  management 
of  the  food  and  exercise  tlian  is  generally  supposed.  The  post-horse,  the  coach-horse, 
and  the  racer,  are  comparatively  seldom  broken-wanded.  They  are  fed,  at  stated  pe- 
riods, on  nutritious  food  that  lies  in  little  compass,  and  their  hours  of  feeding  and  of 
exertion  are  so  arranged  that  they  seldom  work  on  a  full  stomach.  The  agricultural 
horse  is  too  often  fed  on  the  very  refuse  of  the  farm,  and  his  hours  of  feeding,  and 
his  hours  of  work,  are  frequently  irregular ;  and  the  carriage-horse,  although  fed  on 
more  nutritious  food,  is  often  summoned  to  work,  by  his  capricious  master,  the  mo- 
ment his  meal  is  devoured. 

A  rapid  gallop  on  a  full  stomach  has  often  produced  broken-wind.  "When  the  exer- 
tion has  been  considerable  and  long-continued,  we  can  easily  conceive  a  rupture  of 
the  air-cells  of  the  soundest  lungs ;  but  we  are  inclined  to  believe,  that,  were  the  his- 
tory of  these  cases  known,  there  would  be  found  to  have  been  a  gradual  preparation 
for  this  result.  There  would  have  been  chronic  cough,  or  more  than  usually  disturbed 
respiration  after  exercise,  and  then  it  required  little  more  to  perfect  the  mischief. 
Galloping  after  drinking  has  been  censured  as  a  cause  of  broken-w  ind,  yet  we  cannot 
think  that  it  is  half  so  dangerous  as  galloping  with  a  stomach  distended  by  solid  food. 
It  is  said  that  broken-winded  horses  are  foul  feeders,  because  they  devour  almost 
everything  that  comes  in  their  way,  and  thus  impede  the  play  of  the  lungs ;  but  there 
is  so  much  sympathy  between  the  respiratory  and  digestive  systems,  that  one  cannot 
be  much  deranged  without  the  other  evidently  suffering.  Flatulence,  and  a  depraved 
appetite,  may  be  the  consequence  as  well  as  the  cause  of  broken-wind ;  and  there  is 
no  pathological  fact  of  more  frequent  occurrence  than  the  co-existence  of  indigestion 
and  flatulence  with  broken-wind.  Flatulence  seems  so  invariable  a  concomitant  of 
broken-wind,  that  the  old  farriers  used  to  think  the  air  found  its  way  from  the  lungs 
to  the  abdomen  in  some  inexplicable  manner ;  and  hence  their  "  holes  to  let  out  bro- 
ken-wind." They  used  literally  to  make  a  hole  near  to  or  above  the  fundament  in 
order  to  give  vent  to  the  imprisoned  wind.  The  sphincter  muscle  was  generally  divi- 
ded ;  and  although  the  trumping  ceased,  there  was  a  constant,  although  silent,  emis- 
sion of  foetid  gas,  that  made  the  remedy  worse  than  the  disease. 

The  narrow-chested  horse  is  more  subject  to  broken-wind  than  the  broader  and 
deeper  chested  one,  for  there  is  not  so  much  room  for  the  lungs  to  expand  when  rapid 
progression  requires  the  full  discharge  of  their  function. 

Is  broken-wind  hereditary  1  We  believe  so.  It  may  be  referred  to  hereditary  con- 
formation— to  a  narrower  chest,  and  more  fragile  membrane  —  and  predisposition  to 
take  on  those  inflammatory  diseases  which  end  in  broken-wind ;  and  the  circular  chest, 
which  cannot  enlarge  its  capacity  when  exertion  requires  it,  must  render  both  thick 
and  broken-wind  of  more  probable  occurrence. 

Is  there  any  cure  for  broken-wand  1  None  !  No  medical  skill  can  repair  the  bro- 
ken-down structure  of  the  lungs. 

If,  however,  we  cannot  oire,  we  may  in  some  degree  palliate  broken-wind  ;  and,  first 
of  all,  we  must  attend  carefully  to  the  feeding.  The  food  should  lie  in  little  com- 
pass— plenty  of  oats  and  little  hay,  but  no  chaff.  Cliaff  is  particularly  objectionable, 
nom  the  rapidity  with  which  it  is  devoured,  and  the  stomach  distended.  Water 
should  be  given  in  moderate  quantities,  but  the  horse  should  not  be  suffereu  ^o  dnnk 


PHTHISIS  PULMONALIS,  OR  CONSUMPTION.  215 

as  much  as  he  likes  until  the  day's  work  is  over.  Green  meat  will  always  be  ser- 
Ticeable.  Carrots  are  particularly  useful.  They  are  readily  digested,  and  appear  to 
have  a  peculiarly  beneficial  effect  on  the  respiratory  system. 

It  is  from  the  want  of  proper  attention  to  the  feeding  that  many  horses  become 
broken-winded,  even  in  the  straw-yard.  There  is  little  nutriment  in  the  provender 
which  they  tind  there ;  and  in  order  to  obtain  enough  for  the  support  of  life,  they  are 
compelled  to  keep  the  stomach  constantly  full,  and  pressing  upon  the  lungs.  It  has 
been  the  same  when  they  have  been  turned  out  in  coarse  and  innutritive  pasturage. 
The  stomach  was  perpetually  gorged,  and  the  habitual  pressure  on  the  lungs  cramp- 
ed and  contined  their  action,  and  inevitably  ruptured  the  cells  when  the  horse  gam- 
bolled with  his  companions,  or  was  wantonly  driven  about. 

Next  in  importance  stands  exercise.  Tlie  pursive  or  broken-winded  horse  should 
not  stand  idle  in  the  stable  a  single  day.  It  is  almost  incredible  how  much  may  be 
done  by  attention  to  food  and  exercise.  The  broken-winded  horse  may  thus  be  ren- 
dered comfortable  to  himself,  and  no  great  nuisance  to  his  owner; — but  inattention  to 
feeding,  or  one  hard  journey  —  the  animal  unprepared,  and  the  stomach  full  —  may 
bring  on  inflammation,  congestion,  and  death.  Occ-asional  physic,  or  alterative  medi- 
cine, will  often  give  considerable  relief. 

Thick-wind  and  broken-wind  exist  in  various  degrees,  and  many  shades  of  differ- 
ence. Dealers  and  horsemen  generally  have  characterised  them  by  names  that  can 
boast  no  elegance,  but  are  considerably  expressive  of  the  state  of  the  animal.  Our 
readers  should  not  be  ignorant  of  them.  Some  horses  make  a  shrill  noise  when  in 
quick  action — they  are  said  to  be  Pipers.  This  is  a  species  of  Roaring.  There  is 
usually  a  ring  of  coagulated  matter  round  the  inside  of  the  windpipe,  by  which  the 
cavity  is  materially  diminished,  and  the  sound  produced  in  quick  breathing  must  evi- 
dentl)-^  be  shriller.  Sometimes  the  piping  is  produced  by  a  contraction  of  the  small 
passages  of  the  lungs. 

The  Wheezer  utters  a  sound  not  unlike  that  of  an  asthmatic  person  when  a  little 
hurried.  This  is  a  kind  of  thick  wind,  and  is  caused  by  the  lodgment  of  some  mucous 
6uid  in  the  small  passages  of  the  lungs.  It  frequently  accompanies  hronchitis. 
Wheezing  can  be  heard  at  all  times,  even  when  the  horse  is  at  rest  in  the  stable ; 
roaring  is  confined  to  the  increased  breathing  of  considerable  exertion. 

The  Whistler  utters  a  shriller  sound  than  the  wheezer,  but  only  when  in  exer- 
cise, and  that  of  some  continuance.  A  sudden  motion  will  not  always  produce  it. 
It  seems  to  be  referable  to  some  contraction  in  the  windpipe  or  the  larynx.  The 
sound  is  a  great  nuisance  to  the  rider,  and  the  whistler  very  speedily  becomes  dis- 
tressed.    A  sharp  gallop  up-hill  will  speedily  detect  the  ailment. 

When  the  obstruction  seems  to  be  principally  in  the  nose,  the  horse  loudly  puffs 
and  blows,  and  the  nostrils  are  dilated  to  the  utmost,  while  the  flanks  are  compara- 
tively quiet.  This  animal  is  said  to  be  a  High-blower.  With  all  his  apparent  dis- 
tress, he  often  possesses  great  speed  and  endurance.  The  sound  is  unpleasant,  but 
the  lungs  may  be  perfectly  sound. 

Every  horse  violently  exercised  on  a  full  stomach,  or  when  overloaded  with  fat, 
will  grunt  almost  like  a  hog.  The  pressure  of  the  stomach  on  the  lungs,  or  that  of 
the  fat  accumulated  around  the  heart,  will  so  much  impede  the  breathing,  that  the  act 
of  forcible  expiration  will  be  accompanied  with  this  kind  of  sound  :  but  there  are  some 
horses  who  will  at  all  times  emit  it,  if  suddenly  touched  with  the  whip  or  spur. 
They  are  called  Gruxters,  and  should  be  avoided.  There  is  some  altered  structure 
of  the  lunjs,  which  prevents  them  from  suddenly  accommodating  themselves  to  an 
unexpected  demand  for  exertion.  It  is  the  consequence  of  previous  disease,  and  is 
frequently  followed  by  thick  or  broken  wind,  or  roaring. 

PHTHISIS  PULMONALIS,  OR  CONSUMPTION. 

Wlien  describing  the  accompaniments  and  consequences  of  inflammation  of  the 
lungs  in  the  horse,  mention  was  made  of  this  fatal  complaint.  It  is  usually  connected 
with  or  the  consequence  of  pneumonia  or  pleurisy,  and  especially  in  horses  of  a  pecu- 
liar formation  or  temperament. 

If  a  narrow-chested,  flat-sided  horse  is  attacked  by  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  or 
severe  catarrhal  fever,  experience  tells  us  that  we  shall  have  more  difficulty  in  sub- 
duing the  disease  in  him,  than  in  one  deeper  in  the  girth  or  rounder  in  the  chest 
The  lungs,  deficient  in  bulk  according  to  the  diminished  contents  of  the  chest,  have 


216  PHTHISIS  PULMONALIS,  OR  CONSUMPTION. 

been  overworked  in  supplyinn-  the  quantity  of  arterial  blood  expended  in  the  various 
purposes  of  life,  and  particularly  that  which  has  V<?en  required  under  unusual  and 
violent  exertion.  Inflammation  of  the  lungs  has  consequently  ensued,  and  that 
inflammatory  action  has  acquired  an  intense  charactei,  under  circumstances  by  which 
another  horse  would  be  scarcely  affected. 

When  tMs  disease  has  been  properly  treated,  and  apparently  subdued,  this  horse 
?annot  be  quickly  and  summarily  dismissed  to  his  work.  He  is  sadly  emaciated — 
tie  long  continues  so  —  his  coat  stares  —  his  skin  clings  to  his  ribs  —  his  belly  is 
tuck(  d  up,  notwithstanding  that  he  may  have  plenty  of  mashes,  and  carrots,  and 
green  meat,  and  medicine  —  his  former  gaiety  and  spirit  do  not  return,  or  if  he  is 
ft-illing  to  work  he  is  easily  tired,  sweating  on  the  least  exertion,  and  the  sweat  most 
profuse  about  the  chest  and  sides  —  his  appetite  is  not  restored,  or,  perhaps,  never 
jias  been  good,  and  the  slightest  exertion  puts  him  completely  off  his  feed. 

We  observe  him  more  attentively,  and,  even  as  he  stands  quiet  in  his  stall,  the 
flanks  heave  a  little  more  laboriously  than  they  should  do,  and  that  heaving  is  pain- 
fully quickened  when  sudden -exertion  is  required.  He  coughs  sorely,  and  discharges 
from  the  nose  a  mucus  tinged  with  blood,  or  a  fluid  decidedly  purulent  —  the  breath 
becomes  ofl>nsive — the  pulse  is  always  above  40,  and  strangely  increased  by  the 
slightest  exertion. 

When  many  of  these  symptoms  are  developed,  the  animal  will  exhibit  considerable 
pain  on  being  gently  strack  on  some  part  of  the  chest ;  the  cough  then  becomes  more 
frequent  and  painful ;  the  discharge  from  the  nose  more  abundant  and  foetid,  and  the 
emaciation  and  consequent  debility  more  rapid,  until  death  closes  the  scene. 

The  lesions  that  are  presented  after  death  are  very  uncertain.  Generally  there  are 
Subercles;  sometimes  very  minute,  at  other  times  large  in  size.  They  are  in  diflerent 
states  of  softening,  and  some  of  them  have  burst  into  the  bronchial  passages,  and 
exhibit  abscesses  of  enormous  bulk.  Other  portions  of  the  lungs  are  shrunk,  flaccid, 
indurated  or  hepatized,  and  of  a  pale  or  red-brown  colour;  and  there  are  occasional 
adhesions  between  the  lungs  and  the  sides  of  the  chest. 

Is  this  an  hereditary  disease?  There  is  some  difficulty  in  deciding  the  point.  It 
•••.as  been  scarcely  mooted  among  the  horsemen.  One  thing  only  is  known,  that  the 
side  has  been  flat,  and  the  belly  tucked  up,  and  the  animal  has  had  much  more  ardour 
and  willingness  than  physical  strength.  These  conformations,  and  this  disposition, 
we  know  to  be  hereditary,  and  thus  far  phthisis  may  be  said  to  be  so  too.  Low  and 
damp  situations,  or  a  variable  and  ungenial  climate,  may  render  horses  peculiarly 
susceptible  of  chest  afl^ections.  All  the  absurd,  or  cruel,  or  accidental  causes  of 
pneumonia  lay  the  foundation  for  phthisis  ;  and,  particularly,  those  causes  which  tend 
to  debilitate  the  frame  generally,  render  the  horse  more  liable  to  chest  affections,  and 
less  able  to  ward  off  their  fatal  consequences.  The  most  numerous  instances  of 
phthisis  occur  in  those  poor  persecuted  animals  that  are  worn  out  before  their  time, 
and  they  are  frequent  enough  among  cavalry  horses  after  the  deprivations  and  fatigues 
of  a  long  campaign. 

What  is  the  medical  treatment  of  confirmed  phthisis  1  The  practitioner  must  be 
guided  by  circumstances.  If  the  horse  is  not  very  bad,  and  it  is  the  spring  of  the 
year,  a  run  at  grass  may  be  tried.  It  will  generally  seem  to  renovate  the  animal, 
but  the  apparent  amelioration  is  too  often  treacherous.  It  should  always  be  tried, 
for  it  is  the  best  foundation  for  other  treatment.  The  summer,  however,  having  set 
in,  the  medicinal  effect  of  the  grass  ceases,  and  the  flies  tease  and  irritate  the  animal. 
The  medical  treatment,  if  any  is  tried,  will  depend  on  two  simple  and  unerring 
guides,  the  pulse  and  the  membrane  of  the  nose.  If  the  first  is  quick  and  hard,  and 
the  second  streaked  with  red,  veneseclinn  should  be  resorted  to.  Small  bleedings  of 
one  or  two  quarts,  omitted  when  the  pulse  is  quieted  and  the  nostril  is  ]ialo,  may  be 
effected.  Counter-irritants  will  rarely  do  harm.  They  should  be  applied  in  the  form 
of  blisters,  extending  over  the  sides,  and  thus  brought  as  near  as  possible  to  th 
afl!ected  part.  Sedative,  medicines  should  be  perseveringly  administered  :  and  here,  as 
in  acute  inflammation,  the  chief  dependence  will  be  placed  on  digitalis.  It  should 
be  given  in  small  doses  until  a  slightly  intermittent  pulse  is  produced,  and  that  state 
of  the  constitution  should  be  maintained  by  a  continued  exhibition  of  the  medicine. 
Nitre  may  be  added  as  a  diuretic,  and  pulvis  antimnnialis  as  a  diaphoretic. 

Any  /o7n'cs  here  ]  Yes,  the  tonic  efiect  of  mild  and  nutritious  food — green  meat  of 
nlraost  every  kind,  carrots  particularly,  mashes,  and  now  and  then  a  malt  mash 


PLEURISY.  217 

Nothing  further  than  this  ?  We  may  try,  but  very  cautiously,  those  tonics  vrhicb 
stiniuhite  the  digestive  system,  yet  comparatively  litt'e  afl>ct  the  circulatory  one 
Small  doses  of  chamomile  and  gentian  may  be  given,  but  carefully  watched  and  omitted 
if  the  ilanks  should  heave  more,  or  the  cough  be  aggravated. 

The  treatment  of  phthisis  is  a  most  unsatisfactory  subject  of  consideration  as  it 
regards  the  practice  of  the  veterinarian.  If,  after  the  human  being  has  been  subjected 
to  medical  treatment  for  a  long  course  of  time  and  at  very  considerable  expense,  he  so 
far  recovers  that  life  is  rendered  tolerably  comfortable  to  him,  he  and  his  connexions 
are  thankful  and  satisfied,  and  he  will  submit  to  many  a  privation  in  order  to  ward  off 
the  return  of  a  disease,  to  which  he  is  conscious  there  will  ever  be  a  strong  predispo- 
sition :  but  the  case  is  different  with  the  horse ;  and  this,  the  scope  and  bo^und  of  the 
human  practitioner's  hope,  is  worthless  to  the  veterinarian.  His  patient  must  not 
only  live,  but  must  be  sound  again.  Ever}-  energ}',  every  capability  must  be  restored. 
Can  we  cause  the  tubercles  of  the  lungs  to  be  absorbed  ?  Can  we  disperse  or  dispel 
the  hepatization "?  Can  we  remodel  the  disorganised  structure  of  the  lungs?  Our 
consideration,  then,  will  be  chiefly  directed  to  the  detection  of  the  disease  in  its  earliest 
state,  and  the  allaying  of  the  irritation  which  causes  or  accompanies  the  growth  of  the 
tubercles.  This  must  be  the  scope  and  bound  of  the  veterinarian's  practice — always 
remembering  that  the  owner  should  be  forewarned  of  the  general  hopelessness  of  the 
case,  and  that  the  continuance  of  his  efforts  should  be  regulated  by  the  wish  of  the 
proprietor  and  the  value  of  the  patient. 

PLEURISY. 

The  investing  membrane  of  the  lungs,  and  of  the  thoracic  cavity,  namely,  the  pleura, 
now  demands  consideration.  We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  John  Field,  one  of  the  noblest 
ornaments  of  the  veterinary  profession — but  cut  off  in  the  prime  of  his  days — for  the 
greater  part  of  our  knowledge  of  this  disease,  and  for  the  power  of  distinguishing 
between  it  and  pneumonia,  as  readily  and  as  surely  as  we  do  between  pneumonia  and 
bronchitis  and  epidemic  catarrh. 

The  prevailing  causes  of  pleurisy  are  the  same  as  those  which  produce  pneumonia 
— exposure  to  wet  and  cold,  sudden  alterations  of  temperature,  partial  exposure  to 
cold,  riding  against  a  keen  wind,  immersion  as  high  as  the  chest  in  cold  water,  drink- 
ing cold  water,  and  extra  work  of  the  respiratory  machine.  To  these  may  be  added, 
wounds  penetrating  into  the  thorax  and  lacerating  the  pleura,  fracture  of  the  ribs,  or 
violent  contusions  on  the  side,  the  inflammation  produced  by  which  is  propagated 
through  the  parietes  of  the  chest. 

It  is  sometimes  confined  to  one  side,  or  to  one  of  the  pleura  on  either  side,  or  even 
to  patches  on  that  pleura,  whether  pulmonary  or  costal.  The  inflammation  of  the 
lungs  which  occasionally  accompanies  rabies  is  characterised  by  a  singular  patchy 
appearance.  That  produced  on  the  costal  pleura,  arising  from  violence  or  other  causes, 
rarely  reaches  the  pulmonary  covering  ;  and  that  which  is  communicated  to  the  tunic 
of  the  lungs,  by  means  of  the  intensity  of  the  action  within,  does  not  often  involve 
the  costal  pleura.  In  some  cases,  however,  it  affects  both  pleurae  and  both  sides,  and 
spreads  rapidly  from  one  to  the  other. 

The  first  symptom  is  rigor,  followed  by  increased  heat  and  partial  sweats :  to  these 
succeed  loss  of  appetite  aad  spirits,  and  a  low  and  painful  cough.  The  inspiration  is 
a  short,  sudden  eflbrt,  and  broken  off  before  it  is  fully  accomplished,  indicating  the 
pain  felt  from  the  distention  of  the  irritable,  because  inflamed,  membrane.  This  symp- 
tom is  exceedingly  characteristic.  In  the  human  being  it  is  well  expressed  bv  the 
term  slikh,  and  an  exceedingly  painful  feeling  it  is.  The  expiration  is  retarded  as 
much  as  possible,  by  the  use  of  all  the  auxiliary  muscles  which  the  animal  can  press 
into  the  service ;  but  it  at  length  finishes  abruptly  in  a  kind  of  spasm.  This  pecu- 
liarity of  breathing,  once  carefully  observed,  cannot  be  forgotten.  The  next  character 
is  found  in  the  tenderness  of  the  sides  when  the  costal  pleura  is  affected.  This  ten- 
derness often  exists  to  a  degree  scarcely  credible.  If  the  side  is  pressed  upon,  the 
horse  will  recede  with  a  low  painful  grunt ;  he  will  tremble,  and  try  to  get  out  of  the 
way  before  the  hand  touches  him  again.  Then  comes  another  indication,  both  of  pain 
and  the  region  of  that  pain,  —  the  intercostal  muscles,  affected  by  the  contiguous 
pleura,  and  in  the.r  turn  affecting  the  panniculus  camosus.  or  subcutaneous  muscular 
expansion  without  —  there  are  twitchinffs  of  the  skin  on  the  side — corrusrations  — 
waves  creeping  over  the  integument.  This  is  never  seen  in  pneumonia.  There  is 
19  2  c 


218  PLEURISY. 

however,  as  we  may  expect,  the  same  disinclination  to  move,  for  every  motion  must 
give  intense  pain. 

The  pulse  should  be  anxiously  studied.  It  presents  a  decided  difference  of  character 
from  that  of  pneumonia.  It  is  increased  in  rapidity,  but  instead  of  being  oppressed 
and  sometimes  almost  unappreciable,  as  in  pneumonia,  it  is  round,  full,  and  strong. 
Even  at  the  last,  when  the  strength  of  the  constitution  begins  to  yield,  the  pulse  is 
wiry,  although  small. 

'i'he  extremities  are  never  deathy  cold;  they  may  be  cool, they  are  oftener  variable, 
and  they  sometimes  present  increased  heat.  The  body  is  far  more  liable  to  variations 
of  temperature ;  and  the  cold  and  the  hot  fit  more  frequently  succeed  each  other. 
The  mouth  is  not  so  hot  as  in  pneumonia,  and  the  breath  is  rarely  above  its  usual 
temperature. 

A  difference  of  character  in  the  two  diseases  is  here  particularly  evident  on  the 
membrane  of  the  nose.  Neither  the  crimson  nor  the  purple  injection  of  pneumonia  is 
seen  on  the  lining  of  the  nose,  but  a  somewhat  darker,  dingier  hue. 

Both  the  pneumonic  and  pleuritic  horse  will  look  at  his  flanks,  thus  pointing  out 
the  seat  of  disease  and  pain;  but  the  horse  with  pneumonia  will  turn  himself  more 
slowly  round,  and  long  and  steadfastly  gaze  at  his  side,  while  the  action  of  the  horse 
with  pleurisy  is  more  sudden,  agitated,  spasmodic.  The  countenance  of  the  one  is 
that  of  settled  distress;  the  other  brightens  up  occasionally.  The  pang  is  severe,  but 
it  is  transient,  and  there  are  intervals  of  relief.  While  neither  will  lie  down  or  wil- 
lingly move,  and  the  pneumonic  horse  stands  fixed  as  a  statue,  the  pleuritic  one 
shrinks,  and  crouches  almost  to  falling.  If  he  lies  down,  it  is  on  the  affected  side, 
when  the  disease  is  confined  to  one  side  only.  The  head  of  the  horse  with  inflamma- 
tion of  the  substance  of  the  lungs  hangs  heavily  ;  that  of  the  other  is  protruded. 

We  here  derive  most  important  assistance  from  Auscultation.  In  a  case  of  pleurisy 
we  have  no  crepitating,  crackling  sound,  referable  to  the  infiltration  of  the  blood 
through  the  gossamer  membrane  of  the  air-cells;  we  have  not  even  a  louder  and 
distincter  murmur.  Perhaps  there  is  no  variation  from  the  sound  of  health,  or,  if 
there  is  any  difference,  the  murmur  is  fainter ;  for  the  pleural  membrane  is  thick- 
ened, and  its  elasticity  is  impaired,  and  the  sound  is  not  so  readily  transmitted.  There 
is  sometimes  a  slight  rubbing  sound,  and  especially  towards  the  superior  region  of  the 
chest,  as  if  there  was  friction  between  the  thickened  and  indurated  membranes. 

To  this  may  be  added  the  different  character  of  the  cough,  sore  and  painful  enough 
in  both,  but  in  pneumonia  generally  hard,  and  full,  and  frequent.  In  pleurisy  it  is 
not  so  frequent,  but  faint,  suppressed,  cut  short,  and  rarely  attended  by  discharge 
from  the  nose. 

These  are  sufficient  guides  in  the  early  stage  of  the  disease,  when  it  is  most  of  all 
of  importance  to  distinguish  the  one  from  the  other. 

If  after  a  few  days  the  breathing  becomes  a  little  more  natural,  the  inspiration 
lengthened  and  regular,  and  the  expiration,  although  still  prolonged,  is  suffered  to  be 
completed — if  the  twitchings  are  less  evident  and  less  frequent — if  the  cough  can  be 
fully  expressed — if  the  pulse  softens,  although  it  may  not  diminish  in  frequency,  and 
if  the  animal  begins  to  lie  down,  or  walks  about  of  his  own  accord,  there  is  hope  of 
recovery.  But  if  the  pulse  quickens,  and,  although  smaller,  yet  possesses  the  wiry 
character  of  inflammation  —  if  the  gaze  at  the  flanks,  previously  by  starts,  becomes 
fixed  as  well  as  anxious,  and  the  difficulty  of  breathing  continues  (the  difliculty  of 
accomplishing  it,  although  the  efforts  are  oftener  repeated) — if  patches  of  sweat  break 
out,  and  the' animal  gets  restless — paws — shifts  his  posture  every  minute — is  unable 
longer  to  stand,  yet  hesitates  whether  he  shall  lie  down — determines  on  it  again  and 
agam,  but  fears,  and  at  length  drops,  rather  than  lies  gently  down,  a  fatal  termination 
is' at  hand.  For  some  time  before  his  death,  the  effusion  and  its  extent  will  be  evi- 
dent enough.  He  not  only  walks  unwillingly,  but  on  the  slightest  exercise  his  pulse 
is  strangely  accelerated  ;  the  feeling  of  suffocation  comes  over  him,  and  he  stops  all 
of  a  sudden,  and  looks  wildly  about  and  trembles;  but  he  quickly  recovers  himself 
and  proceeds.  There  is  also,  when  the  effusion  is  confirmed,  oedema  of  some  external 
part,  and  that  occasionally  to  a  very  great  extent.  This  is  oftenest  observed  in  the 
abdomen,  the  chest,  and  the  point  of  the  breast. 

The  immediate  cause  of  death  is  effusion  in  the  chest,  compressing  the  lungs  on 
every  side,  rendering  expiration  difficult  and  at  length  impossible,  and  desfving  the 
animal  by  suffocation      The  very  commencement  of  effusion  may  be  detected  by  au8- 


PLEURISY.  219 

cultation.  There  will  be  the  cessation  of  the  respiratory  murmur  at  the  sternum,  and 
the  increased  grating — not  the  crepitating,  crackling  noise  as  when  congestion  is  going 
on — not  the  feebler  murmur  as  congestion  advances ;  but  the  absence  of  it,  beginniuL 
from  the  bottom  of  the  chest. 

It  is  painfully  interesting  to  watch  the  progress  of  the  effusion — how  the  stillness 
creeps  up,  and  the  murmur  gets  louder  above,  and  the  grating  sound  louder  too,  until 
at  length  there  is  no  longer  room  for  the  lungs  to  play,  and  suffocation  ensues. 

The  fluid  contained  in  the  chest  varies  in  quantity  as  well  as  appearance  and  con- 
sistence. Many  gallons  have  been  found  in  the  two  sacs,  pale,  or  yellow,  or  bloody, 
or  often  differing  in  the  two  sides  of  the  thorax  ;  occasionally  a  thick  adventitious  coat 
covering  the  costal  or  the  pulmonary  pleura  —  rarely  much  adhesion,  but  the  lungs 
purple-coloured,  flaccid,  compressed,  not  one-fourth  of  their  usual  size,  immersed  in 
the  fluid,  and  rendered  incapable  of  expanding  by  its  pressure. 

Here,  as  in  pneumonia,  the  bleeding  should  be  prompt  and  copious.  Next,  and  of 
great  importance,  aperient  medicine  should  be  administered — that,  the  effect  of  which 
is  so  desirable,  but  which  we  do  not  dare  to  give  when  the  mucous  membrane  of  the 
respiratory  passages  is  the  seat  of  disease.  Here  we  have  to  do  with  a  serous  mem- 
brane, and  there  is  less  sympathy  with  the  mucous  membranes  of  either  cavity. 
Small  doses  of  aloes  should  be  given  with  the  usual  fever  medicine,  and  repeated 
morning  and  night  until  the  dung  becomes  pultaceous,  when  it  will  always  be  pru- 
dent to  stop.  The  sedative  medicine  is  that  which  has  been  recommended  in  pneu- 
monia, and  in  the  same  doses.  Next  should  follow  a  blister  on  the  chests  and  sides. 
It  is  far  preferable  to  setons,  for  it  can  be  brought  almost  into  contact  with  the  inflamed 
surface,  and  extended  over  the  whole  of  that  surface.  An  airy,  bat  a  comfortable  box, 
is  likewise  even  more  necessary  than  in  pneumonia,  and  the  practice  of  exposure, 
uncovered,  to  the  cold,  even  more  absurd  and  destructive.  The  blood,  repelled  from 
the  skin  by  the  contractile,  depressing  influence  of  the  cold,  would  rush  with  fatal 
impetus  to  the  neighbouring  membrane,  to  which  it  was  before  dangerously  deter- 
mined.    Warm  and  comfortable  clothing  cannot  be  dispensed  with  in  pleurisy. 

The  sedative  medicines,  however,  should  be  omitted  much  sooner  than  in  pneumo- 
nia, and  succeeded  by  diuretics.  The  common  turpentine  is  as  good  as  any,  made 
into  a  ball  with  linseed  meal,  and  given  in  doses  of  two  or  three  drachms  twice  in 
the  day.  If  the  constitution  is  much  impaired,  tonics  may  be  cautiously  given,  as 
soon  as  the  violence  of  the  disease  is  abated.  The  spirit  of  nitrous  ether  is  a  mild 
stinQulant  and  a  diuretic.  Small  quantities  of  gentian  and  ginger  may  be  added,  but 
the  turpentine  must  not  be  omitted. 

By  auscultation  and  other  modes  of  examination,  the  existence  of  effusion  in  the 
chest  is  perhaps  ascertained,  and,  possibly,  it  is  increasing.  Is  there  any  mechanical 
way  of  getting  rid  of  it "?  There  is  one  to  which  recourse  should  be  had  as  soon  as  it 
is  evident  that  there  is  considerable  fluid  in  the  chest.  The  operation  of  Paracentesis, 
or  tapping,  should  be  performed  ;  it  is  a  very  simple  one.  The  side-line  may  be  had 
recourse  to,  or  the  twitch  alone  may  be  used.  One  of  the  horse's  legs  being  held  up, 
and,  counting  back  from  the  sternum  to  between  the  seventh  and  eighth  ribs,  the  sur- 
geon should  pass  a  moderate-sized  trochar  into  the  chest  immediately  above  the  car- 
tilages. He  will  not  have  selected  the  most  dependent  situation,  but  as  near  it  as  he 
could  with  safety  select ;  for  there  would  not  have  been  room  between  the  cartilages 
if  the  puncture  had  been  lower;  and  these  would  have  been  injured  in  the  forcing  of 
the  instrument  betvveen  them,  or,  what  is  worse,  there  would  have  been  great  hazard 
of  wounding  the  pericardium,  for  the  apex  of  the  heart  rests  on  the  sternum.  Through 
this  aperture,  close  to  the  cartilages,  the  far  greater  part  of  the  fluid  may  be  evacuated. 
The  operator  will  now  withdraw  the  stilette,  and  let  the  fluid  run  through  the  canula. 
He  will  not  trouble  himself  afterwards  about  the  wound ;  it  will  heal  readily  enough; 
perhaps  too  quick,  for,  could  it  be  kept  open  a  few  days,  it  might  act  as  a  very  useful 
drain  It  should  be  attempted  early.  Recourse  should  be  had  to  the  operation  as  soon 
as  It  is  ascertained  that  there  is  considerable  fluid  in  the  chest,  for  the  animal  will  at 
least  be  relieved  for  a  while,  and  some  time  will  have  been  given  for  repose  to  the 
overlaboured  lungs,  and  for  the  system  generally  to  be  recruited.  The  fluid  will  be 
evacuated  before  the  lungs  are  too  much  debilitated  by  laborious  action  against  the 
pressure  of  the  water,  and  a  state  of  collapse  brought  on,  from  which  they  will  be 
incapable  of  recovering.     They  only  who  have  seen  the  collapsed  and  condensed  state 


820  PLEURISY.' 

of  the  lung  that  had  been  long  compressed  by  the  fluid,  can  conceive  of  the  extent  to 
which  this  is  carried.  It  should  be  added — a  fact  important  and  alarming — that  tho 
records  of  veterinary  surgery  contain  very  few  cases  of  permanently  successful  per 
formance  of  the  operation.  This  should  not  discourage  the  practitioner  from  attempt- 
ing it,  but  should  induce  him  to  consider  whether  he  may  not  perform  it  under  happier 
auspices,  before  the  lungs  and  the  serous  membrane  which  lines  the  cavity  have  been 
too  much  disorganised,  and  the  constitution  itself  sadly  debilitated.  There  could  not 
be  any  well-founded  objection  to  an  earlier  resort  to  paracentesis,  and  he  must  be  a 
bungler  indeed  who  wounded  any  important  part. 

It  should  be  ascertained  by  auscultation  whether  there  is  fluid  in  both  cavities.  If 
there  should  be,  and  in  considerable  quantity,  it  will  not  be  prudent  to  operate  on 
both  sides  at  once.  If  much  fluid  is  discharsj^ed,  there  -will  be  acceleration  and  diffi- 
culty of  respiration  to  a  very  great  degree.  The  practitioner  must  not  be  alarmed  at 
this  ;  it  will  pass  over,  and  on  the  next  day  he  may  attack  the  other  side ;  or  open 
both  at  once,  if  there  is  but  little  fluid  in  either. 

Having  resorted  to  this  operation,  a  course  of  diuretics  with  tonics  should  be 
immediately  commenced,  and  the  absorbents  roused  to  action  before  the  cavity  fills 
again. 

There  is  in  pleurisy  a  far  greater  tendency  to  relapse  than  in  pneumonia.  The 
lungs  do  not  perfectly  recover  from  their  state  of  collapse,  nor  the  serous  membrane 
from  its  long  maceration  in  the  effused  fluid  :  oedema,  cough,  disinclination  to  work, 
incapability  of  rapid  progression,  colicky  pains  —  as  the  unobservant  practitioner 
would  call  them  —  but  in  truth  pleuritic  stitches;  these  are  the  frequent  sequela3  of 
pleurisy.  This  will  afl'ord  another  reason  why  the  important  operation  of  paracentesis 
should  not  be  deferred  too  long. 

There  is  much  greater  disposition  to  metastasis  than  in  pneumonia :  indeed  it  is 
easy  to  imagine  that  the  inflammation  of  a  mere  membrane  may  more  readily  and 
oftener  shift  than  that  of  the  substance  of  so  large  a  viscus  as  the  lungs.  The  inflani- 
mation  shifting  its  first  ground,  attacks  almost  every  part  indiscriminately,  and 
appears  under  a  strangly  puzzling  variety  of  forms.  Dropsy  is  the  most  frequent 
change.  Eff'usion  in  the  abdomen  is  substituted  for  that  of  the  chest,  or  rather  the 
exhalent  or  absorbent  vessels  of  the  abdomen,  or  both  of  them,  soon  sympathise  in 
the  debility  of  those  of  the  thorax. 


THE    STOMACH. 


TUl 


CHAPTER   IX. 
THE    ABDOMEN    AND    ITS    CONTENTS. 


THE  STOMACH. 


a      The  oesophagus  or  gullet,  extending  to  the  stomach. 

6      The  entrance  of  the  gullet  into  the  stomach.    The  circular  layers  of  the  muscles  are  very 

thick,  and  strong,  and  which,  by  their  contractions,  help  to  render  it  difficult  for  the 

food  to  be  returned  or  vomited. 
c       The  portion  of  the  stomach  which  is  covered  by  cuticle,  or  insensible  skin. 
d  d  The  margin,  which  separates  the  cuticular  from  the  villous  portion.  _        •     •     ,1 

e  e    The  mucous,  or  villous  (velvet)  portion  of  the  stomach,  in  which  the  food  is  prmcipally 

digested. 
f      The  communication  between  the  stomach  and  the  first  intestine. 
g      The  common  orifice  through  which  the  bile  and  the  secretion  from  the  pancreas  pass  mto 

the  first  intestine.     The  two  pins  mark  the  two  tubes  here  united. 
A      A  smaller  orifice,  through  which  a  portion  of  the  secretion  of  the  pancreas  enters  the 

intestines. 

The  (Esophagus,  as  has  already  been  stated,  consists  of  a  muscular  membranous 
tube,  extending  from  the  posterior  part  of  the  mouth  down  the  left  side  of  the  neck, 
pursuing-  its  course  through  the  chest,  penetrating  through  the  crura  of  the  diaphragm, 
and  reaching  to  and  terminating  in  the  stomach.  It  does  not,  however,  enter  straight 
into  the  stomach,  and  with  a  large  open  orifice ;  but  there  is  an  adinirable  provision  made 
to  prevent  the  regurgitation  of  "the  food  when  the  stomach  is  filled  and  the  horse  sud- 
denly called  upon  to  perform  unusually  hard  work.  The  esophagus  enters  the 
stomach  in  a  somewhat  curved  direction — it  runs  obliquely  through  the  muscular  and 
cuticular  coats  for  some  distance,  and  then  its  fibres  arrange  themselves  around  the 
opening  into  the  stomach.  Close  observation  has  shown,  that  they  form  themselves 
into  segments  of  circles,  interlacing  each  other,  and  by  their  contraction  plainly  and 
forcibly  closing  the  opening,  so  that  the  regurgitation  of  the  food  is  almost  im- 
possible. 

The  following  is  a  simple  but  accurate  delineation  of  the  structure  of  the  termina- 
tion oi  the  oesophagus,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  encircles  the  orifice  of  the  stomachi. 
We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Ferguson,  of  Dublin,  for  this  interesting  discovery. 
19* 


22  THE    ABDOMEN    AND    ITS    CONTENTS. 

\  microscope  of  very  feeble  power  will  beautifully  show  this  singular  construction. 

It  is  not  precisely  either  a  sphincter  muscle 
or  a  valve,  but  it  is  a  strong  and  almost 
insuperable  obstacle  to  the  regurgitation  of 
the  food.  The  left  side  of  the  stomach  is 
in  contact  with  the  diaphragm.  It  is  pressed 
upon  by  every  motion  of  the  diaphragm, 
and  hence  the  reason  why  the  stomach  is 
so  small  compared  with  the  size  of  the 
animal.  It  is  indeed  strangely  small,  in 
order  that  it  might  not  press  too  hardly 
upon  the  diaphragm,  or  painfully  interfere 
uith  the  process  of  respiration,  when  the 
utmost  energies  of  the  horse  are  occasion- 
ally taxed  immediately  after  he  has  been 
fed. 

At  the  lower  or  pyloric  orifice,  the  mus- 
cles are  also  increased  in  number  and  in  size.  These  are  arranged  in  the  same 
manner,  with  sufficient  power  to  resist  the  pressure  of  the  diaphragm,  and  retain  the 
contents  of  the  stomach  until  they  have  undergone  the  digestive  process. 

The  situation  of  the  stomach  will  at  once  explain  the  reason  why  a  horse  is  so 
much  distressed,  and  sometimes  irreparably  injured,  if  worked  hard  immediately  after 
a  full  meal.  The  stomach  must  be  displaced  and  driven  back  by  every  contraction 
of  the  diaphragm  or  act  of  inspiration ;  and  in  proportion  to  the  fulness  of  the  stomach 
will  be  the  weight  to  be  overcome,  and  the  labour  of  the  diaphragm,  and  the  exhaus- 
tion of  the  animal.  If  the  stomach  is  much  distended,  it  may  be  too  weighty  to  be 
forced  sufficiently  far  back  to  make  room  for  the  quantity  of  air  which  the  animal  in  a 
state  of  exertion  requires.  Hence  the  frequency  and  labour  of  the  breathing,  and  the 
quickness  with  which  such  a  horse  is  blown,  or  possibly  destroyed.  Hence  also  the 
folly  of  giving  too  full  a  meal,  or  too  much  water,  before  the  horse  starts  on  a  journey 
or  for  the  chaise  ;  and,  in  like  manner,  the  absurdity  and  danger  of  that  unpardonable 
custom  of  some  grooms  to  gallop  the  horse  after  his  drink,  in  order  to  warm  it  in  his 
belly,  and  prevent  gripes. 

The  horse  was  destined  to  be  the  servant  of  man,  and  to  be  always  at  his  call 
whether  fasting  or  full :  it  would  seem,  therefore,  that,  to  lessen  much  inconvenience 
or  danger,  a  srnaller  stomach,  in  proportion  to  his  size,  is  given  to  the  horse  than  to 
almost  any  other  animal.  The  bulk  of  the  horse,  and  the  services  required  of  him, 
demand  much  nutriment,  and  that  of  such  a  nature  as  to  occupy  a  very  considerable 
space ;  yet  his  stomach,  compared  with  his  bulk,  is  not  half  so  large  as  that  of  the 
human  being:  therefore,  although  he,  like  every  other  animal,  feels  inconvenience 
from  great  exertion  immediately  after  a  full  meal,  he  suflers  not  so  much  as  other 
quadrupeds,  for  his  stomach  is  small,  and  his  food  passes  rapidly  through  it,  and 
descends  to  a  part  of  the  intestines  distant  from  the  diaphragm,  and  where  the  exist- 
ence and  pressure  of  the  food  cannot  cause  him  any  annoyance. 

The  stomach  has  four  coats.  The  outermost  is  the  lining  of  the  cavity  of  the  belly, 
and  the  common  covering  of  all  the  intestines — that  by  which  they  are  confined  in 
their  respective  situations,  and  from  which  a  fluid  is  secreted  that  prevents  all  friction 
between  them.  This  is  called  the  periiuneum — that  which  stretches  round  the  inside 
of  the  stomach. 

The  second  is  the  muscular  coat,  consisting  of  two  layers  of  fibres,  one  running 
letigthways,  and  the  other  circularly,  and  by  means  of  which  a  constant  g?ntle  motion 
is  c'ommunicated  to  the  stomach,  mingling  the  food  more  intimately  together,  tnd  pre- 
paring it  for  digestion,  and  by  the  pressure  of  which  the  food  when  properly  prepared 
[s  urged  on  into  the  intestines. 

The  third,  or  cuticular  {slcin-Uke)  coat,  c,  covers  but  a  portion  of  the  inside  of  the 
stomach.  It  is  a  continuation  of  the  lining  of  the  gullet.  There  are  numerous  glands 
on  it,  which  secrete  a  mucous  fluid  ;  and  it  is  probably  intended  to  be  a  reservoir  in 
which  a  portion  of  the  food  is  retained  for  a  while,  and  softened  and  better  prepared 
for  the  action  of  the  other  or  true  digestive  portion  of  the  stomach.  The  cuticular 
coat  occupies  nearly  one-half  of  the  inside  of  the  stomach. 

The  fourth  coat  is  the  mucous  or  villous  (velvet)  coat,  c,  where  the  work  of  digestion 


THE   STOMACH.  223 

properly  commences.  The  mouths  of  numerous  little  vessels  open  upon  it,  pourintr 
out  a  peculiar  fluid,  the  gastric  (stomach)  juice,  which  mixes  with  tho  food  already 
softened,  and  converts  it  into  a  fluid  called  chyme.  As  this  is  formed,  it  passes  out 
of  the  other  orifice  of  the  stomach,  the  pylorus  (doorkeepers),/,  and  enters  the  first 
small  intestine  ;  the  liarder  and  undissolved  parts  being  turned  back  to  undero-o  farther 
fiction. 

Every  portion  of  the  muscular  coat  has  the  power  of  successively  contracting  and 
relaxing,  and  thus,  in  the  language  of  Dr.  Bostock,  '•  the  successive  contraction  of 
each  part  of  the  stomach,  by  producing  a  series  of  folds  and  wrinkles,  serves  to  agitate 
the  alimentary  mass,  and,  by  bringing  every  part  of  it  in  its  turn  to  the  surface,  to 
expose  it  to  the  influence  of  the  gastric  juice,  while  at  the  same  time  the  whole  of  the 
contents  are  gradually  propelled  forwards,  from  the  orifice  which  is  connected  with 
the  oesophagus  to  that  by  which  they  are  discharged." 

The  cerebro-visceral  nerve  is  the  agent  in  producing  these  alternate  contractions 
and  relaxations.  It  is  the  motor  nerve  belonging  to  these  parts.  It  has  to  keep  the 
parietes  of  the  stomach  in  contact  with  the  food,  and  the  food  in  contact  with  the 
gastric  juice.  It  has  to  bring  the  different  parts  of  the  food  in  successive  contact  with 
the  stomach,  and  to  propel  them  through  this  portion  of  the  alimentary  canal  in  ordej 
that  they  may  be  discharged  into  the  duodenum. 

A  viscus  thus  situated  and  thus  employed  must  occasionally  be  subject  to  inflam- 
mation, and  various  other  lesions.  The  symptoms,  however,  are  obscure  and  fre- 
quently mistaken.  Tliey  resemble  those  of  colic  more  than  anything  else,  and  should 
be  met  by  bleedinj,  oleaginous  purges,  mashes,  tepid  gruel,  and  the  application  of 
the  stomach-pump  :  but  when,  in  addition  to  the  colicky  pains,  there  appear  indistinct- 
ness of  the  pulse — and  a  very  characteristic  symptom  that  is — pallidness  of  the  mem- 
branes, coldness  of  the  mouth,  frequent  lying  down,  and  in  such  position  that  the 
weight  of  the  horse  ma}'  rest  on  the  chest,  frequently  pointing  with  his  muzzle  at  the 
seat  of  pain,  and,  especially,  if  these  symptoms  are  accompanied  or  followed  by  vomit- 
ing, rupture  of  the  stomach  is  plainly  indicated.  Considering  the  situati"on  of  the 
stomach,  and  the  concussions  and  violence  to  which  it  is  exposed  from  the  diaphragm 
and  from  the  viscera  around  it,  this  accident  will  not  appear  extraordinarj'.  The  horse 
does  not  necessarily  die  as  soon  as  this  accident  occurs.  In  a  case  related  by  Mr. 
Rogers,  the  animal  died  in  about  four  hours  after  the  accident;*  but  in  one  that 
occurred  in  the  practice  of  the  author,  three  days  elapsed  between  the  probable  rupture 
of  the  stomach,  from  a  sudden  and  violent  fall,  and  the  death  of  the  animal,  and  in 
which  interval  he  several  times  ate  a  little  food.  The  rupture  was  at  the  rigfht  extre- 
mity of  the  stomach,  and  there  were  several  distinct  layers  of  impacted  food  between 
it  and  the  liver.  The  liver  seemed  to  have  acted  as  a  kind  of  valve.  The  stomach  was 
found  still  distended,  the  edges  of  the  rupture  hfiving  the  dull  and  sodden  appearance 
of  an  old  wound.  There  was  comparatively  little  fluid  in  the  abdominal  cavity,  and 
no  disposition  to  vomit  occurred  during  any  period. f 

A  case  showing  the  insensibility  of  the  stomach,  wisely  and  kindly  given,  con- 
sidering the  shocks  and  dangers  to  which  this  viscus  is  exposed,  is  recorded  bv  INIr. 
Hayes.l  A  drench  was  ordered  for  a  horse.  For  want  of  a  horn,  the  stable-keeper 
made  use  of  a  wine-bottle,  without  examining  whether  it  was  clean  or  foul.  Shortly 
afterwards  it  was  discovered  that  the  bottle  had  contained  three  or  four  ounces  of 
liquid  blister.  This  was  kept  a  profound  secret  until  the  death  of  the  animal,  and 
that  did  not  happen  until  twelve  days  afterwards.  The  horse  had  eaten  his  provender 
in  the  same  manner  as  usual,  and  had  performed  his  usual  work  until  about  two  hours 
before  his  death,  when  he  lay  down,  rolled  about,  bruised  himscdf  sadly,  and  died. 
The  food,  consisting  of  hay,  oats,  and  beans,  was  lodged  and  impacted  between  the 
folds  of  the  intestines,  and  the  whole  abdominal  viscera  appeared  as  if  they  had  been 
thus  surrounded  a  considerable  time  before  death.  The  stomach  was  ruptured  in 
many  directions,  and  almost  decomp.-ipd.  Its  coats  were  nearly  destroyed,  and  huno- 
like  racrs  about  the  orifice  through  wnich  the  food  was  received,  and  that  through 
which  it  naturally  was  expelled.  This  account  proves  how  little  we  are  to  depend 
upon  any  apparent  symptoms  as  indicating  the  real  state  of  the  stomach  in  the  horse. 

Mr.  Brown  relates  a  case  of  polypus  found  in  the  stomach,  and  which  had  remained 

*  The  Farrier  and  Naturalist,  vol.  ii.,  p.  9. 

t  The  Veterinary-Medical  Association,  1S36-7,  p.  109.      t  The  Veterinarian,  vol.  x.  p.  615. 


224 


THE  ABDOMEN   AND    ITS   CONTENTS 


dT? 


there  unsuspected  until  it  weighed  nearly  half-a-pound,  it  tlien  became  entangled  m 
the  pyloric  orifice,  and  prevented  the  passage  of  the  food,  and  destroyed  the  horse.* 


BOTS. 

In  the  spring  and  early  part  of  the  summer,  horses  are  much  troubled  by  a  grub  or 
caterpillar,  which  crawls  out  of  the  anus,  fastens  itself  under  the  tail,  and  seems  to 
cause  a  great  deal  of  itching  or  uneasiness.  Grooms  are  sometimes  alarmed  at  the 
appearance  of  these  insects.  Their  history  is  curious,  and  will  dispel  ever}'  fear 
with  regard  to  them.  We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Bracy  Clark  for  almost  all  we  know 
of  the  hot. 

CUT    OF   THE    EOT. 


a  and  b  The  eggs  of  the  gad-fly,  adhering  to  the  hair  of  the  horse. 

•    c  The  appearance  of  the  bots  on  the  stomach,  firmly  adhering  by  their  hooked  mouths. 
The  marks  or  depressions  are  seen  which  are  left  on  the  coat  of  the  stomach 
when  the  bots  are  detached  from  their  hold. 
d  The  bot  detached. 

e  The  female  of  the  gad-fly,  of  the  horse,  prepared  to  deposit  her  eggs. 
/  The  gad-fly  by  which  the  red  bots  are  produced. 
g  The  smaller,  or  red  bot. 

A  species  of  gad-fly,  e,  the  cetrus  equi,  is  in  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  exceed- 
ingly busy  about  the  horse.  It  is  observed  to  be  darting  with  great  rapidity  towards 
the  knees  and  sides  of  the  animal.  The  females  are  depositing  their  eggs  on  the 
hair,  and  which  adhere  to  it  by  means  of  a  glutinous  fluid  witli  which  they  are  sur- 
rounded (a  and  b).  In  a  few  days  the  eggs  are  ready  to  be  hatched,  and  the  sliglit- 
est  application  of  warmth  and  moisture  will  liberate  the  little  animals  which  they 
contain.  The  horse  in  licking  himself  touches  the  egg;  it  bursts,  and  a  small  worm 
escapes,  which  adheres  to  the  tongue,  and  is  conveyed  with  the  food  into  the  stomach. 
There  it  clings  to  the  cuticular  portion  of  the  stomach,  c,  by  means  of  a  hook  on 
either  side  of  its  mouth ;  and  its  hold  ir  so  firm  and  so  obstinate,  that  it  must  be 
broken  before  it  can  be  detached.  It  remains  there  feeding  on  the  mucus  of  the  sto- 
mach during  the  whole  of  the  winter,  and  until  the  end  of  the  ensuing  spring;  when, 
having  attained  a  considerable  size,  d,  and  being  destined  to  undergo  a  certain  trans- 
formation, it  disengages  itself  from  the  cuticular  coat,  is  carried  into  the  villous  por- 
tion of  the  stomacli  with  the  food,  passes  out  of  it  with  the  chyme,  and  is  evacuated 
with  the  dung. 

The  larva  or  maggot  seeks  shelter  in  the  ground,  and  buries  itself  there;  it  con- 
tracts in  size,  and  becomes  a  chrysalis  or  grub,  in  which  state  it  lies  inactive  for  a 
few  weeks,  and  then,  bursting  from  its  confinement,  assumes  the  form  of  a  fl}'.  The 
female,  becoming  impregnated,  quickly  deposits  her  eggs  on  those  parts  of  the  horse 
which  he  is  most  accustomed  to  lick,  and  thus  the  species  is  perpetuated. 

There  are  several  plain  conclusions  to  be  drawn  from  this  history.     The  bots  can 

*  The  Veterinarian,  vol.  vii.,  p.  76. 


POISONS.  225 

not,  while  they  inhabit  the  stomach  of  the  horse,  g^ive  the  animal  any  pain,  for  they 
have  fastened  on  the  cuticular  and  insensible  coat.  They  cannot  stimulate  the  sto- 
mach, and  increase  its  digestive  power,  for  they  are  not  on  the  digestive  portion  of  the 
stom.ieb.  They  cannot,  by  their  roughness,  assist  the  trituration  or  rubbing  down 
of  the  food,  for  no  such  office  is  performed  in  that  part  of  the  stomach — the  food  is 
softened,  not  rubbed  down.  They  cannot  be  injurious  to  the  horse,  for  he  enjoys  the 
most  perfect  health  when  the  cuticular  part  of  his  stomach  is  filled  with  them,  and 
their  presence  is  not  even  suspected  until  they  appear  at  the  anus.  They  cannot  be 
removed  by  medicine,  because  they  are  not  in  that  part  of  the  stomach  to  which  medi- 
cine is  usually  conveyed  ;  and  if  they  were,  their  mouths  are  too  deeply  buried  in  the 
mucus  for  any  medicine,  that  can  be  safely  administered,  to  atfect  them;  and,  last  of 
all,  in  due  course  of  time  they  detach  tliemselves,  and  come  away.  Therefore,  the 
wise  man  will  leave  them  to  themselves,  or  content  himself  with  picking  them  off 
when  they  collect  under  the  tail  and  annoy  the  animal. 

The  smaller  hot, /and  g,  is  not  so  frequently  found. 

Of  inflammation  of  the  stomach  of  the  horse,  except  from  poisonous  herbs,  or 
drugs,  we  know  little.  It  rarely  occurs.  It  can  with  difficulty  be  distinguished  from 
inflammation  of  the  bowels ;  and,  in  either  case,  the  assistance  of  the  veterinary  sur- 
geon is  required. 

Few  horses  are  destroyed  by  poisonous  plants  in  our  meadows.  Natural  instinct 
teaches  the  animal  to  avoid  the  greater  part  of  those  that  would  be  injurious. 

We  cannot  do  better  than  abbreviate  the  list  of  poisonous  agents,  and  the  means 
of  averting  their  fatal  influence,  given  b}'  Mr.  Morton,  the  Professor  of  Chemistry 
and  Materia  Medica  at  the  Royal  Veterinary  College.*  It  will  occasionally  be 
exceedingly  useful  to  the  proprietor  of  horses. 

He  begins  with  the  Animal  Poisons.  The  bite  of  the  viper  has  been  occasionally 
fatal  to  dogs  and  sheep.  A  horse  was  brought  to  the  Veterinary  College  that  had 
been  bitten  in  the  hind  leg  while  hunting.  There  was  considerable  swelling,  and 
the  place  of  the  bite  was  evident  enough.  Mr.  Armstrong  mentions  a  case  in  which 
a  horse,  bitten  by  a  viper,  sunk  into  a  kind  of  coma,  from  which  he  could  not  be 
roused.  The  antidote,  which  seldom  or  never  fails,  is  an  alkaline  solution  of  almost 
any  kind,  taken  internally  and  applied  externally.  There  is  no  chemical  eflfect  on 
the  circulation,  but  the  alkali  acts  as  a  powerful  counter-irritant.  In  very  bad  cases, 
opium  may  be  added  to  the  alkaline  solution. 

Hornets,  Wasps,  &c. — These  are  spoken  of,  because  there  are  records  of  horses 
being  attacked  by  a  swarm  of  them,  and  destroyed.  The  spirit  of  turpentine  is  the 
best  external  application,  and,  if  given  in  not  undue  quantities  and  guarded  by  an 
admixture  with  oil,  may  be  useful. 

Cantharides  constitute  a  useful  drug  in  some  few  cases!  It  is  one  of  the  applica- 
tions used  in  order  to  excite  the  process  of  blistering.  It  was  occasionally  employed 
as  a  medicine  in  small  quantities,  and,  combined  with  vegetable  tonics,  it  has  been 
given  in  small  doses,  for  the  cure  of  glanders,  farcy,  and  nasal  gleet.  It  is  valuable 
in  cases  of  general  and  extreme  debility.  It  is  a  useful  general  stimulant  wlien  judi- 
ciously applied :  but  it  must  be  given  in  small  doses,  and  never  except  under  the 
direction  of  a  skilful  practitioner.  A  drachm  of  the  powdered  fly  would  destroy  almost 
any  horse.  In  the  breeding  season  it  is  too  often  shamefully  given  as  an  excitement 
to  the  horse  and  the  mare,  and  many  a  valuable  animal  has  been  destroyed  by  this 
abominable  practice.  It  is  usually  given  in  the  form  of  ball,  in  which  case  it  may 
be  detected  by  the  appearance  of  small  glittering  portions  of  the  fly,  which  are  sepa- 
rated on  the  inner  side  of  the  dung-ball  in  hot  water.  If  the  accidental  or  too  pow 
erful  administration  of  it  is  suspected,  recourse  should  be  had  to  bleeding,  purging, 
and  plentiful  drenching  with  oily  and  demulcent  fluids. 

The  leaves  of  the  Yew  are  said  to  be  danjerous  to  the  horse,  as  well  as  to  many 
other  animals.  "Two  horses  that  had  been  employed  in  carrying  fodder,  were 
thoughtlessly  placed  under  a  large  yew-tree,  which  tliey  cropped  with  eagferness.  In 
three  hours  they  began  to  stagger  —  both  of  them  dropped,  and  before  the  harness 
could  be  taken  off,  they  were  dead.  A  great  quantity  of  yew-leaves  w-ere  found  in 
the  stomachs,  which  were  contracted  and  inflamed. "f     Mr.  W.  C.  Spooner  mentions 

*  Veterinary  Medical  Association,  1836-7,  p.  41. 
t  Loudon's  Magazine  of  Natural  History,  vol.  viii.  p.  81. 
2d 


226  THE   ABDOMEN    AND    ITS    CONTENTS. 

a  case  of  violent  suspicion  of  the  poisoning  of  ap  ass  and  a  mare  in  the  same  way.* 
On  the  other  hand,  Professor  Sewell  says,  that  on  the  farm  on  which  he  resided  in 
his  early  years,  the  horses  and  cattle  had  every  opportunity  of  eating  yew.  They 
pastured  and  slept  under  the  shelter  of  yew-trees,  and  were  often  observed  to  browse 
on  the  branches. I  He  thinks  that  these  supposed  cases  of  poisoning  have  talcen  place 
only  when  enormous  quantities  of  the  yew  had  been  eaten,  and  that  it  was  more  acute 
indigestion  than  poisoning.  There  are,  however,  too  many  cases  of  horses  dying  after 
feeding  on  the  yew,  to  render  it  safe  to  cultivate  it  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  farm, 
either  in  the  form  of  tree  or  hedge. 

The  Hydrocyanic,  or  Prussic  ^cid,  belongs  to  the  class  of  vegetable  poisons,  but  it 
is  scarcely  possible  for  the  horse  to  be  accidentally  injured  or  destroyed  by  it.  Ten 
grains  of  the  farina  of  the  croton  nut  should  be  given  as  soon  as  the  poison  is  sus- 
pected, and  the  patient  should  be  drenched  largely  with  equal  parts  of  vinegar  and 
thin  gruel,  and  the  croton  repeated  after  the  lapse  of  six  hours,  if  it  has  not  previously 
operated. 

The  Water  Dropwort  {(Enanthe fistulosa),  common  in  ditches  and  marshy  places,  is 
generally  refused  by  horses  ;  but  brood  mares,  with  appetite  somewhat  vitiated  by 
their  being  in  foal,  have  been  destroyed  by  it.  The  antidote  would  be  vinegar  and 
gruel,  and  bleeding,  if  there  is  inflammation. 

The  Water  Parsley,  {Mthusa  Cynapium)  deserves  not  all  the  bad  reputation  it  has 
acquired  ;  although,  when  eaten  in  too  great  quantities,  it  has  produced  pals)^  in  the 
horse,  which  has  been  strangely  attributed  to  a  harmless  beetle  that  inhabits  the  stem. 

Of  the  Common  Hemlock  {Conium  maciilatum),  and  the  Wafer  Hemlock  {CEnanthe 
crocata),  the  author  knows  no  harm,  so  far  as  the  horse  is  concerned.  He  has 
repeatedly  seen  him  eat  the  latter  without  any  bad  effect ;  but  cows  have  been  poi- 
soned by  it. 

The  Eupharbium,  or  Spurge,  so  common  and  infamous  an  ingredient  in  the  Farrier's 
Blister,  has  destroyed  many  a  horse  from  the  irritation  which  it  has  set  up,  and  the 
torture  it  has  occasioned,  and  should  never  find  a  place  in  the  Veterinary  Pharma- 
copoeia. 

Colocynth  and  Elaterium  fairly  rank  among  the  substances  that  are  poisonous  to  the 
horse;  and  so  does  the  Bryony  Root  {Bryonia  dioica),  notwithstanding  that  it  is  fre- 
quently given  to  horses,  in  many  parts  of  the  country,  as  a  great  promoter  of  condi- 
tion. Many  a  young  horse  has  been  brought  into  a  state  of  artificial  condition  and 
excitement  by  the  use  of  the  Bryony.  It  is  one  of  the  abominable  secrets  of  the  horse- 
breaker.  This  state  of  excitation,  however,  soon  passes  away,  and  is  succeeded  by 
temporary  or  permanent  diminution  of  vital  power.  "We  have  occasionally  traced 
much  mischief  to  this  infamous  practice. 

Not  less  injurious  is  the  Savin  {Juniperus  Sahina).  It  is  well  known  as  a  vermifuge 
in  the  human  subject,  and  it  is  occasionally  given  to  the  horse  for  the  same  purpose; 
but  it  is  a  favourite  with  the  carter  and  the  groom  as  a  promoter  of  condition.  A 
very  great  proportion  of  farmers'  servants  regard  it  as  a  drug  efiecting  some  good 
purpose,  although  they  can  scarcely  define  what  that  purpose  is  ;  and  there  is  scarcely 
a  countr}'  stable  in  which  it  is  not  occasionally  found,  and  in  which  the  horse  is  not 
endangered,  or  perhaps  destroyed,  by  its  use.  It  is  high  time  that  the  horse-master 
looked  more  carefully  to  this,  and  suffered  no  drug  to  be  administered  to  his  horses 
and  cattle,  except  by  his  direction  or  that  of  the  medical  attendant.  The  farmer  and 
the  gentleman  can  scarcely  conceive  to  what  an  abominable  extent  this  vile  practice 
prevails.  The  presence  of  savine  will  be  best  detected  in  the  stomach  of  a  horso 
that  has  died  under  suspicious  circumstances,  by  the  black-curraiU-kaf  smell  of  the 
contents,  when  boiled  in  a  little  water,  or  beaten  in  a  mortar. 

The  Common  Brake  (Ptcris  aquilina),  and  the  Slune  Fern  {Plcris  crispo),  are  violent 
and  danfjerous  diuretics,  and,  on  account  of  their  possessing  this  property,  are  pro- 
bably favourites  with  the  horse-keeper  and  the  groom.  The  diuretic  influence  is 
usually  evident  enough,  but  not  the  injurious  effect  which  it  has  on  the  lining  mem- 
brane of  the  bladder,  and  the  predisposition  to  inflammation  which  it  excites  in  the 
urinary  organs.  This  has  been  too  much  underrated,  even  by  those  who  have 
Inquired  into  tne  subject.     If  the  cuticulsr  coat  of  the  stomach  is  found  not  merely  in 

*  Veterinarian,  vol.  x.  p.  685. 

t  Abstract  of  the  Vet.  Med.  Association,  vol.  i.  p.  62. 


THE  INTESTINES.  227 

a  state  of  great  inflammation,  but  will  readily  peel  or  wash  ofl:',  it  must  necessarily  be 
a  dangerous  medicament,  and  should  be  banished  entirely  from  tlie  stable.* 

Of  the  mineral  poisons,  it  will  be  necessary  to  mention  only  two.  Arsenic  was 
once  in  great  repute  as  a  tonic  and  vermifuge.  Doses  sufficient  to  kill  three  or  four 
men  were  daily  administered,  and  generally  with  impunity.  In  some  cases,  however, 
the  dose  was  too  powerful,  and  the  animal  was  destroyed.  Two  of  the  pupils  of  the 
author  were  attending  the  patients  of  a  veterinary  surgeon,  who  was  confined  in  con- 
sequence of  a  serious  accident.  Among  them  was  a  valuable  horse,  labouring  under 
inflammation  of  the  lungs.  The  disease  was  subdued,  and  the  patient  was  convales- 
cent. At  this  period,  our  friend  beg-an  to  regain  sufficient  strength  to  travel  a  short 
distance.  The  first  patient  that  he  visited  was  this  horse,  whose  ailments  had  all 
passed  away.  He  could  not,  however,  let  well  alone,  but  sent  some  arsenic  balls. 
In  less  than  a  week  this  noble  animal  was  taken  to  the  knacker's.  There  are  far 
better  vermifuges  and  tonics  than  this  dangerous  drug,  which  will  probably  soon  be 
discarded  from  veterinary  practice. 

Q)rrosive  Sublimate  is  given  internally,  and  occasionally  with  advantage,  in  farcy, 
and,  as  an  external  application,  it  is  used  to  destroy  vermin,  to  cure  mange,  and  to 
dispose  deep  and  fistulous  ulcers  to  heal. 

It  may,  however,  be  given  in  too  large  a  dose,  the  symptoms  of  which  are,  loss  of 
appetite,  discharge  of  saliva  from  the  mouth,  pawing,  looking  eagerly  at  the  flanks, 
rolling,  profuse  perspiration,  thready  pulse,  rapid  weakness,  violent  purging  and 
straining,  convulsions,  and  death. 

The  stomach  will  be  found  intensely  inflamed,  with  patches  of  yet  greater  inflam- 
mation. The  whole  course  of  the  intestines  will  be  inflamed,  with  particular  parts 
black  and  gangrenous. 

The  antidote,  if  it  is  not  too  late  to  administer  it,  would  be — for  arsenic,  lime-water, 
or  chalk  and  water,  or  soap  and  water,  given  in  great  quantities  by  means  of  the 
stomach-pump  ;  and  for  corrosive  sublimate,  the  white  of  eggs  mixed  with  water,  or 
tlrick  starch,  or  arrow-root. 

Is  there  really  occasion  for  the  owner  of  horses  to  be  acquainted  with  these  things? 
Long  experience  has  taught  the  author  that  poisoning  with  these  drugs  is  not  so  rare 
a  circumstance  as  some  imagine.  In  the  farmer's  stable,  he  has  occasionally  been 
compelled  unwillingly  to  decide  that  the  death  of  one  or  more  horses  has  been  attri- 
butable to  arsenic  or  corrosive  sublimate,  and  not  to  any  peculiar  disease,  or  to  any- 
thing wrong  in  the  manner  of  feeding.  A  scoundrel  was  executed  in  1812,  for 
administering  arsenic  and  corrosive  sublimate  to  several  horses.  He  had  been 
engaged  in  these  enormities  during  four  long  years.  The  discarded  or  ofl^ended  carter 
has  wreaked  his  revenge  in  a  similar  way ;  but  oftener,  in  his  eagerness  to  get  a  more 
glossy  coat  on  his  horses  than  a  rival  servant  could  exhibit,  he  has  tampered  with 
these  dangerous  drugs. 

The  owner  may  easily  detect  this.  "Arsenic,  if  mixed  with  charcoal  and  heated, 
emits  a  verj'  perceptible  smell  of  garlic.  Sulphuretted  hydrogen,  added  to  a  watery 
solution  of  arsenic,  throws  down  a  yellow  precipitate — lime-water  a  white  one — and 
the  ammoniaco-sulphate  of  copper  a  green  one."-}-  ,^ 

The  following  are  the  tests  of  corrosive  sublimate: — "It  is  sublimed  by  heat,  leav- 
ing no  residuum,  and  is  soluble  in  water,  alcohol,  and  sulphuric  ether.  Lime-water 
gives  either  a  lemon-yellow  precipitate,  or  a  brick-dust  red  one.  The  iodide  of  potash 
occasions  a  scarlet  precipitate.  The  most  curious  test  is,  however,  by  means  of  gal- 
vanism. A  drop  of  the  suspected  solution  is  placed  on  a  sovereign,  and  a  small  key 
being  brought  into  contact  simultaneously  with  both  the  gold  and  the  solution,  an 
electric  current  is  produced  which  decomposes  the  bichloride  of  mercury,  for  such  it 
is>.     The  chlorine  unites  with  the  iron,  and  the  mercury  with  the  gold.":;: 

THE  INTESTINES. 

The  food  having  been  partially  digested  in  the  stomach,  and  converted  into  chyme, 
passes  through  the  pyloric  orifice  into  the  intestines. 

*  See  an  account  of  some  experiments  on  these  substances,  by  Mr.  Cupiss,  in  the  early 
numbers  of  "  The  Sportsman." 

t  Manual  of  Fnarniacy,  by  Professor  Morton,  Lecturer  on  Veterinary  Medicine  at  the  St. 
Pancras  Veterinary  College,  p.  42. 

t  Ditto  page  184. 


228 


THE    ABDOMEN    AND    ITS    CONTENTS. 
CUT  OF  THE  INTESTINES. 


a  The  commencement  of  the  small  intestines.     The  ducts  which  convey  the  bile  and  the 
secretion  from  the  pancreas  are  seen  entering  a  little  below. 
6  b  The  convolutions  or  winding  of  the  small  intestines. 

c  A  portion  of  the  mesentery. 

d  The  small  intestines,  terminating  in  the  caecum. 

e  The  caecum,  or  bhnd  gut,  with  the  bands  running  along  it,  puckering  and  dividing  it  into 
numerous  cells. 

/  The  beginning  of  the  colon. 
g  g  The  continuation  and  expansion  of  the  colon,  divided,  like  the  ca;cum,  into  cells. 

h  The  termination  of  the  colon  in  the  rectum. 

I  The  termination  of  the  rectum  at  the  anus. 

The  intestines  of  a  full-grown  horse  are  not  less  than  ninety  feet  in  length.  Th« 
length  of  the  bowels  in  different  animals  depends  on  tlie  nature  of  the  food.  Tht 
nutritive  matter  is  with  much  more  difficulty  extracted  from  vegetable  than  animal 
substances ;  therefore  the  alimentary  canal  is  large,  long,  and  complicated  in  those 
which,  like  the  horse,  are  principally  or  entirely  fed  on  corn  or  herbs.  They  are 
divided  into  the  small  and  large  intestines ;  the  former  of  which  occupy  about  sixty- 
six  feet,  and  the  latter  twenty-four. 

The  intestines,  like  the  stomach,  are  composed  of  three  coats. 

The  outer  one  consists  of  the  peritoneum — that  membrane  which  has  been  already 
described  as  investing  th^contents  of  the  abdomen.  By  means  of  this  coat,  the 
intestines  are  confined  in  their  proper  situations ;  and,  this  membrane  being  smooth 
and  moist,  all  friction  and  concussion  are  prevented.  Did  the  bowels  float  loosely  in 
the  abdomen,  they  would  be  subject  to  constant  entanglement  and  injury  amid  the 
rapid  and  violent  motions  of  the  horse. 

The  middle  coat,  like  that  of  the  stomach,  is  muscular,  and  composed  of  two 
layers  of  fibres,  one  running  longitudinally  and  the  other  circularly ;  and  by  means 
of  these  muscles,  which  are  continually  contracting  and  relaxing  in  a  direction  from 
the  upper  part  of  the  intestines  to  the  lower,  the  food  is  propelled  along  the  bowels. 

The  inner  coat  is  the  mucous  or  villous  one.  It  abounds  with  innumerable  small 
glands,  which  secrete  a  mucous  fluid  to  lubricate  the  passage  and  defend  it  from  irri- 
tatinor  or  acrimonious  substances;  and  it  is  said  to  be  villous  from  its  soft  velvet- 
like feeling.  This  coat  is  crowded  with  innumerable  minute  orifices  that  are  the 
commencement  of  vessels  by  which  the  nutritive  part  of  the  food  is  taken  up ;  and 
these  vessels,  unitvng  and  passing  over  the  mesentery,  carry  this  nutritive  matter  to 
a  proper  receptacle  for  it,  whence  it  is  conveyed  into  the  circulation,  and  distributed 
lo  every  part. 


THE   INTESTINES. 


229 


The  intestines  are  chiefly  retained  in  their  relative  positions  by  the  mesentery,  c 
(middle  of  the  intestines),  which  is  a  doubling  of  the  peritoneum,  including  each 
intestine  in  its  folds,  and  also  inclosing  in  its  duplicatures  the  arteries,  the  veins,  the 
nerves,  and  the  vessels  which  convey  the  nutriment  from  the  intestines  to  the  circulation. 
The  lirst  of  tlie  small  intestines,  and  commencing  from  the  right  extremity  of  the 
stomach,  is  the  duudenum,  a,  a  very  improper  name  for  it  in  the  horse,  for  in  that  ani- 
mal it  is  nearly  two  feet  in  length.  It  is  the  largest  and  shortest  of  all  the  small 
intestines.  It  receives  the  food  partially  converted  into  chyme  by  the  digestive 
power  of  the  stomach,*  and  in  which  it  undergoes  another  and  very  important 
change ;  a  portion  of  it  being  converted  into  chyle.  It  is  here  mixed  with  the  bile  and 
the  secretion  from  the  pancreas,  which  enter  this  intestine  about  five  inches  from  its 
commencement.  The  bile  seems  to  be  the  principal  agent  in  this  change,  for  no 
sooner  does  it  mingle  with  the  chyme  than  that  fluid  begins  to  be  separated  into  two 
distinct  ingredients— a  white,  thick  liquid  termed  chyle,°and  containing  the  nutritive 
part  of  the  food,  and  a  yellow,  pulpy  substance,  the  innutritive  portion,  which,  when 
the  chyle  is  all  pressed  from  it,  is  evacuated  through  the  rectum. 

The  next  portion  of  the  small  intestines  is  the  Jejunum,  so  called  because  it  is 
generally  found  to  be  empty.  It  is  smaller  in  bulk  and  paler  in  colour  than  the 
duodenum.  It  is  more  loosely  confined  in  the  abdomen  —  floating  comparatively 
unattached  in  the  cavity  of  the  abdomen,  and  the  passage  of  the  l^od  being  com- 
paratively rapid  through  it. 

There  is  no  separation  or  distinction  between  it  and  the  next  intestine — the  Ileum. 
There  is  no  point  at  which  the  jejunum  can  be  said  to  terminate  and  the  ileum  com- 
mence. Together  they  form  that  portion  of  the  intestinal  tube  which  floats  in  the 
umbilical  region :  the  latter,  however,  is  said  to  occupy  three-fifths,  and  the  former 
two-fifths,  of  this  portion  of  the  intestines,  and  the  five  would  contain  about  eleven 
gallons  of  fluid.  The  ileum  is  evidently  less  vascular  than  the  jejunum,  and  gradu- 
ally diminishes  in  size  as  it  approaches  the  larger  intestines. 

These  two  intestines  are  attached  to  the  spine  by  a  loose  doubling  of  the  peritoneum, 
and  float  freely  in  the  abdominal  cavity,  their  movements  and  their  relative  positions 
being  regulated  only  by  the  size  or  fulness  of  the  stomach,  and  the  stage  of  the 
digestive  process.j 

The  small  intestines  derive  their  blood  from  the  anterior  mesenteric  artery,  which 
divides  into  innumerable  minute  branches  that  ramify  between  their  muscular  and 
villous  coats.  Their  veins,  which  are  destitute  of  valves,  return  the  blood  into  the  vena 
cava.  The  prime  agent  in  producing  all  these  eflTects  is  the  cerebro-visceral  nerve.:j: 
The  large  intestines  are  three  in  number:  — the  aecum,  the  coloii,  and  the  rectum. 
The  first  of  them  is  the  csecum  (blind  gut),  e, 
—  it  has  but  one  opening  into  it,  and  con- 
sequently everything  that  passes  into  it,  having 
reached  the  blind  or  closed  end,  must  return, 
in  order  to  escape.  It  is  not  a  continuation  of 
the  ileum,  but  the  ileum  pierces  the  head  of  it, 
as  it  were,  at  right  angles,  (  rf,  )  and  projects 
some  way  into  it,  and  has  a  valve — the  valvula 
coli  —  at  its  extremity,  so  that  what  has  tra- 
versed the  ileum,  and  entered  the  head  of  the 
colon,  cannot  return  into  the  ileum.  Along 
the  outside  of  the  caecum  run  three  strong 
bands,  each  of  them  shorter  than  that  intestine, 
and  thus  puckering  it  up,  and  forming  it  into 
three  sets  of  cells,  as  shown  in  the  accom- 
panying side  cut. 

That  portion  of  the  food  which  has  not  been 


*  The  conversion  of  food  into  chyme  is  very  imperfectly  performed  in  the  stomach  of  the 
horse,  on  account  of  the  smallness  of  that  viscus,  and  the  portion  of  it  which  is  occufled  by 
cuticle  :  therefore,  he  needs  in  the  upper  part  of  the  duodenum  a  kind  of  second  stomach,  to 
mix  up  and  dissolve  the  food.  That  apparatus  is  evident  enough  until  we  arrive  at  the  pan- 
creatic and  biliary  orifices. 

+  Percivall's  Anatomy  of  the  Horse,  p.  256. 

T  Youatt's  Lectures  on  the  Nervous  System,  Veterinarian,  vol.  vii.  p.  354. 
20 


230  THE    ABDOMEN    AND    ITS    CONTENTS. 

taken  up  by  the  lacteals  or  absorbent  vessels  of  the  small  intestines,  passes  through 
this  valvular  opening  of  the  ileum,  and  a  part  of  it  enters  the  colon,  while  the 
remainder  flows  into  the  caecum.  Then,  from  this  being  a  blind  pouch,  and  Irom  the 
cellular  structure  of  this  pouch,  the  food  must  be  detained  in  it  a  very  long  time;  and 
in  order  that,  during  this  detention,  all  the  nutriment  may  be  extracted,  the  caecum 
and  its  cells  are  largely  supplied  with  blood-vessels  and  absorbents.  It  is  principally 
the  fluid  part  of  the  food  that  seems  to  enter  the  cajcum.  A  horse  will  drink  at  one 
time  a  great  deal  more  than  his  stomach  will  contain;  or  even  if  lie  drinks  a  less 
quantity,  it  remains  not  in  the  stomach  or  small  intestines,  but  passes  on  to  the 
cfficum,  and  there  is  retained,  as  in  a  reservoir,  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  system 
In  his  state  of  servitude,  the  horse  does  not  often  drink  more  than  twice  or  thrice  in  a 
day,  and  the  food  of  the  stabled  horse  being  chiefly  dry,  this  icattr  stomach  is  mosi 
useful  to  him.     The  caecum  will  hold  four  gallons. 

The  colon  is  an  intestine  of  exceedingly  large  dimensions,  and  is  capable  of  con- 
taining lio  less  than  twelve  gallons  of  liquid  or  pulpy  food.  At  its  union  with  the 
caecum  and  the  ileum,  although  larger  than  the  latter  intestine  (/),  it  is  of  com- 
paratively small  bulk ;  but  it  soon  swells  out  to  an  enormous  extent.  It  has  likewise, 
in  the  greater  part  of  its  course,  three  bands  like  the  caecum,  which  also  divide  it, 
internally,  into  the  same  description  of  cells.  The  intention  of  this  is  evident,  —  to 
retard  the  progress  of  the  food,  and  to  give  a  more  extensive  surface  on  which  the 
vessels  of  the  lacteals  may  open ;  and  therefore,  in  the  colon,  all  the  chyle  is  finally 
separated  and  taken  up.  When  this  is  nearly  accomplished,  the  construction  of  the 
colon  is  somewhat  changed :  we  find  but  two  bands  towards  the  rectum,  and  these 
not  puckering  the  intestine  so  much,  or  forming  such  numerous  or  deep  cells.  The 
food  does  not  require  to  be  much  longer  detained,  and  the  mechanism  for  detaining  it 
is  gradually  disappearing.  The  blood-vessels  and  absorbents  are  likewise  rapidly 
diminishing.  The  colon,  also,  once  more  contracts  in  size,  and  the  chyle  having  been 
all  absorbed,  the  remaining  mass,  being  of  a  harder  consistence,  is  moulded  into 
pellets  or  balls  in  its  passage  through  these  shallower  cells. 

At  the  tennination  of  the  colon,  the  rectum  (straight  gut)  commences.  It  is  smaller 
in  circumference  and  capacity  than  the  colon,  although  it  will  contain  at  least  three 
gallons  of  water.  It  serves  as  a  reservoir  for  the  dung  until  it  is  evacuated.  It  has 
none  of  these  bands,  because,  all  the  nutriment  being  extracted,  the  passage  of  the 
excrement  that  remains  should  be  hastened  and  not  retarded.  The  faeces  descend  to 
the  rectum,  which  somewhat  enlarges  to  receive  them  ;  and  when  they  have  accu- 
mulated to  a  certain  extent,  the  animal,  by  the  aid  of  the  diaphragm  and  the  muscles 
of  the  belly,  presses  upon  them,  and  they  are  evacuated.  A  curious  circular  muscle, 
and  always  in  action,  called  the  sphincter  (constrictor  muscle),  is  placed  at  the  anus, 
to  prevent  the  constant  and  unpleasant  dropping  of  the  faeces,  and  to  retain  them  until 
the  horse  is  disposed  voluntarily  to  expel  them.  This  is  effected  by  the  efforts  of  the 
animal,  assisted  by  the  muscular  coat  of  the  rectum,  which  is  stronger  than  that  of 
any  of  the  other  intestines,  and  aided  by  the  compression  of  the  internal  oblique  and 
transverse  muscles. 

The  larger  intestines  derive  their  blood  from  the  posterior  mesenteric  artery.  Their 
veins  terminate  in  the  vena  portae. 

THE    LIVER. 

Between  the  stomach  and  the  diaphragm — its  right  lobe  or  division  in  contact  with 
the  diaphragm,  the  duodenum  and  the  ri^ht  kidney,  and  the  middle  and  left  divisions 
with  the  stomach — is  the  liver.  It  is  an  irregularly-shaped,  reddish-brown  substance, 
of  considerable  bulk,  and  performs  a  very  singular  and  important  office. 

It  has  been  already  stated  (p.  163)  that  the  blood,  which  has  been  conveyed  to  the 
different  parts  of  the  body  by  the  arteries,  is  brought  back  to  the  heart  by  the  veins  ; 
but  that  which  is  returned  from  the  stomach  and  intestines  and  spleen  and  pancreas, 
and  mesentery,  instead  of  flowing  directly  to  the  heart,  passes  first  through  the  liver. 
It  enters  by  two  large  vessels  that  spread  by  means  of  innumerable  minute  branches 
through  every  part  of  the  liver.  As  the  blood  traverses  this  organ,  a  fluid  is  separated 
from  it,  called  the  h'de.  It  is  probably  a  kind  of  excrement,  the  continuance  of  which 
in  the  blood  would  be  injurious  ;  but  while  it  is  thrown  oflT,  another  important  purpose 
is  answered — the  process  of  digestion  is  promoted,  by  the  bile  changing  the  nutritive 


PANCREAS  — SPLEEN-    OMENTUM.  231 

portion  of  the  food  from  chyme  into  chyle,  and  separating  it  from  that  which,  con- 
taining little  or  no  nutriment,  is  voided  as  excrement. 

Almost  every  part  of  it  is  closely  invested  by  the  peritoneum,  which  seems  to  dis- 
charge the  office  of  a  capsule  to  this  viscus.  Its  arteries  are  very  small,  considering 
the  bulk  of  the  liver;  but  their  place  is  curiously  supplied  by  a  vein  —  the  vena  portz 
— a  vessel  formed  by  the  union  of  the  splenic  and  mesenteric  veins,  and  which  seems, 
if  it  does  not  quite  usurp  the  office  and  discharge  the  duty  of  the  artery,  to  be  far 
more  concerned  than  it  in  the  secretion  of  the  bile.  There  is  a  free  intercouse  between 
the  vessels  of  the  two. 

There  are.  scattered  through  the  substance  of  the  liver,  numerous  little  granules, 
called  acini,  from  their  resemblance  to  the  small  stones  of  certain  berries.  They  are 
united  together  by  a  fine  cellular  web,  whose  intimate  structure  has  never  yet  been 
satisfactorily  explained.  From  the  blood  which  enters  the  liver  there  is  a  constant 
secretion  of  a  yellow  bitter  fluid,  called  hile.  The  separation  of  the  bile  from  the 
blood  probably  takes  place  within  the  acini ,-  the  secreting  vessels  are  the  penicelli, 
or  those  which  compose  this  fine  cellular  web,  and  the  fluid  —  the  bile  —  is  taken  up 
by  the  pori  hi/iarii,  small  vessels,  from  which  a  yellowish  fluid  is  seen  exuding  into 
whatever  part  of  the  liver  we  cut,  and  is  carried  bj  them  into  the  main  vessel,  the 
hepatic  duct. 

The  bile,  thus  formed,  is  in  most  animals  received  into  a  reservoir,  the  gall-bladder, 
whence  it  is  conveyed  into  the  duodenum  {g,  p.  221)  at  the  times,  and  in  the  quan- 
tities, which  the  purposes  of  digestion  require;  but  the  horse  has  no  gall-bladder, 
and,  consequently,  the  bile  flows  into  the  intestine  as  rapidly  as  it  is  separated  from 
the  blood.  The  reason  of  this  is  plain.  A  small  stomach  was  given  to  the  horse,  in 
order  that  the  food  might  quickly  pass  out  of  it,  and  the  diaphragm  and  the  lungs 
might  not  be  injuriously  pressed  upon,  when  we  require  his  utmost  speed,  and  also 
that  we  might  use  him  with  little  danger  compared  with  that  which  would  attach  to 
other  animals,  even  when  his  stomach  is  distended  with  food.  Then  the  stomach,  so 
small,  and  so  speedily  emptied,  must  be  oftener  replenished;  the  horse  must  be 
oftener  eating,  and  food  oftener  or  almost  continuously  passing  out  of  his  stomach. 
How  admirably  does  this  comport  with  the  uninterrupted  supply  of  bile ! 

THE    PANCREAS. 

In  the  domestic  animals  which  are  used  for  food,  this  organ  is  called  the  sweet-bread. 
It  lies  bti  veen  the  stomach  and  left  kidney.  It  much  resembles  in  structure  the  sali- 
vary glands  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  mouth,  and  the  fluid  which  it  secretes  has 
been  erroneously  supposed  to  resemble  the  saliva  in  its  properties.  The  pancreatic 
fluid  is  carried  into  the  intestines  by  a  duct  which  enters  at  the  same  aperture  with 
that  from  the  liver.  It  contains  a  large  proportion  of  albumen,  caseous  matter,  and  a 
little  free  acid.  Its  use,  whether  to  dilute  the  bile  or  the  chyme,  or  to  assist  in  the 
separation  of  the  chyme  from  the  feculent  matter,  has  never  been  ascertained  :  it  is, 
however,  clearly  employed  in  aiding  the  process  of  digestion. 

THE  SPLEEN. 

This  organ,  often  called  the  vielt,  is  a  long,  bluish-brown  substance,  broad  and 
thick  at  one  end,  and  tapering  at  the  other;  lying  along  the  left  side  of  the  stomach, 
and  between  it  and  the  short  ribs.  It  is  of  a  spongy  nature,  divided  into  numerous 
little  cells  not  unlike  a  honeycomb,  and  over  which  thousands  of  minute  vessels 
thickly  spread.  The  particular  use  of  this  organ  has  never  been  clearly  ascertained, 
for  in  some  cruel  experiments  it  has  been  removed  without  apparent  injury  to  diges- 
tion or  any  other  function.  It  is,  however,  useful,  at  least  occasionally,  or  it  would 
not  have  been  given  to  the  animal.  It  is  perhaps  a  reservoir  or  receptacle  for  any 
fluid  that  may  be  conveyed  into  the  stomach  beyond  that  which  is  sufficient  for  the 
j)urposes  of  digestion. 

THE  OMENTUM, 

Or  cawl,  is  a  doubling  of  the  peritoneum,  or  rather  consists  of  four  layers  of  it.  It 
has  been  supposed  to  have  been  placed  between  the  intestines  and  the  walls  of  the 
belly,  in  order  to  prevent  concussion  and  injurj'  during  the  rapid  movement  of  the 
animal.  That,  however,  cannot  be  its  principal  use  in  the  horse,  from  whom  tho 
most  rapid  movements  are  required  ;  for  in  him  it  is  unusually  short,  extending  only 


232  DISEASES    OF    THE   INTESTINES. 

to  the  pancreas  and  a  small  portion  of  the  colon.  Being,  however,  thus  short,  the 
horse  is  exempt  from  a  very  troublesome  and,  occasionally,  fatal  species  of  rupture, 
when  a  portion  of  the  omentum  penetrates  through  some  accidental  opening  in  the 
covering  of  the  belly. 

The  structure  of  the  urinary  organs  and  the  diseases  to  which  they  are  exposed 
will  be  hereafter  considered. 


CHAPTER    X. 
THE   DISEASES    OF  THE    INTESTINES. 

These  form  a  very  important  and  mysterious  class  of  ailments.  They  will  be 
considered  in  the  order  in  which  the  various  contents  of  the  abdomen  have  been 
described. 

THE  DUODENUM. 

This  intestine  is  subject  to  many  more  diseases  than  are  included  in  the  present 
imperfect  veterinary  nosology.  The  passage  of  the  food  through  it  has  been  impeded 
by  stricture.  A  singular  case  is  related  by  Mr.  Tombs  : — "  An  aged  horse  was  taken 
suddenly  ill.  He  lay  down,  rolled  upon  his  back,  and  perspired  profusely,  with  a 
pulse  quick  and  hard ;  presently  he  became  sick,  and  the  contents  of  the  stomach 
were  voided  through  the  mouth  and  nostrils.  Blood-letting,  purgatives,  fomentations, 
&c.,  were  resorted  to,  but  in  sixteen  hours  after  the  first  attack  the  horse  died.  The 
stomach  was  distended  with  food,  and  there  was  a  complete  stricture  of  the  duode- 
num, three  inches  posterior  to  the  entrance  of  the  hepatic  duct.  The  portion  of  the 
iniestine  anterior  to  the  stricture  was  distended,  and  in  a  gangrenous  state."* 

Mr.  Dickens  records  a  somewhat  similar  case.  "  A  horse  was  attacked  by  appa- 
rent colic.  Proper  treatment  was  adopted,  and  he  got  seemingly  well.  Nine  days 
afterwards  the  apparent  colic  returned.  He  threw  himself  down,  rolled  upon  his 
back,  beating  his  chest  with  his  fore  feet,  or  sitting  upon  his  haunches  like  a  dog. 
All  possible  remedial  measures  were  adopted,  but  he  died  thirty-six  liours  after  the 
second  attack.  At  the  distance  of  ten  inches  from  the  stomach  was  a  stricture  which 
would  scarcely  admit  of  the  passage  of  a  tobacco-pipe,  and  about  which  were  marks 
of  mechanical  injury,  as  if  from  a  nail  or  other  hard  substance.  The  anterior  por- 
tion of  the  intestines  was  strangely  distended. "f 

It  has  been  perforated  by  hots.  Mr.  Brewer  describes  a  case  the  symptoms  of 
which  were  similar  to  those  already  related.  "  On  examining  the  patient  after  death, 
the  intestines  were  found  to  be  altogether  free  from  disease,  except  a  portion  of  the 
duodenum  which  was  perforated  by  hots,  several  of  which  had  escaped  into  the 
abdomen.     Around  the  aperture  the  duodenum  was  in  a.  gangrenous  state.":J: 

The  diseases  of  the  jejunum  and  the  ileum  consist  either  of  spasmodic  affection  or 
inflammation. 

SPASMODIC  COLIC. 

The  passage  of  the  food  through  the  intestinal  canal  is  effected  b}'  the  alternate 
contraction  and  relaxation  of  the  muscular  coat  of  the  intestines.  When  that«ction 
is  simply  increased  through  the  whole  of  the  canal,  the  food  passes  more  rapidly,  and 
purging  is  produced  ;  but  the  muscles  of  every  part  of  the  frame  are  liable  to  irregular 
and  spasmodic  action,  and  the  muscular  coat  of  some  portion  of  the  intestines  may  be 
thus  affected.  The  spasm  may  be  confined  to  a  very  small  part  of  the  canal.  The 
gut  has  been  found,  after  death,  strangely  contracted  in  various  places,  but  the  con 
traction  not  exceeding  five  or  six  inches  in  any  of  them.  In  the  horse,  the  ileum  is 
the  usual  seat  of  this  disease.  It  is  of  much  importance  to  distinguish  between  spas- 
modic colic  and  inflammation  of  the  bowels,  for  the  symptoms  have  considerai)le 
resemblance,  although  the  mode  of  treatment  should  be  very  different. 

*  Veterinarian,  vol.  viii.  p.  329.  t  Ibid.  vol.  x.  p.  553.  X  Ibid.  vol.  v.  p.  493. 


SPASMODIGCOLIC.  233 

The  attack  of  colic  is  usually  very  sudden.  There  is  often  not  the  slightest  warn- 
ing. The' horse  begins  to  shift  his  posture,  look  round  at  his  flanks,  paw  violently, 
strike  his  belly  with  his  feet,  and  crouch  in  a  peculiar  manner,  advancing  his  hind 
liaibs  under  him  ;  he  will  then  suddenly  lie,  or  rather  fall  down,  and  balance  himself 
upon  his  back,  with  his  feet  resting  on  his  belly.  The  pain  now  seems  to  cease  for 
a  little  while,  and  he  gets  up,  and  shakes  himself,  and  begins  to  feed ;  the  respite, 
however,  is  but  short — the  spasm  returns  more  violently — every  indication  of  pain  is 
incrcLised — he  heaves  at  the  flanks,  breaks  out  into  a  profuse  perspiration,  and' throws 
himself  more  recklessly  about.  In  the  space  of  an  hour  or  two,  either  the  spasms 
betTin  to  relax,  and  the  remissions  are  of  longer  duration,  or  the  torture  is  augmented 
at  every  paroxysm  ;  the  intervals  of  ease  are  fewer  and  less  marked,  and  inflammation 
and  death  'supervene.  The  pulse  is  but  little  affected  at  the  commencement,  but  it 
soon  becomes  frequent  and  contracted,  and  at  length  is  scarcely  tangible. 

It  will  presently  be  seen  that  many  of  the  symptoms  very  closely  resemble  those 
of  inflammation  of  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  bowels :  it  may  therefore  be  useful  to 
point  out  the  leading  distinctions  between  them. 

COLIC.  INFLAMMATION    OF   THE   BOWELS. 

Sudden  in  hs  attack.  Gradual  in  its  approach,  with  previous  indi- 

cations of  fever. 

Pulse  rarely  much  quickened  in  the  early        Pulse  very  much  quicken'>d,  but  small,  and 
period  of  the  disease,  and  during  the  intervals    often  searceiy  to  be  telt. 
of  ease  ;  but  evidently  fuller. 

Legs  and  ears  of  the  natural  temperature.  Legs  and  ears  cold. 

Relief  obtained  from  rubbmg  the  belly.  Belly  exceedingly  tender  and  painful  to  the 

touch. 

Relief  obtained  from  motion.  Motion  evidently  increasing  the  pain. 

Intervals  of  rest.  Constant^pam. 

Strength  scarcely  aflfected.  Rapid  and  great  weakness. 

Among  the  causes  of  colic  are,  the  drinking  of  cold  water  when  the  horse  is  heated. 
There  is  not  a  surer  origin  of  violent  spasm  than  this.  Hard  water  is  very  apt  to  pro- 
duce this  effect.  Colic  will  sometimes  follow  the  exposure  of  a  horse  to  the  cold  air 
or  a  cold  wind  after  strong  exercise.  Green  meat,  although,  generally  speaking, 
most  beneficial  to  the  horse,  yet,  given  in  too  large  a  quantity,  or  when  he  is  hot,  will 
frequently  produce  gripes.  Doses  of  aloes,  both  large  and  small,  are  not  unfrequent 
causes  of  colic.  In  some  horses  there  seems  to  be  a  constitutional  predisposition  to 
colic.  They  cannot  be  hardly  worked,  or  exposed  to  unusual  cold,  without  a  fit  of  it. 
In  many  cases,  when  these  horses  have  died,  calculi  have  been  found  in  some  part  of 
the  alimentary  canal.  Habitual  costiveness  and  the  presence  of  calculi  are  frequent 
causes  of  spasmodic  colic.  The  seat  of  colic  is  occasionally  the  duodenum,  but 
oftener  the  ileum  or  the  jejunum;  sometimes,  however,  both  the  caecum  and  colon  are 
affected. 

Fortunately,  we  are  acquainted  with  several  medicines  that  allay  these  spasms; 
and  the  disease  often  ceases  almost  as  suddenly  as  it  appeared.  Turpentine  is  one  of 
the  most  powerful  remedies,  especially  in  union  with  opium,  and  in  good  warm  ale. 
The  account  that  has  just  been  given  of  the  caecum  will  not  be  forgotten  here.  A 
solution  of  aloes  will  be  advantageously  added  to  the  turpentine  and  opium. 

If  relief  is  not  obtained  in  half-an-hour,  it  will  be  prudent  to  bleed,  for  the  continu- 
ance of  violent  spasm  may  produce  inflammation.  Some  practitioners  bleed  at  first, 
and  it  is  far  from  bad  practice ;  for  although  the  majority  of  cases  will  yield  to  tur- 
pentine, opium,  and  aloes,  an  early  bleeding  may  occasionally  prevent  the  recurrence 
of  inflammation,  or  at  least  mitigate  it.  If  it  is  clearly  a  case  of  colic,  half  of  the  first 
dose  may  be  repeated,  with  aloes  dissolved  in  warm  water.  The  stimulus  produced 
on  the  inner  surface  of  the  bowels  by  the  purgative  may  counteract  the  irritation  that 
caused  the  spasm.  The  belly  should  be  well  rubbed  with  a  brush  or  warm  cloth,  but 
not  bruised  and  injured  by  the  broom-handle  rubbed  over  it,  with  all  their  strength, 
by  two  great  fellows.  The  horse  should  be  walked  about,  or  trotted  moderately. 
The  motion  thus  produced  in  the  bowels,  and  the  friction  of  one  intestine  over  the 
other,  may  relax  the  spasm,  but  the  hasty  gallop  might  speedily  cause  inflammation 
to  succeed  to  colic.  Clysters  of  warm  water,  or  containing  a  solution  of  aloes,  should 
be  injected.  The  patent  syringe  will  here  be  exceedingly  useful.  A  clyster  of  tobacco- 
smoke  may  be  thrown  up  as  a  last  resort. 

20*  '2k 


234  DISEASES    OF    THE    INTESTINES. 

When  relief  has  been  obtained,  the  clothing  of  the  horse,  saturated  with  perspira- 
tion, should  be  removed,  and  fresh  and  dry  clothes  substituted.  He  should  be  well 
littered  down  in  a  warm  stable  or  box,  and  have  bran  mashes  and  lukewarm  watei 
for  the  two  or  three  uext  days. 

Some  persons  give  gin,  or  gin  and  pepper,  or  even  spirit  of  pimento,  in  cases  of 
gripes.  This  course  of  proceeding  is,  however,  exceedingly  objectionable.  It  may 
be  useful,  or  even  sufficient,  in  ordinary  cases  of  colic;  but  if  there  should  be  any 
inflammation  or  tendency  to  inflammation,  it  cannot  fail  to  be  highly  injurious. 

FLATULENT    COLIC. 

This  is  altogether  a  different  disease  from  the  former.  It  is  not  spasm  of  the  bowels, 
but  inflation  of  them  from  the  presence  of  gas  emitted  by  undigested  food.  Whether 
collected  in  the  stomach,  or  small  or  large  intestines,  all  kinds  of  vegetable  matter 
are  liable  to  ferment.  In  consequence  of  this  fermentation,  gas  is  evolved  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent  —  perhajis  to  twenty  or  thirty  times  the  bulk  of  the  food.  This  may 
take  place  in  the  stomach  ;  and  if  so,  the  life  of  the  horse  is  in  immediate  danger,  for, 
as  will  plainly  appear  from  the  account  that  has  been  given  of  the  cesoj)hagus  and 
upper  orifice  of  the  stomach,  the  animal  has  no  powder  to  expel  this  dangerous  flatus 
by  eructation. 

This  extrication  of  gas  usually  takes  place  in  the  colon  and  caecum,  and  the  disten- 
tion may  be  so  great  as  to  rupture  either  the  one  or  the  other,  or  sometimes  to  produce 
death,  without  either  rupture  or  strangulation,  and  that  in  the  course  of  from  four  to 
twenty-four  hours. 

In  some  ill-conducted  establishments,  and  far  oftener  on  the  north  than  the  south 
of  the  Tweed,  it  is  a  highly  dangerous  disease,  and  is  especially  fatal  to  horses  of 
heavy  draught.  An  overloaded  stomach  is  one  cause  of  it,  and  particularly  so  when 
water  is  given  either  immediately  before  or  after  a  plentiful  meal,  or  food  to  which 
the  horse  has  not  been  accustomed  is  given. 

The  symptoms,  according  to  Professor  Stewart,  are,  "  the  horse  suddenly  slacken- 
ing his  pace  —  preparing  to  lie  down,  or  falling  down  as  if  he  were  shot.  In  the 
stable  he  paw's  the  ground  with  his  fore  feet,  lies  down,  rolls,  starts  up  all  at  once, 
and  throws  himself  down  again  v\'ith  great  violence,  looking  wistfully  at  his  flanks, 
and  making  many  fruitless  attempts  to  void  his  urine." 

Hitherto  the  symptoms  are  not  much  unlike  spasmodic  colic,  but  the  real  character 
of  the  disease  soon  begins  to  develope  itself.  It  is  in  one  of  the  large  intestines,  and 
the  belly  swells  all  round,  but  mostly  on  the  right  flank.  As  the  disease  proceeds, 
the  pain  becomes  more  intense,  the  horse  more  violent,  and  at  length  death  closes  the 
scene. 

The  treatment  is  considerably  different  from  that  of  spasmodic  colic.  The  spirit  of 
pimento  would  be  here  allowed,  or  the  turpentine  and  opium  drink ;  but  if  the  pain, 
and  especially  the  swelling,  do  not  abate,  the  gas,  which  is  the  cause  of  it,  must  be 
be  got  rid  of,  or  the  animal  is  inevitably  lost. 

This  is  usually  or  almost  invariably  a  combination  of  hydrogen  with  some  other 
gas.  It  has  a  strong  affinity  for  chlorine.  Then  if  some  compound  of  chlorine — the 
chloride  of  lime — dissolved  in  water,  is  administered  in  the  form  of  a  drink,  the  chlo- 
rine separates  from  the  lime  as  soon  as  it  comes  into  contact  with  the  hydrogen,  and 
muriatic  gas  is  formed.  This  gas  having  a  strong  affinity  for  water,  is  absorbed  by 
any  fluid  that  may  be  present,  and,  quitting  its  gaseous  form,  either  disappears,  or 
does  not  retain  a  thousandth  part  of  its  former  bulk.  All  this  may  be  very  rapidly 
accomplished,  for  the  fluid  is  quickly  conveyed  from  the  mouth  to  every  part  of  the 
intestinal  canal. 

Where  these  two  medicines  are  not  at  hand,  and  the  danger  is  imminent,  the  trochar 
may  be  used,  in  order  to  open  a  way  for  the  escape  of  the  gas.  The  trochar  should 
be  small  but  longer  than  that  which  is  used  for  the  cow,  and  the  puncture  should  be 
made  in  the  middle  of  the  right  flank,  for  there  the  large  intestines  are  most  easily 
reached.  In  such  a  disease  it  cannot  be  expected  that  the  intestines  shall  always  be 
found  precisely  in  their  natural  situations,  but  usually  the  origin  of  the  ascending  por- 
tion of  the  colon,  or  the  base  of  the  cajcum,  will  be  pierced.  The  author  of  this  work, 
however,  deems  it  his  duty  to  add,  that  it  is  only  when  the  practitioner  despairs  of 
otherwise  saving  the  life  of  the  animal  that  this  operation  should  be  attempted.  Much 
of  the  danger  would  be  avoided  by  using  a  very  small  trochar,  and  by  withdrawing 


INFLAMMATION   OF  THE  BOWELS— ENTERITIS.  235 

it  as  soon  as  the  gtis  has  escaped.     The  wound  in  the  intestines  will  then  probably 
close,  from  the  innate  elasticity  of  the  parts. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  BOWELS. 

There  are  two  varieties  of  this  malady.  The  first  is  inflamma'Jon  of  the  external 
coats  of  the  intestines,  accompanied  by  considerable  fever,  and  usually  costiveness. 
The  second  is  that  of  the  internal  or  nmcous  coat,  and  almost  invariably  connected 
with  purging. 

ENTERITIS. 

The  muscular  coat  is  that  which  is  oftenest  affected.  Inflammation  of  the  external 
coats  of  the  stomach,  whether  the  peritoneal  •  or  muscular,  or  both,  is  a  very  frequent 
and  fatal  disease.  It  speedily  runs  its  course,  and  it  is  of  great  consequence  that  its 
early  symptoms  should  be  known.  If  the  horse  has  been  carefully  observed,  restless- 
ness and  fever  will  have  been  seen  to  precede  the  attack.  In  many  cases  a  direct 
shiverintj  fit  will  occur:  the  mouth  will  be  hot,  and  the  nose  red.  The  animal  will 
soon  express  the  most  dreadful  pain  by  pawing,  striking  at  his  belly,  looking  wildly 
at  his  flanks,  groaning,  and  rolling.  The  pulse  will  be  quickened  and  small ;  the 
ears  and  legs  cold;  the  belly  tender,  and  sometimes  hot;  the  breathing  quickened ; 
the  bowels  costive ;  and  the  animal  becoming  rapidly  and  fearfully  weak. 

The  reader  will  probably  here  recur  to  the  sketch  given  in  page  iSS  of  the  distinc- 
tion between  spasmodic  colic  and  inflammation  of  the  bowels,  or  enteritis. 

The  causes  of  this  disease  are,  first  of  all  and  most  frequentl)',  sudden  exposure  to 
cold.  If  a  horse  that  has  been  highly  fed,  carefully  groomed,  and  kept  in  a  warm 
stable,  is  heatpd  with  exercise,  and  has  been  during  some  hours  without  food,  and  in 
this  state  of  exhaustion  is  suflered  to  drink  freely  of  cold  water,  or  is  drenched  with 
rain,  or  have  his  legs  and  belly  washed  with  cold  water,  an  attack  of  inflammation 
of  the  bowels  will  often  follow.  An  overfed  horse,  subjected  to  severe  and  long- 
continued  exertion,  if  his  lungs  were  previously  weak,  will  probably  be  attacked  by 
inflammation  of  them ;  but  if  the  lungs  were  sound,  the  bowels  will  on  the  following 
day  be  the  seat  of  disease.  Stones  in  the  intestines  are  an  occasional  cause  of  inflam- 
mF'i'^n,  and  colic  neglected  oi  wrongly  treated  will  terminate  in  it. 

Tne  horse  paws  and  stamps  as  in  colic,  but  without  the  intervals  of  ease  that  occur 
in  that  disease.  The  pulse  also  is  far  quicker  than  in  colic.  The  breathing  is  more 
hurried,  and  the  indication  of  sutlering  more  evident.  "  Tlie  next  stage,"  in  the 
graphic  language  of  Mr.  Percivall,  "borders  on  delirium.  The  eye  acquires  a  wild, 
haggard,  unnatural  stare — the  pupil  dilates — his  heedless  and  dreadful  throes  render 
approach  to  him  quite  perilous.  He  is  an  object  not  only  of  compassion  but  of  appre- 
hension, and  seems  fast  hurrying  to  his  end ;  when,  all  at  once,  in  the  midst  of  ago- 
nising torments,  he  stands  quiet,  as  though  every  pain  had  left  him,  and  he  were 
going  to  recover.  His  breathing  becomes  tranquillised  —  his  pulse  sunk  bevond  all 
perception — his  body  bedewed  with  a  cold  clammy  sweat — he  is  in  a  tremour  from 
head  to  foot,  and  about  the  legs  and  ears  has  even  a  death-like  feel.  The  mouth  feels 
deadly  chill ;  the  lips  drop  pendulous;  and  the  eye  seems  unconscious  of  objects.  In 
fine,  death,  not  recovery,  is  at  hand.  Mortification  has  seized  the  inflamed  bowel  — 
pain  can  no  longer  be  felt  in  tliat  which  a  few  minutes  ago  was  the  seat  of  exquisite 
suffering.  He  again  becomes  convulsed,  and  in  a  few  more  struggles  less  violent 
than  the  former  he  expires."* 

The  treatment  of  inflammation  of  the  bowels,  like  that  of  the  lungs,  should  be  prompt 
and  energetic.  The  first  and  most  powerful  means  of  cure  will  be  bleeding.  From 
six  to  eiffht  or  ten  quarts  of  blood,  in  fact  as  much  as  the  horse  can  bear,  should  be 
abstracted  as  soon  as  possible;  and  the  bleeding  repeated  to  the  extent  of  four  or  five 
quarts  more,  if  the  pain  is  not  relieved  and  the  pulse  has  not  become  rounder  and 
fuller.  The  speedy  weakness  that  accompanies  this  disease  should  not  deter  from 
bleeding  largely.  That  weakness  is  the  consequence  of  violent  inflammation  of  these 
parts ;  and  if  that  inflammation  is  subdued  by  the  loss  of  blood,  the  weakness  will 
disappear.  The  bleeding  should  be  eflTected  on  the  first  appearance  of  the  disease,  for 
there  is  no  malady  that  more  quickly  runs  its  course. 

*  Percivall's  Hippopathology,  vol.  ii.  p.  246. 


236  DISEASED    OF    THE   INTESTINES. 

A  strong  solution  of  aloes  should  immediately  follow  the  bleeding,  but,  considering 
the  irritable  state  of  the  intestines  at  this  period,  guarded  by  opium.  This  should  be 
quickly  followed  by  back-raking,  and  injections  consisting  of  w^arm  water,  or  very 
thin  gruel,  in  which  Epsom  salts  or  aloes  have  been  dissolved ;  and  too  much  fluid 
can  scarcely  be  thrown  up.  If  the  common  ox-bladder  and  pipe  is  used,  it  should  be 
frequently  replenished ;  but  with  Read's  patent  pump,  already  referred  to,  sufficient 
may  be  injected  to  penetrate  beyond  the  rectum,  and  reach  to  the  colon  and  caecum, 
and  dispose  them  to  evacuate  their  contents.  The  horse  should  likewise  be  encouraged 
to  drink  plentifully  of  warm  water  or  thin  gruel ;  and  draughts,  eacii  containing  a 
couple  of  drachms  of  dissolved  aloes,  with  a  little  opium,  should  be  given  every  six 
hours,  until  the  bowels  are  freely  opened. 

It  will  now  be  prudent  to  endeavour  to  excite  considerable  external  inflammation 
as  near  as  possible  to  the  seat  of  internal  disease,  and  therefore  the  whole  of  the 
belly  should  be  blistered.  In  a  well-marked  case  of  this  disease,  no  time  should  be 
lost  in  applying  fomentations,  but  the  blister  at  once  resorted  to.  The  tincture  of 
Spanish  flies,  whether  made  with  spirit  of  wine  or  turpentine,  should  be  thoroughly 
rubbed  in.  The  legs  should  be  well  bandaged  in  order  to  restore  the  circulation 
in  them,  and  thus  lessen  the  flow  of  blood  to  the  inflamed  part;  and,  for  the  same 
reason,  the  horse  should  be  warmly  clothed ;  but  the  air  of  the  stable  or  box  should 
be  cool. 

No  corn  or  hay  should  be  allowed  during  the  disease,  but  bran  mashes,  and  green 
meat  if  it  can  be  procured.  The  latter  will  be  the  best  of  all  food,  and  may  be  given- 
without  the  slightest  apprehension  of  danger.  When  the  horse  begins  to  recover,  a 
handful  of  corn  may  be  given  two  or  three  times  in  the  day;  and,  if  the  weather  is 
warm,  he  may  be  turned  into  a  paddock  for  a  few  hours  in  the  middle  of  the  day. 
Clysters  of  gruel  should  be  continued  for  three  or  four  days  after  the  inflammation  is 
beginning  to  subside,  and  good  hand-rubbing  applied  to  the  legs. 

The  second  variety  of  inflammation  of  the  bowels  aflTects  the  internal  or  mucous 
coat,  and  is  generally  the  consequence  of  physic  in  too  great  quantity,  or  of  an  im- 
proper kind.  The  purging  is  more  violent  and  continues  longer  than  was  intended  , 
the  animal  shows  that  he  is  suff'ering  great  pain ;  he  frequently  looks  round  at  his 
flanks;  his  breathing  is  laborious,  and  the  pulse  is  quick  and  small  —  not  so  small, 
however,  as  in  inflammation  of  the  peritoneal  coat,  and,  contrary  to  some  of  the  most 
frequent  and  characteristic  symptoms  of  that  disease,  the  mouth  is  hot  and  the  legs 
and  ears  are  warm.  Unless  the  purging  is  excessive,  and  the  pain  and  distress  great, 
the  surgeon  should  hesitate  at  giving  any  astringent  medicine  at  first;  but  he  should 
plentifully  administer  gruel  or  thin  starch,  or  "arrow-root,  by  the  mouth  and  by  clyster, 
removing  all  hay  and  corn,  and  particularly  green  meat.  He  should  thus  endeavour 
to  soothe  the  irritated  surface  of  the  bowels,  while  he  permits  all  remains  of  the  pur- 
gative to  be  carried  ofi".  If,  however,  twelve  hours  have  passed,  and  the  purging, 
and  the  pain  remain  undiminished,  he  should  continue  the  gruel,  adding  to  it  chalk, 
catechu,  and  opium,  repeated  every  six  hours.  As  soon  as  the  purging  begins  to 
subside,  the  astringent  medicine  should  be  lessened  in  quantity,  and  gradually  dis- 
continued. Bleeding  will  rarely  be  necessary,  unless  the  inflammation  is  very  great, 
and  attended  by  symptoms  of  general  fever.  The  horse  should  be  warmly  clothed, 
and  placed  in  a  comfortable  stable,  and  his  legs  should  be  hand-rubbed  and  bandaged. 

Violent  purging,  and  attended  with  much  inflammation  and  fever,  will  occur  from 
other  causes.  Green  meat  will  frequently  purge.  A  horse  worked  hard  upon  green 
meat  will  sometimes  scour.  The  remedy  is  change  of  diet,  or  less  labour.  Young 
horses  will  often  be  strongly  purged,  without  any  apparent  cause.  Astringents  should 
be  used  with  much  caution  here.  It  is  probably  an  effort  of  nature  to  get  rid  of  some- 
thing that  offends.  A  few  doses  of  gniel  will  assist  in  effecting  this  purpose,  and 
the  purging  will  cease  without  astringent  medicine. 

Many  horses  that  are  not  well-ribbed  home — having  too  great  space  between  the  last 
rib  and  the  hip-bone — are  subject  to  purging  if  more  than  usual  exertion  is  required 
from  them.  They  are  recognised  by  the  term  of  washy  horses.  They  are  often  free 
and  fleet,  hut  destitute  of  continuance.  They  should  have  rather  more  than  the  usual 
allowance  of  corn,  with  beans,  when  at  work.  A  cordial  ball,  with  catechu  and 
opium,  will  often  be  serviceable  either  before  or  after  a  journey. 


PHYSICKING.  237 


PHYSICKING. 


This  would  seem  to  be  the  proper  place  to  speak  of  ph)'sicking  horses — a  mode  of 
treatment  necessary  under  various  diseases,  often  useful  for  the  augmentation  of  health, 
and  yet  which  has  often  injured  the  constitution  and  absolutely  destroyed  thousands 
of  animals.  When  a  horse  comes  from  grass  to  hard  meat,  or  from  the  cool,  open 
air  to  a  heated  stable,  a  doSe  or  even  two  doses  of  physic  may  be  useful  to  prevent 
tlie  tendency  to  inflammation  which  is  the  necessary  consequence  of  so  sudden  and 
great  a  change.  To  a  horse  that  is  becoming  too  fat,  or  has  surfeit,  or  grease,  or 
mange,  or  that  is  out  of  comiition  from  inactivity  of  the  digestive  organs,  a  dose  of 
physic  is  often  most  serviceable  ;  but  the  reflecting  man  will  enter  his  protest  against 
the  periodical  physicking  of  all  horses  in  the  spring-  and  the  autumn,  and  more  par- 
ticularly against  that  severe  system  which  is  thought  to  be  necessary  in  order  to  train 
them  for  work,  and  also  the  absurd  method  of  treating  the  animal  when  under  the 
operation  of  physic. 

A  horse  should  be  carefully  prepared  for  the  action  of  physic.  Two  or  three  bran 
mashes  given  on  that  or  the  preceding  day  are  far  from  sufficient  when  a  horse  is 
about  to  be  physicked  whether  to  promote  his  condition  or  in  obedience  to  custom. 
JNIashes  should  be  given  until  the  dung  becomes  softened.  A  less  quantity  of  physic 
will  then  suffice,  and  it  will  more  quickly  pass  through  the  intestines,  and  be  more 
readily  diffused  over  them.  Five  drachms  of  aloes,  given  when  the  dung  has  thus 
been  softened,  will  act  much  more  effectually  and  much  more  safely  than  seven 
drachms,  when  the  lower  intestines,  are  obstructed  by  hardened  fteces. 

On  the  day  on  which  the  physic  is  given,  the  horse  should  have  walking  exercise, 
or  may  be  gently  trotted  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  twice  in  the  day ;  but  after  the  physic 
begins  to  work,  he  should  not  be  moved  from  his  stall.  Exercise  would  then  pro- 
duce gripes,  irritation,  and,  possibly,  dangerous  inflammation.  The  common  and 
absurd  practice  is  to  give  the  horse  most  exercise  after  the  physic  has  begun  to  ope- 
rate. 

A  little  hay  may  be  put  into  the  rack.  As  much  mash  should  be  given  as  the  horse 
will  eat,  and  as  much  water,  with  the  coldness  of  it  taken  off",  as  he  will  drink.  If, 
however,  he  obstinately  refuses  to  drink  warm  water,  it  is  better  that  he  should  have 
it  cold,  than  to  continue  without  taking  any  fluid ;  but  in  such  case  he  should  not  be 
suflfered  to  take  more  than  a  quart  at  a  time,  with  an  interval  of  at  least  an  hour  be- 
tween each  draught. 

\Vhen  the  pursing  has  ceased,  or  the  physic  is  set,  a  mash  should  be  given  once  or 
twice  every  day  until  the  next  dose  is  taken,  between  which  and  the  setting  of  the  first 
there  should  be  an  interval  of  a  week.  The  horse  should  recover  from  the  languor 
and  debility  occasioned  by  the  first  dose,  before  he  is  harassed  by  a  second. 

Eight  or  ten  tolerably  copious  motions  will  be  perfectly  sufficient  to  answer  every 
good  purpose,  although  the  groom  or  the  carter  may  not  be  satisfied  unless  double  the 
quantity  are  procured.  The  consequence  of  too  strong  purgation  will  be,  that  weak- 
ness will  hang  about  the  animal  for  several  days  or  weeks,  and  inflammation  will 
often  ensue  t'rom  the  over-irritation  of  the  intestinal  canal. 

Long-continued  custom  has  made  aloes  the  almost  invariabl-e  purgative  of  the  horse, 
and  very  properly  so ;  for  there  is  no  other  at  once  so  sure  and  so  safe.  The  Bar- 
badoes  aloes,  although  sometimes  very  dear,  should  alone  be  used.  The  dose,  with 
a  horse  properly  prepared,  will  vary  from  four  to  seven  drachms.  The  preposterous 
doses  of  nine,  ten,  or  even  twelve  drachms,  are  now,  happily  for  the  horse,  gener- 
ally abandoned.  Custom  has  assigned  the  form  of  a  ball  to  physic,  but  good  sense 
will  in  due  time  introduce  the  solution  of  aloes,  as  acting  more  speedily,  effectually, 
and  safely. 

The  only  other  purgative  on  which  dependence  can  be  placed  is  the  croton.  The 
farina  or  meal  of  the  nut  is  generally  used ;  but  from  its  acrimony  it  should  be  given 
in  the  form  of  ball,  with  linseed  meal.  The  dose  varies  from  a  scruple  to  half  a 
drachm.  It  acts  more  speedily  than  the  aloes,  and  without  the  nausea  which  they 
produce;  but  it  causes  more  watery  stools,  and.  consequently,  more  debility. 

LixsEED-oiL  is  an  uncertain  but  safe  purgative,  in  doses  from  a  pound  to  a  pound 
and  a  half.  Olive-oil  is  more  uncertain,  but  safe ;  but  castor-oil.  that  mild  aperient 
in  the  human  being,  is  both  uncertain  and  unsafe.  Epsom-salts  are  inefficacious, 
except  in  the  immense  dose  of  a  pound  and  a  half,  and  then  they  are  not  always  safe. 


238  DISEASES    OF    THE    INTESTINES. 

CALCULI,  OR  STONES,   IN  THE   INTESTINES. 

These  are  a  cause  of  inflammation  in  the  bowels  of  the  horse,  and  more  frequently 
of  colic.  They  are  generally  found  in  the  ccecum  or  colon,  varying' considerably  in 
Bhape  according  to  the  nucleus  round  which  the  sabulous  or  otiier  earthy  matter 
collects,  or  the  form  of  the  cell  in  which  they  have  been  lodged.  They  diifer  in  size 
and  weight,  from  a  few  grains  to  several  pounds.  From  ttie  horizontal  position  of  the 
carcase  of  the  horse,  the  calculus,  when  it  begins  to  form,  does  not  gravitate  so  much 
ae  in  the  human  being,  and  therefore  calculous  concretions  remain  and  accumulate 
until  their  very  size  prevents  their  expulsion,  and  a  fatal  irritation  is  loo  frequently 
produced  by  their  motion  and  weight.  They  are  oftenest  found  in  heavy  draught, 
and  in  millers'  horses.  In  some  of  these  horses  they  have  the  appearance  ol'  grit-stone 
or  crystallized  gneiss.  It  is  probable  that  they  partly  consist  of  these  very  minerals, 
combined  with  the  bran  which  is  continually  floating  about.  An  analysis  of  the 
Calculi  favours  this  supposition.  They  are  a  source  of  continual  irritation  wherever 
they  are  placed,  and  are  a  fruitful  cause  of  colic.  Spasms  of  the  most  fearful  kind 
have  been  clearly  traced  to  them.* 

Professor  Morton,  of  the  Royal  Veterinary  College,  in  his  Essay  on  Calculous 
Concretions, — a  work  that  is  far  too  valuable  to  be  withdrawn  from  the  public  view, 
— gives  an  interesting  account  of  these  substances  in  the  intestinal  canal  of  the  horse. 
Little  advance  has  been  or  can  be  made  to  procure  their  expulsion,  or  even  to  deter- 
mine their  existence ;  and  even  when  they  have  passed  into  the  rectum,  although 
some  have  been  expelled,  others  have  been  so  firmly  impacted  as  to  resist  all  medi- 
cinal means  of  withdrawal,  and  a  few  have  broken  their  way  through  the  parietes  of 
the  rectum,  and  lodged  in  the  abdominal  cavity.  Mr.  Percivall,  in  his  "  Elementary 
Lectures  on  the  Veterinary  Art,"  has  recorded  several  fearful  cases  of  this.| 

Other  concretions  are  described  under  the  title  of  oat-hair  calculi.  Their  surface  is 
tuberculated  and  their  forms  irregular.  They  are  usually  without  any  distinct  nuclei, 
and  are  principally  composed  of  the  hairy  fibrous  matter  which  enters  into  the  com- 
position of  the  oat.  The  professor  very  properly  adds,  and  it  is  a  circumstance  which 
deserves  much  consideration,  that  such  oats  as  are  husky,  with  a  deficiency  of 
farinaceous  matter,  are  likely  to  give  rise  to  these  accumulations,  whenever  impaired 
digestion  exists.  It  is  also  an  undoubted  fact,  that  a  great  proportion  of  horses 
affected  with  calculi  are  the  property  of  millers,  or  brewers.  A  third  species  of  con- 
cretion too  frequently  existing  is  the  dung-hall,  or  mixed  calculus.  It  is  made  up  of 
coarse,  indigestible,  excrementitious  matter,  mixed  with  portions  of  the  "  oat-hair 
calculus,''''  and  many  foreign  substances,  such  as  pieces  of  coal,  gravel,  &c.,  and  the 
whole  agglutinated  together.  They  are  commonly  met  with  in  horses  that  are  vora- 
cious feeders,  and  mingled  with  particles  of  coal  and  stone. 

INTROSUSCEPTION   OF  THE  INTESTINES. 

The  spasmodic  action  of  the  ileum  being  long  continued,  may  be  succeeded  by  an 
inverted  one  from  the  ccecum  towards  the  stomach,  more  powerful  than  in  the  natural 
direction ;  and  the  contracted  portion  of  the  intestine  will  be  thus  forced  into  another 
above  it  that  retains  its  natural  calibre.  The  irritation  caused  by  this  increases  the 
inverted  action,  and  an  obstruction  is  formed  which  no  power  can  overcome.  Ever, 
the  natural  motion  of  the  bowels  will  be  sufficient  to  produce  introsusception,  when 
the  contraction  of  a  portion  of  the  ileum  is  very  great.  There  are  no  symptoms  to 
indicate  the  presence  of  this,  except  continued  and  increasing  pain;  or,  if  there  were, 
all  our  means  of  relief  would  here  fail. 

Introsusception  is  not  confined  to  any  particular  situation.  A  portion  of  the  jejunum 
has  been  found  invaginated  within  the  duodenum,  —  and  also  within  the  ileum,  and 
the  ileum  within  the  ccecum — and  one  portion  of  the  colon  within  another,  and  within 
the  rectum.  The  ileum  and  jejunum  are  occasionally  invaginated  in  various  places. 
More  than  a  dozen  distinct  cases  of  introsusception  have  occurred  in  one  animal,  and 
Bometimes  unconnected  with  any  appearance  of  inflammation ;  but  in  other  cases,  or 
in  other  parts  of  the  intestinal  canal  of  the  same  animal,  there  will  be  inflammation 
of  the  most  intense  character.     In  the  majority  of  cases,  perhaps  it  is  an  accidental 

♦  Veterinarian  IX.   161.  t  Vol.  II.  p.  449. 


ENTANGLEMENT   OF   THE  BOWELS.- WORMS. 


239 


consequence  of  pre-existing  disease,  and  occasioned  by  some  irregular  action  of  the 
tnoscular  tunic,  or  some  irritation  of  the  mucous  surface. 
A  more  formidable,  but  not  so  frequent  disease  is 

ENTANGLEMENT  OF  THE   BOWELS. 

This  is  another  and  singular  consequence  of  colic.  Although  the  ileum  is  enveloped 
in  the  mesentery,  and  its  motion  to  a  considerable  degree  confined,  yet  under  the 
spasm  of  colic,  and  during  the  violence  with  which  the  animal  rolls  and  throws  him- 
self about,  portions  of  th(3  intestine  become  so  entangled  as  to  be  twisted  into  nooses 
and  knots,  drawn  together  with  a  degree  of  tightness  scarcely  credible.  Nothing  but 
die  extreme  and  continued  torture  of  the  animal  can  lead  us  to  suspect  that  this  has 
taken  place,  and,  could  we  ascertain  its  existence,  there  would  be  no  cure. 

An  interesting  case  occurred  in  the  practice  of  Mr.  Spooner  of  Southampton.  A 
mare  at  grass  was  suddenly  taken  ill.  She  discovered  symptoms  of  violent  colic,  for 
which  anti-spasmodic  and  aperient  medicines  were  promptly  administered,  and  she 
was  copiously  bled.  The  most  active  treatment  was  had  recourse  to,  but  without 
avail,  and  she  died  in  less  than  four-and-twenty  hours  without  a  momentary  relief 
from  pain. 

The  small  intestines  were  completely  black  from  inflammation,  and  portions  of 
them  were  knotted  together  in  the  singular  way  delineated  in  this  cut.  The  parts  arw 
a  little  loosened  in  order  better  to  show  the  entanglement  of  the  intestines,  but  in  th« 
animal  they  were  drawn  into  a  tight  knot,  and  completely  intercepted  all  passage. 

The  cause  of  this  was  probably  some  acrid  principle  in  the  grass,  and  many  a  horsa 
is  thus  destroyed  by  the  abominable  and  poisonous  drinks  of  the  farrier.* 


WORMS. 

Worms  of  diffeient  kinds  inhabit  the  intestines ;  but,  except  when  they  exist  in 
rery  great  numbers,  they  are  not  so  hurtful  as  is  generally  supposed,  although  the 

*  Veterinarian,  VL  12. 


240  DISEASES    OF    THE   INTESTINES. 

groom  or  carter  may  trace  to  them,  hidebound,  and  cough,  and  loss  of  appetite,  and 
gripes,  and  megrims,  and  a  variety  of  other  ailments.  Of  the  origin,  or  mode  of  pro- 
pagation of  these  parasitical  animals,  we  can  say  little;  neither  writers  on  medicine, 
nor  even  on  natural  history,  have  given  us  any  satisfactory  account  of  the  matter. 

The  long  white  worm  {lumbn'cus  feres)  much  resembles  the  common  earth-worm, 
and,  being  from  six  to  ten  inches  in  length,  inhabits  the  small  intestines.  It  is  a  for- 
midable looking  animal ;  and  if  there  are  many  of  them,  they  may  consume  more  tiian 
can  be  spared  of  the  nutritive  part  of  the  food,  or  the  mucus  of  the  bowels,  A  tight 
skin,  and  rough  coat,  and  tucked-up  belly,  are  sometimes  connected  with  their  pre- 
sence. They  are  then,  however,  voided  in  large  quantities.  A  dose  of  physic  will 
sometimes  bring  away  almost  incredible  quantities  of  them.  Calomel  is  frequently 
given  as  a  vermifuge.  The  seldomer  this  drug  is  administered  to  the  horse  the  better. 
It  is  the  principal  ingredient,  in  some  quack  medicines,  for  the  expulsion  of  worms  in 
the  human  subject,  and  thence,  perhaps,  it  came  to  be  used  for  the  horse;  but  in  him 
we  believe  it  to  be  inert  as  a  vermifuge,  or  only  useful  as  quickening  the  operation  of 
the  aloes.  When  the  horse  can  be  spared,  a  strong  dose  of  physic  is  an  excellent 
vermifuge,  so  far  as  the  long  round  worm  is  concerned  ;  but  a  better  medicine,  and 
not  interfering  with  either  the  feeding  or  work  of  the  horse,  is  emetic  tartar,  with 
ginger,  made  into  a  ball  with  linseed  meal  and  treacle,  and  given  every  morninn-, 
half  an  hour  before  the  horse  is  fed. 

A  smaller,  darker-coloured  worm,  called  tlie  needle-worm,  or  ascaris,  inhabits  the 
large  intestines.  Hundreds  of  them  sometimes  descend  into  the  rectum,  and  immense 
quantities  have  been  found  in  the  ca?cum.  These  are  a  more  serious  nuisance  than 
the  former,  for  they  cause  a  very  troublesome  irritation  about  the  fundament,  which 
sometimes  sadly  annoys  the  horse.  Their  existence  can  generally  be  discovered 
by  a  small  portion  of  mucus,  which,  hardening,  is  found  adhering  to  the  anus. 
Physic  will  sometimes  bring  away  great  numbers  of  these  worms ;  but  when  there  is 
much  irritation  about  the  tail,  and  much  of  this  mucus,  indicating  that  they  have 
descended  into  the  rectum,  an  injection  of  linseed  oil,  or  of  aloes  dissolved  in  warm 
water,  will  be  a  more  effectual  remedy. 

The  tape-worm  is  seldom  found  in  the  horse. 

HERNIA,  OR  RUPTURE. 

A  portion  of  the  intestine  protrudes  out  of  the  cavity  of  the  belly,  either  through 
some  natural  or  artificial  opening.  In  some  cases  it  may  be  returned,  but,  from  the 
impossibility  of  applying  a  truss  or  bandage,  it  soon  escapes  again.  At  other  times, 
the  opening  is  so  narrow,  that  the  gut,  gradually  distended  by  faeces,  or  thickened  by 
inflammation,  cannot  be  returned,  and  strangulated  hernia  is  then  said  to  exist.  The 
seat  of  hernia  is  either  in  the  scrotum  of  the  perfect  horse,  or  the  groin  of  the  gelding. 
The  causes  are  violent  struggling  when  under  operations,  over-exertion,  kicks,  or  acci- 
dents.    The  assistance  of  a  veterinary  surgeon  is  here  indispensable.* 

*  The  following  case  of  operation  for  hernia  will  be  acceptable  to  the  owner  of  horses  as 
well  as  to  the  veterinary  surgeon.  It  occurred  in  the  practice  of  Professor  Simonds,  of  the 
Royal  Veterinary  ColUege.     We  borrow  his  account  of  it  from  "  The  Veterinarian." 

"  The  patient  was  an  aged  black  carf-niare,  that  had  been  lent  by  the  owner  to  a  neighbour 
for  a  day  or  two.  I  cannot  speak  positively  as  to  the  cause  of  the  injury  which  she  received, 
but  I  believe  that  it  resulted  from  her  falling  in  the  shafts  of  a  cart  laden  with  manure.  Slie 
was  brought  to  my  infirmary  on  the  next  day,  October  IS,  1837. 

"  The  most  extensive  rupture  I  had  ever  seen  presented  itself  on  the  left  side.  The  leac 
formed  by  the  skin,  which  was  not  broken,  nor  even  the  hair  rubbed  ofl^,  extended  as  far  for 
wards  as  the  cartilages  of  the  false  ribs,  and  backwards  to  the  udder.  A  perpendicular  line 
drawn  from  the  superior  to  the  inferior  part  of  the  tumour  measured  more  than  twelve  inches. 
It  appeared,  from  its  immense  size  and  weight,  as  if  by  far  the  larger  part  of  the  colon  had 
protruded. 

To  my  surprise,  there  was  comparatively  little  constitutional  disturbance.  The  pulse  was 
45,  and  full,  with  no  other  indication  of  fever,  and  no  expression  of  pain  on  pressing  the 
tumour. 

"  She  was  bled  until  the  pulse  was  considerably  lowered.  A  cathartic  was  given,  and  the 
sac  ordered  to  be  kept  constantly  wet  with  cold  water,  and  to  be  supported  by  a  wide  band 
age.     She  was  placed  on  a  restricted  and  mash  diet. 

"On  the  next  day,  being  honoured  with  a  visit  by  Messrs.  Morton,  Spooner,  and  Youatt, 
I  had  the  pleasure  and  advantage  of  submitting  the  case  to  their  examination,  and  obtaining 
Uieir  opinion.   They  urged  me  to  attempt  to  return  the  protruding  viscera,  and  secure  them  bv 


DISEASES    OF    THE   LIVER.  241 

DISEASES  OF  THE  LIVER. 

As  veterinary  practice  has  improved,  much  light  has  been  thrown  on  the  diseases 
of  the  liver  —  not  perhaps  on  the  more  advanced  and  fatal  stages  ;  but  giving  us  the 
promise  that,  in  process  of  time,  they  may  be  detected  at  an  earlier  period,  and  in  a 
more  manageable  state. 

a  surgical  operation ;  and  Mr.  Spooner  kindly  offered  to  be  present,  and  to  give  me  his  valu- 
able assistance. 

"On  the  24th,  our  patient  was  considered  to  have  had  sufficient  preparatory  treatment,  and 
she  was  operated  upon.  We  availed  ourselves  of  the  opportunity  of  putting  to  the  test  that 
which  some  among  us  had  doubted,  and  others  had  positively  denied,  but  which  had  always 
been  maintained  by  our  talented  chemical  lecturer — the  power  of  opium  to  lull  the  sensation 
of  pain  in  the  horse.  We  therefore  gave  her  two  ounces  and  a  half  of  the  tincture  of  opium, 
shortly  before  she  was  led  from  the  box  to  the  operating  house,  and  the  power  of  the  drug  was 
evident  through  the  whole  of  the  operation. 

"After  a  careful  examination,  externally,  as  well  as  per  rectum,  in  order  to  ascertain  the 
situation  and  probable  size  of  the  laceration  of  the  muscles,  an  incision  was  carefully  made 
through  the  integument  into  the  sac,  in  a  line  with  the  inferior  border  of  the  cartilage  of  the 
false  ribs,  which  incision  was  about  seven  inches  in  length.  This,  as  we  had  hoped,  proved 
to  be  directly  upon  the  aperture  in  the  muscular  parietes  of  the  abdomen.  The  intestines 
were  exposed  ;  and,  after  having  sufficiently  dilated  the  opening  to  permit  the  introduction  of 
the  hand,  they  were  quickly  returned,  portion  after  portion,  into  their  proper  cavity,  together 
with  a  part  of  the  omentum,  which  we  found  somewhat  annoying,  it  being  frequently  forced 
back  again  through  the  laceration. 

"At  times,  it  required  the  exertion  of  our  united  strength  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the 
intestines,  and  which  was  only  effected  by  placing  our  hands  side  by  side,  covering  and 
pressing  upon  the  opening.  By  these  means  we  succeeded  in  keeping  in  the  viscera,  until 
we  were  satisfied  that  we  had  placed  them  all  within  their  proper  cavity.  At  about  the  cen- 
tral part  of  the  aperture,  we  decidedly  found  the  greatest  pressure  of  the  intestines  to  effect 
an  escape. 

"  A  strong  metallic  suture  of  flexible  wire  was  then  passed  through  the  edges  of  the  lacera- 
tion, taking  in  the  peritoneum  and  portions  of  the  transversalis,  rectus,  and  internal  abdorni- 
nal  muscles ;  and  other  sutures,  embracing  the  same  parts,  were  placed  at  convenient  dis- 
tances, so  as  nearly  to  close  the  aperture.  Two  sutures  of  smaller  metaUic  wire,  and  three 
of  stout  silk  cord,  were  then  passed  through  the  external  abdominal  muscles,  and  their  apo- 
neuroses, which  effectually  shut  up  the  opening  into  the  abdomen.  The  integument  wag 
then  brought  together  by  the  interrupted  suture,  taking  care  to  bring  out  the  ends  of  the 
other  sutures,  and  which  had  been  purposely  left  long,  so  that  in  case  of  supervening  inflam- 
mation, or  swelling,  they  might  be  readily  examined.  The  whole  operation  occupied  rather 
less  tlian  an  hour,  our  poor  patient  being  occasionally  refreshed  with  some  warm  gruel. 

"  The  hobbles  were  now  quietly  removed,  and,  after  lying  a  few  minutes,  she  got  up,  and 
was  placed  in  a  large  loose  box.  A  compress  and  a  suspensory  bandage,  that  could  be  tight- 
ened at  pleasure,  were  applied  to  the  wound.  The  pulse  was  now  84.  She  was  ordered  to 
be  watched,  and  to  have  some  tepid  water  placed  within  her  reach,  but  on  no  account  to  be 
disturbed. 

"  At  10,  P.  M.,  the  pulse  had  sunk  to  66.  The  respiration,  which  had  been  much  accele- 
rated, was  quieter.  She  was  resting  the  leg  on  the  side  operated  upon,  but  did  not  appear  to 
be  suffering  any  great  pain.  Some  faeces  had  passed,  and  she  had  taken  a  small  quantuy  of 
bran  mash.  The  parts  were  well  fomented  with  tepid  water,  an  oleaginous  draught  was 
administered,  and  likewise  an  enema. 

"25th. — The  pulse  is  a  little  quickened ;  the  sac  which  had  contained  the  protruded  intes- 
tine was  filled  with  a  serous  effusion.  I  made  a  dependent  orifice  in  it,  and  from  three  to 
four  pints  of  fluid  eccaped.  This  much  relieved  her,  and  she  continued  to  go  on  favourably 
throughout  the  day. 

"2(jth. — Suppuration  now  began  to  be  estabhshed,  and  the  parts  were  dressed  with  the 
compound  tincture  of  myrrh. 

"  30tb. — She  was  enabled  to  take  a  little  walking  exercise  ;  and  on  this  day  some  of  the 
integumental  sutures  came  away. 

"'Nov.  4th. — The  sloughing  process  being  now  set  up,  three  of  the  smaller  metallic  sutures, 
that  had  been  used  to  bring  the  edges  of  the  laceretion  together  in  the  external  abdominal  mus- 
cles, came  away.  The  parts  were  minutely  examined,  and  we  detected  a  sinus  running 
towards  the  mammae,  and  filled  with  pus.  With  some  little  difficulty  it  was  opened,  and  a 
tape  passed  through  it,  so  as  to  allow  the  pus  to  escape  as  quickly  as  it  was  formed.  The 
appetite  was  tolerably  good,  and  the  pulse  ranged  from  52  to  56. 

"  6th. — The  patient  was  so  far  recovered  that  I  ventured  to  turn  her  into  one  of  the  pad- 
docks for  a  few  hours'  exercise,  taking  care  to  avoid  any  exposure  to  cold,  if  the  weather  was 
Btormy. 

"  11th. — An  incident  occurred  which  nearly  brought  our  hitherto  successful  case  to  a  fttaJ 
termination.     I  saw  her  safe  about  1,  P.  M. ;  but  at  two  o'clock  a  messenger  came  in  hj3to 
to  apprise  me  that  she  was  in  a  pond  at  the  bottom  of  the  paddock,  and  fixed  in  the  m  jdt 
21  2f 


242  DISEASES    OF   THE  INTESTINES, 

If  horses,  destroyed  on  account  of  other  complaints,  are  examined  when  they  are 
not  more  than  five  years  old,  the  liver  is  usually  found  in  the  most  healthy  state ;  but 
when  they  arrive  at  eight  or  nine,  or  ten  years,  this  viscus  is  frequently  increased  in 
size — it  is  less  elastic  under  pressure — it  has  assumed  more  of  a  granulated  or  broken- 
down  appearance  —  the  blood  does  not  so  readily  permeate  its  vessels,  and,  at  length, 
rn  a  greater  or  less  quantity,  it  begins  to  exude,  and  is  either  confined  under  the  peri- 
toneal covering,  or  oozes  into  the  cavity  of  the  belly.  There  is  nothing,  for  awhile, 
to  indicate  the  existence  of  this.  The  horse  feeds  well,  is  in  apparent  health,  in  good 
condition,  and  capable  of  constant  work,  notwithstanding  so  fatal  a  change  is  taking 
place  in  this  important  viscus ;  but,  at  length,  the  peritoneal  covering  of  the  liver  sud- 
denly gives  way,  and  the  contents  of  the  abdomen  are  deluged  with  blood,  or  a  suffi- 
c'ent  quantity  of  this  fluid  has  gradually  oozed  out  to  interfere  with  the  functions  of 
the  viscera. 

The  symptoms  of  this  sudden  change  are — pawing,  shifting  the  posture,  distension 
of  the  belly,  curling  of  the  upper  lip,  sighing  frequently  and  deeply,  the  mouth  and 
nostrils  pale  and  blanched,  the  breathing  quickened,  restlessness,  debility,  fainting, 
and  death. 

On  opening  the  abdomen,  the  intestines  are  found  to  be  deluged  with  dark  venous 
blood.  The  liver  is  either  of  a  fawn,  or  light  yellow,  or  brown  colour  —  easily  torn 
by  the  finger,  and,  in  some  cases,  completely  broken  down. 

If  the  haemorrhage  has  been  slight  at  the  commencement,  and  fortunately  arrested, 
yet  a  singular  consequence  will  frequently  result.  The  sight  will  gradually  fail ;  the 
pupil  of  one  or  both  eyes  will  gradually  dilate,  the  animal  will  have  gutla  serena, 
and  become  perfectly  blind.  This  will  almost  assuredly  take  place  on  a  return  of  the 
affection  of  the  liver.  Little  can  be  done  in  a  medical  point  of  view.  Astringent  and 
Styptic  medicines  may,  however,  be  tried.  Turpentine,  alum,  or  sulphuric  acid,  will 
afford  the  only  chance.  The  veterinary  world  is  indebted  to  the  late  Mr.  John  Field 
for  almost  all  that  is  known  of  this  sad  disease. 

JAUNDICE, 

Commonly  called  The  Yellows,  is  a  more  frequent,  but  more  tractable  disease.  It 
is  the  introduction  of  bile  into  the  general  circulation.     This  is  usually  caused  by 

There,  indeed,  I  found  her,  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  bank,  and  making  the  most 
violent  efforts  to  release  herself  With  considerable  difficulty,  and  after  many  unsuccessful 
attempts,  we  succeeded  in  dragging  her  ashore,  so  much  exhausted  as  to  be  utterly  incapable 
of  rising.  A  gate  was  procured,  and  being  well  covered  with  straw,  sliu  was  drawn  home- 
ward by  two  horses  ;  I  following,  regretting  what  had  occurred,  and  not  a  iiitle  blaming  myself 
for  having  exposed  her  to  this  misfortune. 

"Having  placed  her  in  her  box,  our  first  object  was  her  restoration  and  comfort.  Men 
were  set  to  work  to  rub  her  perfectly  dry,  and  some  warm  gruel,  with  a  little  cordial  medi- 
cine, was  given.  The  stale  of  the  wound  was  next  examined,  and  it  was  well  cleaned  with 
tepid  water.  It  was  very  dark-coloured.  The  vitality  of  the  young  granulations  was  appa- 
rently destroyed,  and  it  emitted,  in  some  degree,  perhaps  from  the  mud  which  had  been  so 
long  in  contact  with  it,  an  oflensive  effluvium.  It  was  well  dressed  with  the  spirit  of  nitrous 
ether,  and  properly  bandaged — in  order  to  prevent  its  receiving  any  further  injury  in  her  inef- 
fectual attempts  to  rise. 

"  We  soon,  however,  began  to  fear  some  ill  consequence  from  the  continuance  of  these 
efforts,  and  we  determined  to  raise  her  with  the  slings,  those  useful  appendages  to  every  vete- 
rinary establishment.  This  was  soon  eflectcd.  We  allowed  very  little  bearing  on  the  abdo- 
men, except  when  she  was  compelled,  in  order  to  ease  her  hind  extremities,  which  were  yet 
unable  to  support  their  share  of  the  weight  of  the  body.  Frictions,  stimulants,  and  bandages, 
were  applied  to  the  extremities.  An  enema  was  given,  the  wound  again  attended  to,  and 
some  gruel  placed  within  her  reach. 

"At  midnight  she  was  standing  at  ease  in  what  may  not  inappropriately  be  called  her 
cradle.  The  legs  were  tolerably  warm :  the  pulse  60,  and  full ;  the  enema  had  done  its  duty, 
and  she  was  in  a  much  more  comfortable  state  than  I  bad  any  right  to  expect.  I  ordered  her 
a  warm  mash  and  some  gruel,  for  hope  began  once  more  to  cheer  me. 

"  On  the  following  and  succeeding  days  she  continued  gradually  to  regain  her  strength,  but 
she  required  great  care  and  attention,  and  it  was  not  until  the  expiration  of  the  fourth  day  that 
I  dared  to  remove  her  from  the  slings,  and  then  only  for  a  few  hours  during  the  day,  carefully 
replacing  her  in  them  at  night.  Some  slight  sloughing  took  place  from  the  wound  ;  but  the 
principal  effect  of  her  innnersion  was  a  severe  catarrh.  She  required  occasional  attendance 
to  the  wound ;  and  it  was  not  until  the  12th  of  January — more  than  twelve  weeks  after  the 
operation — that  the  last  of  the  metallic  sutures  came  away.  She  soon  afterwards  returned 
to  her  usual  work." 


THE  KIDNEYS.  243 

Bome  obstruction  in  the  ducts  or  tubes  that  convey  the  bile  from  the  liver  to  the  intes- 
tines. The  horse,  however,  has  but  one  duct,  through  which  the  bile  usually  flows 
as  quickly  as  it  is  formed,  and  there  is  no  gall-bladder  in  which  it  can  become  thick- 
ened, or  hardened  into  masses  so  firm  as  to  be  appropriately  called  gall-stones.  Jaun- 
dice does,  however,  occasionally  appear  either  from  an  increased  flow  or  altered 
quality  of  the  bile,  or  obstruction  even  in  this  simple  tube.  The  yellowness  of  the 
eyes  and  mouth,  and  of  the  skin  where  it  is  not  covered  with  hair,  mark  it  sufficiently 
plainly.  The  dung  is  small  and  hard  ;  the  urine  highly  coloured  ;  the  horse  languid, 
and  the  appetite  impaired.  If  he  is  not  soon  relieved,  he  sometimes  begins  to  express 
considerable  uneasiness;  at  other  times  he  is  dull,  heavy,  and  stupid."  A  character- 
istic symptom  is  lameness  of  the  right  fore  leg,  resembling  the  pain  in  the  rio-ht 
shoulder  of  the  human  being  in  hepatic  affections.  The  principal  causes  are  ov'er- 
feeding  or  over-exertion  in  sultry  weather,  or  too  little  work  generally  speaking,  or 
inflammation  or  other  disease  of  the  liver  itself. 

It  is  first  necessary  to  inquire  whether  this  affection  of  the  liver  is  not  the  conse- 
quence of  the  sympathy  of  that  organ  with  some  other  part,  for,  to  a  very  considerable 
degree,  it  frequently  accompanies  inflammation  of  the  bowels  and  the  lungs.  These 
diseases  being  subdued,  jaundice  will  disappear.  If  there  is  no  other  apparent  disease 
to  any  great  extent,  an  endeavour  to  restore  the  natural  passage  of  the  bile  by  purga- 
tives may  be  tried,  not  consisting  of  large  doses,  lest  there  should  be  some  undetected 
inflammation  of  the  lungs  or  bowels,  in  either  of  which  a  strong  purgative  would  bo 
dangerous ;  but,  given  in  small  quantities,  repeated  at  short  intervals,  and  until  the 
bowels  are  freely  opened.  Bleeding  should  always  be  resorted  to,  regulated  accord- 
ing to  the  apparent  degree  of  inflammation,  and  the  occasional  stupor  of  the  animal. 
Plent)'  of  water  slightly  warmed,  or  thin  gruel,  should  be  given.  The  horse  should 
be  warmly  clothed,  and  the  stable  well  ventilated,  but  not  cold.  Carrots  or  STeen 
meat  will  be  very  beneficial.  Should  the  purging,  when  once  excited,  prove  violent, 
we  need  not  be  in  any  haste  to  stop  it,  unless  inflammation  is  beginning  to  be  con- 
nected with  it,  or  the  horse  is  very  weak.  The  medicine  recommended  under  diar- 
rhoea may  then  be  exhibited.  A  few  slight  tonics  should  be  given  when  the  horse  is 
recovering  from  an  attack  of  jaundice. 

The  Spleen  is  sometimes  very  extraordinarily  enlarged,  and  has  been  ruptured. 
We  are  not  aware  of  any  means  by  which  this  may  be  discovered,  except  manual 
examination  by  means  or  the  aid  of  the  rectum.  The  state  of  the  animal  would 
clearly  enough  point  out  the  treatment  to  be  adopted. 

The  Pancreas.     We  know  not  of  any  disease  to  which  it  is  liable. 

The  blood  contains  a  great  quantity  of  watery  fluid  unnecessary  for  the  nutriment 
or  repair  of  the  frame.  There  likewise  mingle  with  it  matters  that  would  be  noxioua 
if  suffered  to  accumulate  too  much. 

THE  KIDNEYS 

Are  actively  employed  in  separating  this  fluid,  and  likewise  carrying  off  a  substance 
which  constitutes  the  peculiar  ingredient  in  urine,  called  the  urea,  and  consisting  prin- 
cipally of  that  which  would  be  poisonous  to  the  animal.  The  kidneys  are  two"  large 
glandular  bodies,  placed  under  the  loins,  of  the  shape  of  a  kidney-bean,  of  immense 
size.  The  right  kidney  is  most  forward,  lying  under  the  liver;  the  left  is  pushed 
more  backward  by  the  stomach  and  spleen.  A  large  artery  nnis  to  each,  carrying  not 
less  than  a  sixth  part  of  the  whole  of  the  blood  that  circulates  through  the  frame. 
This  artery  is  divided  into  innumerable  little  branches  most  curiously  complicated  and 
coiled  upon  each  other;  and  the  blood,  traversing  these  convolutions,  has  its  watery 
parts,  and  others  the  retaining  of  which  would  be  injurious,  separated  from  it. 

The  fluid  thus  separated  varies  materially  both  in  quantity  and  composition,  even 
during  health.  There  is  no  animal  in  which  it  varies  so  much  as  in  the  horse, — there 
is  no  organ  in  that  animal  so  much  under  our  command  as  the  kidney ;  and  no  medi- 
cines are  so  useful,  or  may  be  so  injurious,  as  diuretics — such  as  nitre,  and  digitalis — 
not  only  on  account  of  their  febrifuge  or  sedative  effects,  but  because  of  the  power 
which  they  exert.  They  stimulate  the  kidneys  to  separate  more  aqueous  fluid  than 
they  otherwise  would  do,  and  thus  lessen  the  quantity  of  blood  which  the  heart  is 
labouring  to  circulate  through  the  frame,  and  also  that  which  is  determined  or  d'iven 
to  parts  already  overloaded.  The  main  objects  to  be  accomplished  in  these  diseases 
is  to  reduce  the  force  of  the  circulation,  and  to  calm  the  violence  of  excitement.     Diu- 


244  DISEASES    OF   THE   INTESTINES. 

retics,  by  lessening  the  quantity  of  blood,  are  useful  assistants  in  accomplishing  these 
purposes. 

I'he  horse  is  subject  to  effusions  of  fluid  in  particular  parts.  Swelled  legs  are  a 
disease  almost  peculiar  to  him.  The  ox,  the  sheep,  the  dog,  the  ass,  and  even  the 
mule,  seldom  have  it,  but  it  is  for  the  removal  of  this  deposit  of  fluid  in  the  cellulai 
substance  of  the  legs  of  the  horse  that  we  have  recourse  to  diuretics.  The  legs  of 
many  horses  cannot  be  rendered  fine,  or  kept  so,  without  the  use  of  diuretics ;  nor 
can  grease — often  connected  with  these  swellings,  producing  them  or  caused  by  them 
— be  otherwise  subdued.  It  is  on  this  account  that  diuretics  are  ranked  among  the 
most  useful  of  veterinary  medicines. 

In  injudicious  hands,  however,  these  medicines  are  sadly  abused.  Among  the 
absurdities  of  stable-management  there  is  nothing  so  injurious  as  the  frequent  use  of 
diuretics.  Not  only  are  the  kidneys  often  over-excited,  weakened,  and  disposed  to 
•disease,  but  the  whole  frame  becomes  debilitated  ;  for  the  absorbents  have  carried 
away  a  great  part  of  that  which  was  necessary  to  the  health  and  condition  of  the 
horse,  in  order  to  supply  the  deficiency  of  blood  occasioned  by  the  inordinate  discharge 
of  urine.  There  is  likewise  one  important  fact  of  which  the  groom  or  the  horseman 
seldom  thinks,  viz. : — That,  when  he  is  removing  these  humours  by  the  imprudent 
use  of  diuretics,  he  is  only  attacking  a  symptom  or  a  consequence  of  disease,  and  no* 
the  disease  itself.  The  legs  will  fill  again,  and  the  grease  will  return.  While  the 
cause  remains,  the  effect  will  be  produced. 

In  the  administration  of  diuretics,  one  thing  should  be  attended  to,  and  the  good 
effect  of  which  the  testimony  of  every  intelligent  man  will  confirm  :  the  horse  should 
have  plenty  to  drink.  Not  only  will  inflammation  be  prevented,  but  the  operation  of 
the  medicine  will  be  much  promoted. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  KIDNEYS. 

This  is  no  uncommon  disease  in  the  horse,  and  is  more  unskilfully  and  fatally 
treated  than  almost  any  other.  The  early  symptoms  are  those  of  fever  generally,  but 
the  seat  of  the  disease  soon  becomes  evident.  The  horse  looks  anxiously  round  at 
his  flanks;  stands  with  his  hinder  legs  wide  apart;  is  unwilling  to  lie  down  ;  strad- 
dles as  he  walks  ;  expresses  pain  in  turning ;  shrinks  when  the  loins  are  pressed, 
and  some  degree  of  heat  is  felt  there.  The  urine  is  voided  in  small  quantities ;  fre- 
quently it  is  high-coloured,  and  sometimes  bloody.  Tlie  attempt  to  urinate  becomes 
more  frequent,  and  the  quantity  voided  smaller,  until  the  animal  strains  painfully  and 
violently,  but  the  discharge  is  nearly  or  quite  suppressed.  The  pulse  is  quick  and 
hard  ;  full  in  the  early  stage  of  the  disease,  but  rapidly  becoming  small,  yet  not  losing 
its  character  of  hardness.  These  symptoms  clearly  indicate  an  affection  of  the  urinary 
organs  ;  but  they  do  not  distinguish  inflammation  of  the  kidney  from  that  of  the  blad- 
der. In  order  to  effect  this,  the  hand  must  be  introduced  into  the  rectum.  If  the 
bladder  is  felt  full  and  hard  under  the  rectum,  there  is  inflammation  of  the  neck  of  it ; 
if  it  is  empty,  yet  on  the  portion  of  the  intestines  immediately  over  it  there  is  more 
than  natural  heat  and  tenderness,  there  is  inflammation  of  the  body  of  the  bladder; 
and  if  the  bladder  is  empty,  and  there  is  no  increased  heat  or  tenderness,  there  is 
inflammation  of  the  kidney. 

Among  the  causes  of  diabetes  are  improper  food,  and  particularly  hay  that  has  been 
mow-burnt,  or  oats  that  are  musty.  The  farmer  should  look  well  to  this.  Oats  that 
have  been  dried  on  a  kiln  acquire  a  diuretic  property,  and  if  horses  are  long  fed  on 
them,  the  continual  excitement  of  this  organ  which  they  produce  will  degenerate  into 
inflammation.  Too  powerful  or  too  often  repeated  diuretics  induce  inflammation  of 
the  kidney,  or  a  degree  of  irritation  and  weakness  of  that  organ  that  disposes  tc 
inflammation  from  causes  that  would  otherwise  have  no  injurious  effect.  If  a  horse 
is  sprained  in  ttie  loins  by  being  urged  on,  far  or  fast,  by  a  heavy  rider,  or  compelled 
to  take  too  wide  a  leap,  or  by  being  suddenly  pulled  up  on  his  haunches,  the  inflam- 
mation of  the  muscles  of  the  loins  is  often  speedily  transferred  to  the  kidneys,  with 
which  they  lie  in  contact.  Exposure  to  cold  is  another  fre(|ii(Mit  orifjin  of  this  malady, 
especially  if  the  horse  is  drenched  with  rain,  or  the  wet  drips  upon  his  loins;  and, 
more  particularly,  if  he  was  previously  disposed  to  inflannnation,  or  these  organs  had 
been  previously  weakened.  For  this  reason,  hackney-coach  horses  and  others,  exposed 
to  the  vicissitudes  of  ihe  weather,  and  often  fed  on  unwholesome  provender,  have,  oi 
Khould  have,  their  loins  protected  by  leather  or  some  other  clothing.    The  grand  cause 


DIABETES-BLOODY  URINE— ALBUMINOUS  URINE,  &c.  245 

hov/ever,  of  nephritis,  is  the  unnecessary  quantity  or  undue  strength  of  the  diuretic 
medicines  that  are  forced  on  the  horse  by  the  ignorant  groom.  This  is  an  evil  carried 
to  an  infamous  extent,  and  against  which  every  horseman  should  sternly  oppose 
himself. 

The  treatment  will  only  vary  from  that  of  inflammation  of  other  parts  by  a  consi- 
deration of  the  peculiarity  of  the  organ  aflected.  Bleeding  must  be  promptly  resorted 
to,  and  carried  to  its  full  extent.  An  active  purge  should  next  be  administered  ;  and 
a  counter-inflammation  excited  as  nearly  as  possible  to  thj  seat  of  disease.  For  this 
purpose  the  loins  should  be  fomented  with  hot  water,  or  covered  with  a  mustard- 
poultice —  the  horse  should  be  warmly  clothed;  but  no  cantharides  or  turpentine 
sliould  be  used,  and,  most  of  all,  no  diuretic  be  given  internally.  When  the  groom 
finds  this  difficulty  or  suppression  of  staling,  he  immediately  has  recourse  to  a  diuretic 
ball  to  force  on  the  urine ;  and  by  thus  needlessly  irritating  a  part  already  too  much 
excited,  he  adds  fuel  to  fire,  and  frequently  destroys  the  horse.  The  action  of  the 
purgative  having  begun  a  little  to  cease,  white  hellebore  may  be  administered  in  small 
doses,  with  or  without  emetic  tartar.  The  patient  should  be  warmly  clothed ;  his 
legs  well  bandaged ;  and  nlentj'  of  water  offered  to  him.  The  food  should  be  care- 
fully examined,  and  anything  that  could  have  excited  or  that  may  prolong  the  irrita- 
tion carefully  removed. 

DIABETES,  OR  PROFUSE  STALING 

Is  a  comparatively  rare  disease.  It  is  generally  the  consequence  of  undue  irritation 
of  the  kidney  by  bad  food  or  strong  diuretics,  and  sometimes  follows  inflammation  of 
that  organ.  It  can  seldom  be  traced  in  the  horse  to  any  disease  of  the  digestive 
organs.  The  treatment  is  obscure,  and  the  result  often  uncertain.  It  is  evidently 
increased  action  of  the  kidneys,  and  therefore  the  most  rational  plan  of  treatment  is  to 
endeavour  to  abate  that  action.  In  order  to  effect  this,  the  same  course  should  be 
pursued  in  the  early  stage  of  diabetes  as  in  actual  inflammation;  but  the  lowering 
system  must  not  be  carried  to  so  great  an  extent.  To  bleeding,  purging,  and  counter^ 
irritation,  medicines  of  an  astringent  qualit}'  should  succeed,  as  catechu,  the  powdered 
leaf  of  the  whortleberry  (uva  ursi),  and  opium.  Very  careful  attention  should  be  paid 
to  the  food.  The  hay  and  oats  should  be  of  the  best  qualit)'.  Green  meat,  and  espe- 
cially carrots,  will  be  very  serviceable. 

BLOODY  URINE— H.EMATURIA. 

The  discharge  of  urine  of  this  character  is  of  occasional  occurrence.  Pure  blood 
is  sometimes  discharged  which  immediately  coagulates — at  other  times  it  is  more  or 
less  mixed  with  the  urine,  and  does  not  coagulate.  The  cause  of  its  appearance  and 
the  source  whence  it  proceeds  cannot  always  be  determined,  but  it  is  probably  the 
result  of  some  strain  or  blow.     It  may  or  may  not  be  accompanied  by  inflammation. 

Should  it  be  the  result  of  strain  or  violence,  or  be  evidently  attended  by  inflamma- 
tion, soothing  and  depleting  measures  should  be  adopted.  Perhaps  counter-irritation 
on  the  loins  might  be  useful.  If  there  is  no  apparent  inflammation,  some  gentle 
stimulus  may  be  administered  internally. 

ALBUMINOUS  URINE. 

A  peculiar  mucous  state  of  the  urine  of  some  horses  has  lately  attracted  attention. 
It  has  been  associated  with  stretching  out  of  the  legs,  stiffness,  disinclination  to  move, 
a  degree  of  fever,  and  costiveness.  Slight  bleeding,  mild  physic,  the  application  of 
gentle  stimulants  to  the  loins,  quietness,  and  gentle  opiates,  have  been  of  service. 
We  are  indebted  to  ]Mr.  Pcrcivall  for  what  w^e  do  know  of  the  disease.  It  is  a  subject 
worthy  of  the  attention  of  the  veterinary  surgeon. 

THE  BLADDER. 

The  urine  separated  from  the  blood  is  discharged  by  the  minute  vessels,  of  which 
we  have  spoken,  into  some  larger  canals,  which  terminate  in  a  cavity  or  reservoir  iu 
the  body  of  each  kidney,  designated  its  pelvis.  Thence  it  is  convej^ed  by  a  duct  called 
the  ureter,  to  a  larger  reservoir,  the  bladder.  It  is  constantly  flowing  from  the  kidney 
through  the  ureter ;  and  were  there  not  this  provision  for  its  detention,  it  would  be 
incessantly  and  annoyingly  dribbling  from  the  animal.  The  bladder  lies  in,  and 
when  distended  by  urine  nearly  fills,  the  cavity  of  the  great  bones  of  the  haunch, 
21* 


Q46  DISEASES    OF    THE   INTESTINES. 

termed  the  pelvis.  It  has  three  coats,  the  outer  one  covering  the  greater  part  of  it, 
and  being  a  portion  of  the  peritoneum  :  the  muscular,  consisting  of  two  layers  of  fibres, 
as  in  the  stomach  ;  the  external,  running  longitudinally,  and  the  inner  circularly,  so 
that  it  may  yield  to  the  pressure  of  the  urine  as  it  enters,  and  contract  again  into  an 
exceedingly  small  space  as  it  runs  out,  and  by  that  contraction  assist  in  the  expulsion 
of  the  urine.  The  inner  coat  contains  numerous  little  glands,  which  secrete  a  mucous 
fluid  to  defend  the  bladder  from  the  acrimony  of  the  urine.  The  bladder  terminates 
in  a  small  neck,  round  which  is  a  strong  muscle,  keeping  the  passage  closed,  and 
retaining  the  urine  until,  at  the  will  of  the  animal,  or  when  the  bladder  contains  a 
certain  quantity  of  fluid,  the  muscular  coat  begins  to  contract,  the  diaphragm  is  ren- 
dered convex  towards  the  intestines,  and  presses  them  on  the  bladder,  and  by  these 
united  powers  the  fluid  is  forced  through  the  sphincter  muscle  at  the  neck  of  the  blad- 
der, and  escapes. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  BLADDER. 

There  are  two  varieties  of  this  disease,  inflammation  of  the  body  of  the  bladder, 
and  of  its  neck.  The  symptoms  are  nearly  the  same  with  those  of  inflammation  of 
the  kidney,  except  that  there  is  rarely  a  total  suppression  of  urine,  and  there  is  heat 
felt  in  the  rectum  over  the  situation  of  the  bladder.  The  causes  are  the  presence  of 
some  acrid  or  irritant  matter  in  the  urine,  or  of  calculus  or  stone  in  the  bladder.  With 
reference  to  inflammation  of  the  body  of  the  bladder,  mischief  has  occasionally  been 
done  by  the  introduction  of  cantharides  or  some  other  irritating  matter,  in  order  to 
hasten  the  period  of  horsing  in  the  mare.  The  treatment  in  this  case  will  be  the  same 
as  in  inflammation  of  the  kidneys,  except  that  it  is  of  more  consequence  that  the  ani- 
mal should  drink  freely  of  water  or  thin  gruel. 

In  inflammation  of  the  neck  of  the  bladder  there  is  the  same  frequent  voiding  of 
urine  in  small  quantities,  generally  appearing  in  an  advanced  stage  of  the  disease, 
and  often  ending  in  almost  total  suppression.  There  is  also  this  circumstance, 
which  can  never  be  mistaken  by  him  who  will  pay  sufficient  attention  to  the  case, 
that  the  bladder  is  distended  with  urine,  and  can  be  distinctly  felt  under  the  rec- 
tum. It  is  spasm  of  the  part,  closing  the  neck  of  the  bladder  so  powerfully  that  the 
contraction  of  the  bladder  and  the  pressure  of  the  muscles  are  unable  to  force  out  the 
urine. 

Here  the  object  to  be  attempted  is  sufficiently  plain.  This  spasm  must  be  relaxed, 
and  the  most  likely  means  to  effect  it  is  to  bleed  largely,  and  even  to  fainting.  This 
will  sometimes  succeed,  and  there  will  be  at  once  an  end  to  the  disease.  To  the 
exhaustion  and  loss  of  muscular  power  occasioned  by  copious  bleeding,  should  be 
added  the  nausea  consequent  on  physic.  Should  not  this  speedily  have  eflfect,  an- 
other mode  of  abating  spasm  must  be  tried  —  powdered  opium,  made  into  a  ball  or 
drink,  should  be  given  every  two  or  three  hours;  while  an  active  blister  is  applied 
externally.  The  evacuation  of  the  bladder,  both  in  the  mare  and  the  horse,  should 
be  eflTected  through  the  medium  of  a  veterinary  surgeon. 

STONE  IN  THE  BLADDER. 

The  urine  is  a  very  compound  fluid.  In  a  state  of  health  it  contains  several  acids 
and  alkalies  variously  combined,  which,  under  disease,  are  increased  both  in  number 
and  quantity.  It  is  very  easy  to  conceive  that  some  of  these  may  be  occasionally 
separated  from  the  rest,  and  assume  a  solid  form  both  in  the  pelvis  of  the  kidney  and 
in  the  bladder.  This  is  known  to  be  the  case  both  in  the  human  being  and  the  brute. 
These  calculi  or  stones  are  in  the  horse  oftener  found  in  the  kidney  than  in  the  blad- 
der, contrary  to  the  experience  of  the  human  surgeon.  The  explanation  of  this 
however  is  not  difficult.  In  the  human  being  the  kidney  is  situated  above  the  blad- 
der, and  these  concretions  descend  from  it  to  the  bladder  by  their  weight.  The  belly 
of  the  horse  is  horizontal,  and  the  force  of  gravity  can  in  no  way  affect  the  passage 
of  the  calculus ;  therefore  it  occasionally  remains  in  the  pelvis  of  the  kidney,  until 
it  has  increased  so  much  in  size  as  to  fill  it.  We  know  not  of  any  symptoms  that 
would  satisfactorily  indicate  the  presence  of  a  stone  in  the  kidney  ;  and  if  the  dis- 
ease could  be  ascertained,  we  are  unable  to  say  what  remedial  measures  could  be 
adopted 


STONE   IN    THE   BLADDER.  247 

The  symptoms  of  stone  in  the  bladder  much  resemble  those  of  spasmodic  colic, 
except  that,  on  careful  inquiry,  it  will  be  found  that  there  has  been  much  irregularity 
in  the  discharge  of  urine  and  occasional  suppression  of  it.  When  fits  of  apparent 
colic  frequently  return,  and  are  accompanied  by  any  peculiarity  in  the  appearance  or 
ihe  discharcre  of  the  urine,  the  horse  should  be  carefully  examined.  For  this  pur- 
pose he  must  be  thrown.  If  there  is  stone  in  the  bladder,  it  will,  while  the  horse 
lies  on  its  back,  press  on  the  rectum,  and  may  be  distinctly  felt  if  the  hand  is  intro- 
duced into  the  rectum.  Several  cases  have  lately  occurred  of  successful  extraction 
of  the  calculus ;  but  to  effect  this  it  will  always  be  necessary  to  have  recourse  to  the 
aid  of  a  veterinary  practitioner. 

Both  the  practitioner  and  the  amateur  will  be  gratified  by  the  description  of  a  cathe- 
ter, invented  by  Mr.  Taylor,  a  veterinary  surgeon  of  Nottingham,  which  may  be  in- 
troduced into  the  bladder  without  difficulty  or  pain,  and  the  existence  and  situation  of 
the  calculus  readily  ascertained. 

It  is  made  of  polished  round  iron,  three  feet  long,  one  and  a  half  inch  in  circum- 
ference, and  with  eight  joints  at  its  farther  extremity.  The  solid  part  between  each 
joint  is  one  and  a  quarter  inch  in  length,  and  one  and  a  half  in  circumference,  the 
moveable  part  being  ten  inches,  and  the  solid  part  two  feet  two  inches.  The  latter 
has  a  slight  curve  commencing  one  foot  from  the  handle,  and  continuing  to  the  first 
joint  of  the  moveable  part,  in  order  to  give  it  facility  in  passing  the  urethra,  where 
it  is  attached  to  the  parietes  of  the  abdomen.  The  joints  are  on  the  principle  of  a 
half  joint,  so  that  the  moveable  part  would  only  act  in  a  straight  line,  or  curve  in  one 
direction.  The  joints  are  perfectly  rounded  and  smooth  when  acting  either  in  a 
straight  line  or  a  curve.  It  is  represented  both  in  its  straight  and  curved  state  in  the 
following  cuts. 


Many  horses  occasionally  void  a  considerable  quantity  of  gravel,  sometimes  with- 
out inconvenience,  and  at  others  with  evident  spasm  or  pain.  A  diuretic  miirht  be 
useful  in  such  case,  as  increasing  the  flow  of  urine,  and  possibly  washing  o'ut  the 
concretions  before  they  become  too  numerous  or  bulky. 

The  urine  having  passed  the  neck  of  the  bladder,  flows  along  the  urethra,  and  is 
discharged.  The  sheath  of  the  penis  is  sometimes  considerably  enlarged.  When 
at  the  close  of  acute  disease,  there  are  swellings  and  effusions  of  fluid,  under  the 
chest  and  belly,  this  part  seldom  escapes.  Diuretics,  with  a  small  portion  of  cordial 
medicine,  will  be  beneficial,  but  in  extreme  cases  slight  scarifications  may  be  neces- 
sary. The  inside  of  the  sheath  is  often  the  seat  of  disease.  The  mucous  matter, 
naturally  secreted  there  to  defend  the  part  from  the  acrimony  of  the  urine,  accumu- 
lates and  becomes  exceedingly  offensive,  and  produces  swelling,  tenderness,  and  even 
excoriation,  with  considerable  discharge.  Fomentation  with'warm  water,  and  the 
cleansing  of  the  part  with  soap  and  water,  aided  perhaps  by  the  administration  of  a 
diuretic  ball,  will  speedily  remove  every  inconvenience.  Carters  are  too  apt  to  neg- 
lect cleanliness  in  this  respect. 


248  BREEDING,    CASTRATION,    &c, 

CHAPTER   XI. 

BREEDING,    CASTRATION,    &c. 

This  may  be  a  proper  period  to  recur  to  the  subject  of  breeding,  and  peculiarly 
important  when  there  cannot  be  a  doubt  that  our  breed  of  horses  has,  within  the  last 
twenty  years,  undergone  a  material  change.  Our  running-horses  still  maintain  their 
speed,  although  their  endurance  is,  generally  speaking,  considerably  diminished ;  our 
draught  and  carriage  horses  are  perhaps  improved  in  value ;  but  our  hunters  and 
hackneys  are  not  what  they  used  to  be. 

Our  observations  on  this  will  be  of  a  general  nature,  and  very  simple.  The  first 
axiom  we  would  lay  down  is,  that  "like  will  produce  like,"  and  that  the  progeny 
will  inherit  the  general  or  mingled  qualities  of  the  parents.  There  is  scarcely  a 
disease  by  which  either  of  the  parents  is  affected  that  the  foal  does  not  often  inherit, 
or  at  least  occasionally  show  a  predisposition  to  it.  Even  the  consequences  of  ill 
usage  or  hard  work  will  descend  to  the  progeny.  There  has  been  proof  upon  proof, 
tha?  blindness,  roaring,  thick  wind,  broken  wind,  spavins,  curbs,  ringbones,  and 
founder,  have  been  bequeathed  to  their  offspring,  both  by  the  sire  and  the  dam.  It 
should  likewise  be  recollected  that  although  these  blemishes  may  not  appear  in  the 
immediate  progeny,  they  frequently  do  in  the  next,  or  even  more  distant  generation. 
Hence  the  necessity  of  some  knowledge  of  the  parentaoe  both  of  the  sire  and  the  dam. 

Peculiarity  of  form  and  constitution  will  also  be  inherited.  This  is  a  most  important 
but  neglected  consideration ;  for,  however  desirable  or  even  perfect  may  have  been 
the  conformation  of  the  sire,  every  good  point  may  be  neutralized  or  lost  by  the 
defective  structure  of  the  mare.  The  essential  points  should  be  good  in  both  parents, 
or  some  minor  defect  in  either  be  met,  and  got  rid  of,  by  excellence  in  that  particular 
point  in  tlie  other.  The  unskilful  or  careless  breeder  too  often  so  badly  pairs  the 
animals,  that  the  good  points  of  each  are  almost  lost:  the  defects  of  both  increased, 
and  the  produce  is  far  inferior  to  both  sire  and  dam. 

Mr.  Baker,  of  Reigate,  places  this  in  a  striking  point  of  view.  He  speaks  of  his 
own  experience :  "  A  foal  had  apparently  clear  and  good  eyes,  but  the  first  day  had 
not  passed,  before  it  was  evident  that  it  was  totally  blind.     It  had  gutta  serena. 

"  Inquiry  was  then  made  about  the  sire,  for  the  mare  had  good  eyes.  His  were, 
on  the  slightest  inspection,  evidently  bad,  and  not  one  of  his  colts  had  escaped  the 
direful  effects  of  his  imperfect  vision. 

"  A  mare  had  been  the  subject  of  farcial  enlargements,  and  not  being  capable  of 
performing  much  work,  a  foal  was  produced  from  her.  She  survived ;  but  the  foal 
soon  after  birth  evinced  symptoms  of  farcy,  and  died. 

"  A  mare  was  lame  from  navicular  disease.  A  foal  was  bred  from  her  that  at  five 
years  could  scarcely  go  across  the  country,  and  was  sold  for  a  few  pounds.  The 
mare  was  a  rank  jib  in  single  harness  ;  the  foal  was  as  bad." 

It  is  useless  to  multiply  these  exam.ples.  They  occur  in  the  experience  of  every 
one,  and  yet  they  are  strangely  disregarded. 

The  mare  is  sometimes  put  to  the  horse  at  too  early  an  age ;  or,  what  is  of  more 
frequent  occurrence,  the  mare  is  incapacitated  for  work  by  old  age.  The  owner  is 
unwilling  to  destroy  her,  and  he  determines  that  she  shall  bear  a  foal,  and  thus 
remunerate  him  for  her  keep.  What  is  the  consequence?  The  foal  exhibits  an 
unkindliness  of  growth, — a  corresponding  weakness,— and  there  is  scarcely  an  organ 
that  possesses  its  natural  and  proper  strength. 

Of  late  years,  these  principles  have  been  much  lost  sight  of  in  the  breeding  of 
horses  for  general  use ;  and  the  following  is  the  explanation  of  it.  There  are  nearly 
as  good  stallions  as  there  used  to  be.  Few  but  well-formed  and  valuable  horses  will 
be  selected  and  used  as  stallions.  They  are  always  the  very  prime  of  the  breed :  but 
the  mares  are  not  what  ihey  used  to  be.  Poverty  has  induced  many  of  the  breeders  to 
part  with  the  mares  from  which  they  used  to  raise  their  stock,  and  which  were  worth 
their  weight  in  gold ;  and  the  jade  on  which  the  farmer  now  rides  to  market,  or 
which  he  uses  in  his  farm,  costs  him  but  little  money,  and  is  only  retained  because 
hu  cannot  get  much  money  for  her.  It  has  likewise  become  the  fashion  for  gentlemen 
to  ride  mares,  almost  as  frequently  »s  g-ekimg? ,  and  i,nas  the  better  kind  are  taken 


BREEDING,    CASTRATION,    &c.  249 

from  the  breeding  service,  until  old  age  or  injury  renders  them  worth  little  for  it.  An 
nilelligent  veterinary  surgeon,  Mr.  Castiey,  has  placed  this  in  a  very  strong  light.* 

It  should  be  impressed  on  the  minds  of  breeders,  that  peculiarity  of  form  and  con- 
stitution are  inherited  from  both  parents,  —  that  the  excellence  of  the  mare  is  a  point 
of  quite  as  much  importance  as  that  of  the  horse,  —  and  that,  out  of  a  sorry  mare,  let 
the  horse  be  as  perfect  as  he  may,  a  good  foal  will  rarely  be  produced.  AH  this  is 
recognised  upon  the  turf,  though  poverty  or  carelessness  have  made  the  general 
breeder  neglect  or  forget  it. 

That  the  constitution  and  endurance  of  the  horse  are  inherited,  no  sporting  man 
ever  doubted.  The  qualities  of  the  sire  or  the  dam  descend  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion, and  the  excellences  or  defects  of  certain  horses  are  often  traced,  and  justly  so,  to 
some  peculiarity  in  a  far-distant  ancestor. 

It  may,  perhaps,  be  justly  affirmed,  that  there  is  more  difficulty  in  selecting  a  good 
mare  to  breed  from  than  a  good  horse,  because  she  should  possess  somewhat  opposite 
qualities.  Her  carcase  should  be  long,  in  order  to  give  room  for  the  growth  of  the 
foetus ;  and  yet  with  his  there  should  be  compactness  of  form  and  shortness  of  leo-. 
What  can  they  expect  whose  practice  it  is  to  purchase  worn-out,  spavined,  foundered 
mares,  about  whom  they  fancy  there  have  been  some  good  points,  and  send  them  far 
into  the  country  to  breed  from,  and,  with  all  their  variety  of  shape,  to  be  covered  by 
the  same  horse  ■?  In  a  lottery  like  this  there  may  be  now  and  then  a  prize,  but  there 
must  be  many  blanks.  If  horse-breeders,  possessed  of  good  judgment,  would  pay  the 
same  attention  to  breed  and  shape  as  Mr.  Bakewell  did  with  his  sheep,  they  would 
probably  attain  their  wishes  in  an  equal  degree,  and  greatly  to  their  advantao-e, 
whether  for  the  collar  or  the  road,  for  racing  or  for  hunting. 

As  to  the  shape  of  the  stallion,  little  satisfactory  can  be  said.  It  must  depend  on 
that  of  the  mare,  and  the  kind  of  horse  wished  to  be  bred ;  but  if  there  is  one  point 
absolutely  essential,  it  is  "compactness" — as  much  goodness  and  strength  as  possible 
condensed  into  a  little  space. 

Next  to  compactness,  the  inclination  of  the  shoulder  will  be  regarded.  A  huge 
stallion,  with  upright  shoulders,  never  got  a  capital  hunter  or  hackney.  From  him 
the  breeder  can  obtain  nothing  but  a  cart  or  dray  horse,  and  that,  perhaps,  spoiled  by 
the  opposite  form  of  the  mare.  On  the  other  hand,  an  upright  shoulder  is  desirable, 
if  not  absolutely  necessary,  when  a  mere  slow  draught-horse  is  required. 

On  the  subject  of  breeding  in  and  in,  that  is,  persevering  in  the  same  breed,  and 
selecting  the  best  on  either  side,  much  has  been  said.  The  system  of  crossino-, 
requires  more  judgment  and  experience  than  breeders  usually  possess.  The  bad 
qualities  of  the  cross  are  too  soon  engrafted  on  the  original  stock,  and  once  enorafted 
there,  are  not,  for  many  generations,  eradicated.  The  good  qualities  of  both  are  occa- 
sionally neutralized  to  a  most  mortifying  degree.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  the  fact, 
however  some  may  deny  it,  that  strict  confinement  to  one  breed,  however  valuable  or 

*  "  Any  one,"  says  he,  "  who,  during  the  last  twenty  or  five-and-twenty  years,  has  had 
frequent  opportunities  of  visitins;  some  of  our  great  horse-tairs  in  the  north  of  England  must 
be  struck  with  the  sad  falling-off  there  is  everywhere  to  be  remarked  in  the  quality  of  the  one- 
half  and  three-part  bred  horses,  exhibited  for  sale.  The  farmers,  when  taxed  with  this,  com- 
plain that  breeding  horses  does  not  sufficiently  repay  them  ;  and  yet  we  find  large  sums  of 
money  always  given  at  fairs  for  any  horses  that  are  really  good,  but  bad  ones  are  not  at  any 
time  likely  to  pay  for  rearing,  and  less  now  than  ever,  on  account  of  the  advanced  rate  of 
land,  and  the  increased  expense  of  production.  The  truth  is,  that  farmers  do  not,  now-a-days, 
breed  horses  so  generally  good  as  they  used  to  do,  and  this  is  owing  to  the  inferior  quality  of 
the  mares  which  they  now  commonly  employ  in  breeding.  They  have,  to  a  great  degree, 
been  tempted  to  part  with  their  best  mares,  and  thus  breed  from  the  refuse.  The  stock  con- 
sequently deteriorates,  and  they  are  disappointed. 

"  The  great  demand  for  mares  has  also  contributed  to  get  the  best  material  for  breeding  out 
of  the  farmer's  hands.  Thirty  years  ago  few  gentlemen  would  be  seen  riding  a  mare — it  was 
unfashionable.  There  was,  consequently,  but  little  demand  for  her,  and  she  was  left  for  the 
most  part  in  the  farmers'  hands,  who  were  then  to  be  seen  riding  to  market,  mounted  on  the 
fint^st  mares,  and  from  among  which  they  selected  the  best  for  the  purpose  of  breeding.  Like 
will  produce  hke,  and  the  stock  would  seldom  disappoint  them. 

"  Then  there  is  the  demand  for  the  foreign  market.  Within  the  last  twenty  years,  a  great 
number  of  our  finest  three-parts-bred  mares  have  been  exported  to  various  portions  ot  the 
Continent,  and  particularly  to  France  and  Germany.  They  never  find  their  way  back  again. 
The  money  brought  into  our  country  by  their  export  is  a  mere  trifle — a  drop  in  the  ocean — 
while  we  are  doing  ourselves  incalculable  mischief  by  allowing  some  of  our  best  materials  to 
pass  out  of  our  hands  fo'  ever." — Veterinarian,  III.,  p.  371. 

2o 


250  BREEDING,   CASTRATION,   &c. 

perfect,  produces  gradual  deterioration.  Crossing  should  be  attempted  with  great 
caution.  The  valuable  points  of  the  old  breed  should  be  retained,  but  varied  or  im- 
proved by  the  introduction  of  some  new  and  valuable  quality,  with  reference  to  beauty, 
strength,  or  speed.  This  is  the  secret  of  the  turf.  The  pure  south-eastern  blood  is 
uever  left,  but  the  stock  is  often  changed,  with  manifest  advantage. 

A  mare  is  capable  of  breeding  at  three  or  four  years  old.  Some  have  injudiciously 
commenced  at  two  years,  before  her  form  or  her  strength  is  sufficiently  developed,  and 
with  the  development  of  which  this  early  breeding  will  materially  interfere.  If  a 
mare  does  little  more  than  farm-work,  she  may  continue  to  be  bred  from  until  she  is 
nearly  twenty ;  but  if  she  has  been  hardly-worked,  and  bears  the  marks  of  it,  let  her 
have  been  what  she  will  in  her  youth,  she  will  deceive  the  expectations  of  the  breeder 
in  her  old  age. 

From  the  time  of  covering,  to  w  ithin  a  few  days  of  the  expected  period  of  foaling, 
the  cart-mare  may  be  kept  at  moderate  labour,  not  only  without  injury,  but  with  de- 
cided advantage.  It  will  then  be  prudent  to  release  her  from  work,  and  keep  her  near 
home,  and  under  the  frequent  inspection  of  some  careful  person. 

"When  nearly  half  the  time  of  pregnancy  has  elapsed,  the  mare  should  have  a  little 
oetter  food.  .She  should  be  allowed  one  or  two  feeds  of  corn  in  the  day.  This  is 
about  the  period  when  they  are  accustomed  to  slink  their  foals,  or  when  abortion 
occurs  :  the  eye  of  the  owner  should,  therefore,  be  frequently  upon  them.  Good  feed- 
ing and  moderate  exercise  will  be  the  best  preventives  of  this  mishap.  The  mare  that 
has  once  aborted,  is  liable  to  a  repetition  of  the  accident,  and  therefore  should  never  be 
suffered  to  be  with  other  mares  between  the  fourth  and  fifth  months  ;  for  such  is  the 
power  of  imagination  or  of  sympathy  in  the  mare,  that  if  one  suffers  abortion,  others 
in  the  same  pasture  will  too  often  share  the  same  fate.  Farmers  wash,  and  paint,  and 
tar  their  stables,  to  prevent  some  supposed  infection;  —  the  infection  lies  in  the  ima- 
gination. 

The  thorough-bred  mare  —  the  stock  being  intended  for  sporting  purposes  —  should 
be  kept  quiet,  and  apart  from  other  horses,  after  the  first  four  or  five  months.  When 
the  period  of  parturition  is  drawing  near,  she  should  be  watched,  and  shut  up  during 
the  night  in  a  safe  yard  or  loose  box. 

If  the  mare,  whether  of  the  pure  or  common  breed,  be  thus  taken  care  of,  and  be  in 
good  health  w^hile  in  foal,  little  danger  will  attend  the  act  of  parturition.  If  there 
is  false  presentation  of  the  foetus,  or  difficulty  in  producing  it,  it  will  be  better  to  have 
recourse  to  a  well-informed  practitioner,  than  to  injure  the  mother  by  the  violent  and 
injurious  attempts  that  are  often  made  to  relieve  her. 

The  parturition  being  over,  the  mare  should  be  turned  into  some  well-sheltered  pas- 
ture, with  a  hovel  or  shed  to  run  into  when  she  pleases  ;  and  as,  supposing  that  she 
has  foaled  in  April,*  the  grass  is  scanty,  she  should  have  a  couple  of  feeds  of  corn 
daily.  The  breeder  may  depend  upon  it,  that  nothing  is  gained  by  starving  the 
mother  and  stinting  the  foal  at  this  time.  It  is  the  most  important  period  of  the  life 
of  the  horse  ;  and  if,  from  false  economy,  his  growth  is  arrested,  his  puny  form  and 
want  of  endurance  will  ever  afterwards  testify  the  error  that  has  been  committed. 
The  corn  should  be  given  in  a  trough  on  the  ground,  that  the  foal  may  partake  of  it 
with  the  mother.  When  the  new  grass  is  plentiful,  the  quantity  of  corn  may  gradu- 
ally be  diminished. 

The  mare  will  usually  be  found  again  at  heat  at  or  before  the  expiration  of  a  month 
from  the  time  of  foaling,  when,  if  she  is  principally  kept  for  breeding  purposes,  she 
may  be  put  again  to  the  horse.  At  the  same  time,  also,  if  she  is  used  for  agricultural 
purposes,  she  may  go  again  to  work.  The  foal  is  at  first  shut  in  the  stable  during  the 
hours  of  work  ;  but  as  soon  as  it  acquires  sufficient  strength  to  toddle  after  the  mare, 
and  especially  when  she  is  at  slow  work,  it  will  be  better  for  the  foal  and  the  dam 
tJiat  they  should  be  together.  The  work  will  contribute  to  the  health  of  the  mother: 
the  foal  will  more  frequently  draw  the  milk,  and  thrive  better,  and  will  be  hardy  and 
tractable,  and  gradually  familiarised  with  the  objects  among  which  it  is  afterwards  to 
live.  While  tJie  mother,  however,  is  thus  worked,  she  and  the  foal  should  be  well 
fed ;  and  two  feeds  of  corn,  at  least,  should  be  added  to  the  green  food  which  they 
get  when  turned  out  after  their  work,  and  at  night. 

*  By  the  present  rules  of  the  jockey-cbib,  the  age  of  turf-horses  is  reckoned  from  the  1st  of 
January  ;  but  this  has  not  by  any  common  consent  extended  to  the  half-breds.  The  1st  of 
May  is  nearest  to  the  general  time  of  foaling,  and  the  age  of  the  cavalry-horses  is  dated  from 
that  period. 


BREEDING,    CASTRATION,    &c.  251 

In  five  or  six  months,  according  to  the  growth  of  the  foal,  it  may  be  weaned.  It 
ehould  then  be  housed  for  three  weeks  or  a  month,  or  turned  into  some  distant  rick- 
yard.  There  can  be  no  better  place  for  the  foal  than  the  latter,  as  aflbrding,  and  that 
without  trouble,  both  food  and  shelter.  The  mother  should  be  put  to  harder  work, 
and  have  drier  meat.  One  or  two  urine-balls,  or  a  physic-ball,  wUl  be  useful,  if  the 
milk  should  be  troublesome,  or  she  should  pine  after  her  foal. 

There  is  no  principle  of  greater  importance  than  the  liberal  feeding  of  the  foal  dur- 
mg  the  whole  of  his  growth,  and  at  this  time  in  particular.  Bruised  oats  and  bran 
should  form  a  considerable  part  of  his  daily  provender.  The  fanner  may  be  assured 
that  the  money  is  well  laid  out  which  is  expended  on  the  liberal  nourishment  of  the 
growing  colt ;  yet  while  he  is  well  fed,  he  should  not  be  rendered  delicate  by  excess 
of  care. 

A  racing  colt  is  often  stabled  ;  but  one  that  is  destined  to  be  a  hunter,  a  hackney, 
or  an  agricultural  horse,  should  have  a  square  rick,  under  the  leeward  side  of  which 
he  may  shelter  himself;  or  a  hovel,  into  which  he  may  run  at  night,  and  out  of  the 
rain.  Too  often,  however,  the  foal,  after  weaning,  is  left  to  struggle  on  as  he  can, 
and  becomes  poor  and  dispirited.  He  is  to  be  seen  shrinking  under  a  hedge,  cold 
and  almost  shivering,  his  head  hanging  down,  and  rheum  distilling  from  his  eyes. 
If  he  is  made  to  move,  he  listlessly  drags  his  limbs  along,  evidently  weak,  and  trene- 
rally  in  pain.  He  is  a  sad  specimen  of  poverty  and  of  misery.  This  is  the  first 
scene  of  cruelty  to  the  horse  of  inferior  breed,  and  destined  for  inferior  purpose.* 

The  process  of  breaking-in  should  commence  from  the  very  period  of  weaning. 
The  foal  should  be  daily  handled,  partially  dressed,  accustomed  to  the  halter  when 
led  about,  and  even  tied  up.  The  tractability,  and  good  temper,  and  value  of  the 
horse,  depend  a  great  deal  more  upon  this  than  breeders  are  aware. 

Everj-thing  should  be  done,  as  much  as  pc/fesible,  by  the  man  who  feeds  the  colt, 
and  whose  management  of  him  should  be  always  kind  and  gentle.  There  is  no  fault 
for  which  a  breeder  should  so  invariably  discharge  his  servant  as  cruelty,  or  even 
harshness,  towards  the  rising  stock;  for  the  principle  on  which  their  after  usefulness 
is  founded,  is  early  attachment  to,  and  confidence  in  man.  and  obedience,  implicit 
obedience,  resulting  principally  from  this. 

After  the  second  winter  the  work  of  breaking-in  may  commence  in  good  earnest. 
The  colt  may  be  bitted,  and  a  bit  selected  that  will  not  hurt  his  mouth,  and  much 
smaller  than  "those  in  common  use.  ^Vith  this  he  may  be  sutfered  to  amuse  himself, 
and  to  play,  and  to  champ  it  for  an  hour,  on  a  few  successive  days. 

Having  become  a  little  tractable,  portions  of  the  harness  may  be  put  upon  him, 
concluding  with  the  blind  winkers ;  and,  a  few  days  afterwards,  he  may  go  into  the 
team.  It  would  be  better  if  there  could  be  one  "horse  before,  and  one  behind  him, 
beside  the  shaft  horse.  There  should  at  first  be  the  mere  empty  wagon.  Nothing 
should  be  done  to  him,  except  that  he  should  have  an  occasional  pat  or  kind  word. 
The  other  horses  will  keep  him  moving,  and  in  his  plac«;  and  no  great  time  will  pass, 
sometimes  not  even  the  first  day,  before  he  will  begin  to  pull  with  the  rest.  The 
load  may  then  be  gradualljMncreased. 

The  agricultural  horse  is  sometimes  wanted  to  ride  as  well  as  to  draw.  Let  his 
first  lesson  be  given  when  he  is  in  the  team.  Let  his  feeder,  if  possible,  be  first  put 
upon  him.  He  will  be  too  much  hampered  by  his  harness,  and  by  the  other  horses, 
to  make  much  resistance;  and,  in  the  majorit\'  of  cases,  will  quietly  and  at  once  sub- 
mit. We  need  not  to  repeat,  that  no  whip  or  spur  should  be  used  in  giving  the  first 
lessons  in  riding. 

When  he  begins  a  little  to  understand  his  business,  backing — the  most  difficult 
part  of  his  work  —  may  be  taught  him;  first  to  back  well  without  anything  behind 
him,  and  then  with  a  light  cart,  and  afterwards  with  some  serious  load — always  taking 
the  greatest  care  not  seriously  to  hurt  his  mouth.  If  the  first  lesson  causes  much  sore- 
ness of  the  gums,  the  colt  will  not  readily  submit  to  a  second.  If  he  has  been  pre\a- 
ously  rendered  tractable  by  kind  usage,  time  and  patience  will  do  everythingr  that  can 
be  wished.  Some  carters  are  in  the  habit  of  blinding  the  colt  when  teachinsf  him  to 
back.  This  may  be  necessarj'  with  a  restive  and  obstinate  one,  but  should  be  used 
(inly  as  a  last  resort. 

The  colt  having  been  thus  partially  broken-in,  the  necessity  of  implicit  obedience 

*  Youatt  on  Humanity  to  Animals,  p.  115. 


252  BREEDING,   CASTRATION,   &c. 

must  be  taught  him,  and  that  not  by  severity,  but  by  finnness  and  steadiness.  The 
voice  will  go  a  great  way,  but  the  whip  or  the  spur  is  sometimes  indispensable — not 
80  severely  applied  as  to  excite  the  animal  to  resistance,  but  to  convince  him  that  we 
have  the  power  to  enforce  submission.  Few — it  may  almost  be  said,  no  horses,  are 
naturally  vicious.  It  is  cruel  usage  which  has  first  provoked  resistance.  That  resist- 
ance has  been  followed  by  greater  severity,  and  the  stubbornness  of  the  animal  has 
increased.  Open  warfare  has  ensued,  in  which  the  man  has  seldom  gained  advantage, 
and  the  horse  has  been  frequently  rendered  unser\-iceable.  Correction  may,  or  must  be 
used,  to  enforce  implicit  obedience  after  the  education  has  proceeded  to  a  certain 
extent,  but  the  early  lessons  should  be  inculcated  with  kindness  alone.  Young  colts 
are  sometimes  very  perverse.  Many  days  will  occasionally  pass  before  they  will 
permit  the  bridle  to  be  put  on,  or  the  saddle  to  be  worn;  and  one  act  of  harshness  will 
double  or  treble  this  time  :  patience  and  kindness,  however,  will  always  prevail.  On 
some  morning,  when  he  is  in  a  better  humour  than  usual,  the  bridle  may  be  put  on, 
and  the  saddle  may  be  worn ;  and,  this  compliance  being  followed  by  kindness  and 
soothing  on  the  part  of  the  breaker,  and  no  inconvenience  or  pain  being  suffered  by 
the  animal,  all  resistance  will  be  at  an  end. 

The  same  principles  will  apply  to  the  breaking-in  of  the  horse  for  the  road  or  the 
■;hase.  The  handling,  and  some  portion  of  instruction,  should  commence  from  the 
time  of  weaning.  The  future  tractability  of  the  horse  will  much  depend  on  this.  At 
two  years  and  a  half,  or  three  years,  the  regular  process  of  breaking-in  should  com- 
mence. If  it  is  delayed  until  the  animal  is  four  years  old,  his  strength  and  obstinacy 
w'ill  be  more  difficult  to  overcome.  The  plan  usually  pursued  by  the  breaker  cannot 
perhaps  be  much  improved,  except  that  there  should  be  much  more  kindness  and 
patience,  and  far  less  harshness  and  crueky,  than  these  persons  are  accustomed  to 
exhibit,  and  a  great  deal  more  attentioA  to  the  form  and  natural  action  of  the  horse. 
A  headstall  is  put  on  the  colt,  and  a  cavesson  (or  apparatus  to  confine  and  pinch  the 
nose)  affixed  to  it,  with  long  reins.  He  is  first  accustomed  to  the  rein,  then  led  rouno 
a  ring  on  soft  ground,  and  at  length  mounted  and  taught  his  paces.  Next  to  preserv- 
ing the  temper  and  docility  of  the  horse,  there  is  nothing  of  so  much  importance  as 
to  teach  him  every  pace,  and  every  part  of  his  duty,  distinctly  and  thoroughly.  Each 
must  constitute  a  separate  and  sometimes  long-continued  lesson,  and  that  taught  by  a 
man  who  will  never  suffer  his  passion  to  get  the  better  of  his  discretion. 

After  the  cavesson  has  been  attached  to  the  headstall,  and  the  long  rein  put  on,  the 
colt  should  be  quietly  led  about  by  the  breaker — a  steady  boy  following  behind,  by 
occasional  threatening  with  the  whip,  but  never  by  an  actual  blow,  to  keep  him  mov- 
ing. When  the  animal  follows  readily  and  quietly,  he  may  be  taken  to  the  ring,  and 
walked  round,  right  and  left,  in  a  very  small  circle.  Care  should  be  taken  to  teach 
him  this  pace  thoroughly,  never  suffering  him  to  break  into  a  trot.  The  boy  with  his 
whip  may  here  again  be  necessary,  but  not  a  single  blow  should  actually  fall. 

Becoming  tolerably  perfect  in  the  walk,  he  should  be  quickened  to  a  trot,  and  kept 
steadily  at  it ;  the  whip  of  the  boy,  if  needful,  urging  him  on,  and  the  cavesson  restrain- 
ing him.  These  lessons  should  be  short.  The  pace  should  be  kept  perfect,  and  dis- 
tinct in  each;  and  docility  and  improvement  rewarded  with  frequent  caresses,  and 
handfuls  of  corn.  The  length  of  the  rein  may  now  be  gradually  increased,  and  the 
pace  quickened,  and  the  time  extended,  until  the  animal  becomes  tractable  in  these 
his  first  lessons,  towards  the  conclusion  of  which,  crupper-straps,  or  something  simi- 
lar, may  be  attached  to  the  clothing.  These,  playing  about  the  sides  and  flanks, 
accustom  him  to  the  flapping  of  the  coat  of  the  rider.  The  annoyance  which  they 
occasion  will  pass  over  in  a  day  or  two ;  for  when  the  animal  finds  that  no  harm  comes 
to  him,  he  will  cease  to  regard  them. 

Next  comes  the  bitting.  The  bit  should  be  large  and  smooth,  and  the  reins  buckled 
to  a  ring  on  either  side  of  the  pad.  There  are  many  curious  and  expensive  machines 
for  this  purpose,  but  the  simple  rein  will  be  quite  sufficient.  It  should  at  first  be 
slack,  and  then  very  gradually  tightened.  This  will  prepare  for  the  more  perfect 
manner  in  which  the  head  will  be  afterwards  got  into  its  proper  position,  when  the 
colt  is  accustomed  to  the  saddle.  Occasionally  the  breaker  should  stand  in  front  of 
the  colt,  and  take  hold  of  each  side  rein  near  to  the  mouth,  and  press  upon  it,  and 
thus  begin  to  teach  him  to  stop  and  to  back  on  the  pressure  of  the  rein,  rewarding 
every  act  of  docility,  and  not  being  too  eager  to  punish  occasional  carelessness  or 
waywardness. 


BREAKING-IN.  253 

The  colt  may  now  be  taken  into  the  road  or  street  to  be  gradually  accustomed  to 
the  objects  among  which  his  services  will  be  required.  Here,  from  fear  or  playful- 
ness, a  considerable  degree  of  starting  and  shying  may  be  exhibited.  As  little  no- 
tice as  possible  should  be  taken  of  it.  The  same  or  a  similar  object  should  be  soon 
oassed  again,  but  at  a  greater  distance.  If  the  colt  still  shies,  let  the  distance  be  far- 
ther increased,  until  he  takes  no  notice  of  the  object.  Then  he  may  be  gradually 
broutrht  nearer  to  it,  and  tliis  will  be  usually  effected  without  the  slightest  difficulty : 
whereas,  had  there  been  an  attempt  to  force  him  close  to  it  in  the  first  instance,  the 
remembrance  of  the  contest  would  have  been  associated  with  every  appearance  of  the 
object,  and  the  habit  of  shying  would  have  been  established. 

Hitherto,  with  a  cool  and  patient  breaker,  the  whip  may  have  been  shown,  but 
will  scarcely  have  been  used ;  the  colt  must  now,  however,  be  accustomed  to  this 
necessary  instrument  of  authority.  Let  the  breaker  walk  by  the  side  of  the  animal, 
and  throw  his  right  arm  over  his  back,  holding  the  reins  in  his  left,  occasionally 
quickening  his  pace,  and  at  the  moment  of  doing  this,  tapping  the  horse  with  the 
whip  in  his  right  hand,  and  at  first  very  gently.  The  tap  of  the  whip  and  the  quick- 
ening of  the  pace  will  soon  become  associated  in  the  mind  of  the  animal.  If  neces- 
sar}%  these  reminders  may  gradually  fall  a  little  heavier,  and  the  feeling  of  pain  be 
the  monitor  of  the  necessity  of  increased  exertion.  The  lessons  of  reining  in  and 
stopping,  and  backing  on  the  pressure  of  the  bit,  ma^  continue  to  be  practised  at  the 
same  time. 

He  may  now  be  taught  to  bear  the  saddle.  Some  little  caution  will  be  necessary 
at  the  first  putting  of  it  on.  The  breaker  should  stand  at  the  head  of  the  colt,  pat- 
ting him,  and  engaging  his  attention,  while  one  assistant,  on  the  off-side,  gently 
places  the  saddle  on  the  back  of  the  animal ;  and  another,  on  the  near-side,  slowly 
tightens  the  girths.  If  he  submits  quietly  to  this,  as  he  generally  will  when  the 
previous  process  of  breaking-in  has  been  properly  conducted,  the  ceremony  of  mount- 
ing may  be  attempted  on  the  follo%ving,  or  on  the  third  day.  The  breaker  will  need 
two  assistants  in  order  to  accomplish  this.  He  will  remain  at  the  head  of  the  colt, 
patting  and  making  much  of  him.  The  rider  will  put  his  foot  into  the  stirrup,  and 
bear  a  little  weight  upon  it,  while  the  man  on  the  off-side  presses  equally  on  the  other 
stirrup-leather;  and,  according  to  the  docility  of  the  animal,  he  will  gradually  in- 
crease the  weight,  until  he  balances  himself  on  the  stirrup.  If  the  colt  is  uneasy  or 
fearful,  he  should  be  spoken  to  kindly  and  patted,  or  a  mouthful  of  com  be  given  to 
him  :  but  if  he  offers  serious  resistance,  the  lessons  must  terminate  for  that  day.  He 
may  probably  be  in  better  humour  on  the  morrow. 

When  the  rider  has  balanced  himself  for  a  minute  or  two,  he  may  gently  throw 
his  leg  over,  and  quietly  seat  himself  in  the  saddle.  The  breaker  will  then  lead 
the  animal  round  the  ring,  the  rider  sitting  perfectly  still.  After  a  few  minutes  he 
will  take  the  reins,  and  handle  them  as  gently  as  possible,  and  guide  the  horse  by 
the  pressure  of  them ;  patting  him  frequently,  and  especially  when  he  thinks  of 
dismounting:— and,  after  having  dismounted,  offering  him  a  little  corn  or  green  meat. 
The  use  of  the  rein  in  checking  him,  and  of  the  pressure  of  the  leg  and  the  touch  of 
the  heel  in  quickening  his  pace,  will  soon  be  taught,  and  his  education  will  be  nearly 
completed. 

The  horse  having  thus  far  submitted  himself  to  the  breaker,  these  pattings  and 
rewards  must  be  gradually  diminished,  and  implicit  obedience  mildly  but  firmly 
enforced.  Severity  will  not  often  be  necessary.  In  the  great  majority  of  cases  it 
will  be  altogether  uncalled  for:  but  should  the  animal,  in  a  moment  of  waywardness, 
dispute  the  command  of  the  breaker,  he  must  at  once  be  taught  that  he  is  the  slave 
of  man,  and  that  we  have  the  power,  by  other  means  than  ttiose  of  kindness,  to  bend 
him  to  our  will.  The  education  of  the  horse  should  be  that  of  the  child.  Pleasure 
is,  as  much  as  possible,  associated  with  the  early  lessons ;  but  firmness,  or.  if  need 
be,  coercion,  must  establish  the  habit  of  obedience.  Tyranny  and  cruelty  will,  more 
speedily  in  the  horse  than  even  in  the  child,  provoke  the  wish  to  disobey ;  and,  on 
every  practicable  occasion,  the  resistance  to  command.  The  restive  and  vicious 
horse  is,  in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred,  made  so  by  ill-usage,  and  not  by  na- 
ture. None  but  those  who  will  take  the  trouble  to  try  the  experiment  are  aware  how 
absolute  a  command  the  due  admixture  of  firmness  and  kindness  will  soon  give  us 
ovei  any  horse. 
23 


254  CASTRATION. 


CASTRATION. 


The  period  at  which  this  operation  may  be  best  performed  depends  much  on  the 
breed  and  form  of  the  colt,  and  the  purpose  for  which  he  is  destined.  For  the  com- 
mon agricultural  horse  the  age  of  four  or  five  months  will  be  the  most  proper  time, 
or,  at  least  before  he  is  weaned.  P'ew  horses  are  lost  when  cut  at  that  age.  Care, 
however,  should  be  taken  that  the  weather  is  not  too  hot,  nor  the  flies  too  numerous. 
We  enter  our  decided  protest,  however,  against  the  recommendation  of  valuable  but 
incautious  agricultural  writers,  that  "colts  should  be  cut  in  the  months  of  June  or 
July,  when  flies  pester  the  horses,  and  cause  them  to  be  continually  moving  about 
and  thereby  prevent  swelling."  One  moment's  reflection  will  convince  the  reader 
that  nothing  can  be  more  likely  to  produce  inflammation,  and  consequent  swelling 
and  danger,  than  the  torture  of  the  flies  hovering  round  and  stinging  the  sore  part. 

If  the  horse  is  designed  either  for  the  carriage  or  for  heavy  draught,  the  farmer 
should  not  think  of  castrating  him  until  he  is  at  least  a  twelve-month  old ;  and,  even 
then,  the  colt  should  be  carefully  examined.  If  he  is  thin  and  spare  about  the  neck  and 
shoulders,  and  low  in  the  withers,  he  will  materially  improve  by  remaining  uncut 
another  six  months;  but  if  his  fore-quarters  are  fairly  developed  at  the  age  of  a 
tweive-month,  the  operation  should  not  be  delayed,  lest  he  become  heavy  and  gross 
bef(.re,  and  perhaps  has  begun  too  decidedly  to  have  a  will  of  his  own.  No  specific 
age,  then,  can  be  fixed ;  but  the  castration  should  be  performed  rather  late  in  the 
spring  or  early  in  the  autumn,  when  the  air  is  temperate,  and  particularly  when  the 
weather  is  dry.  No  preparation  is  necessary  for  the  sucking  colt,  but  it  may  be  pru- 
dent to  bleed  and  to  physic  one  of  more  advanced  age.  In  the  majority  of  cases,  no 
after-treatment  will  be  necessary,  except  that  the  animal  should  be  sheltered  from 
intense  heat,  and  more  particularly  from  wet.  In  temperate  weather  he  M'ill  do  much 
better  running  in  the  field  than  nursed  in  a  close  and  hot  stable.  The  moderate  exer- 
cise that  he  will  take  in  grazing  will  be  preferable  to  perfect  inaction.  A  large  and 
well-ventilated  box,  however,  may  be  permitted. 

The  manner  in  which  the  operation  is  performed  will  be  property  left  to  the  vete- 
rinary surgeon.  The  haste,  carelessness,  and  brutality  of  the  common  gelder  should 
no  longer  be  permitted ;  but  the  veterinary  surgeon  should  be  able  and  willing  to 
discharge  every  portion  of  his  duty.  The  old  method  of  opening  the  scrotum  on 
either  side,  and  cutting  off  the  testicles,  and  preventing  haemorrhage  by  a  temporary 
compression  of  the  vessels  while  they  are  seared  with  a  hot  iron,  must  not,  perhaps, 
be  abandoned ;  but  there  is  no  necessity  for  that  extra  pain,  and  that  appearance,  at 
least,  of  brutality,  which  occur  when  the  spermatic  cord  (the  blood-vessels  and  the 
nerve)  is  as  tightly  compressed  between  two  pieces  of  wood  as  in  a  powerful  vice, 
and  left  there  until  either  the  testicle  drops  off,  or  is  removed  on  the  following  day  by 
the  operator. 

To  the  practice  of  some  fanners,  of  twitching  their  colts  at  an  early  period,  some- 
times even  so  early  as  a  month,  there  is  stronger  objection.  When  the  operation  of 
twitching  is  performed,  a  small  cord  is  drawn  as  tightly  as  possible  round  the  bag, 
betweenlhe  testicle  and  the  belly.  The  circulation  is  thus  stopped,  and,  in  a  few 
days,  the  testicles  and  the  bag  drop  off;  but  not  until  the  animal  has  sadly  suffered. 
It  is  occasionally  necessary  to  tighten  the  cord  on  the  second  or  third  day,  and  inflam- 
mation and  death  have  frequently  ensued. 

Another  mode  of  castration  has  been  lately  introduced  which  bids  fair  to  supersede 
every  other :  it  is  called  the  operation  by  Torsion.  An  incision  is  made  into  the 
scrotum  as  in  the  other  modes  of  operation,  and  the  vas  deferens  is  exposed  and 
divided.  The  artery  is  then  seized  by  a  pair  of  forceps  contrived  for  the  purpose,  and 
twisted  six  or  seven  times  round.  It  retracts  as  soon  as  the  hold  on  it  is  quitted,  the 
coils  are  not  untwisted,  and  all  bleeding  has  ceased.  The  testicle  is  removed,  and 
there  is  no  sloughing  or  danger.  The  most  painful  part  of  the  operation — the  applica- 
tion of  the  firing-iron  or  the  clams — is  avoided,  and  the  wound  readily  heals. 


THE  SHOULDER.  — SPRAIN  i)F  THE  SHOULDER.  255 

CHAPTER    XII. 
THE     FORE     LEGS. 

Wk  arrive  now  at  those  parts  of  the  frame  which  are  most  essentially  connected 
with  the  action  and  value  of  the  horse,  and  oftenest,  and  most  annoyingly,  the  subjects 
of  disease.  The  extremities  contain  the  whole  apparatus  of  voluntary  motion,  with 
which  the  action,  and  speed,  and  stren^h  of  the  horse  are  most  concerned. 

We  commence  with  the  upper  portion,  of  which  the  fore  extremity,  the  shoulder, 
is  seen  aX  G,  p.  68. 

THE    SHOULDER. 

The  scapula  or  shoulder-blade,  situated  forward  on  the  side  of  the  chest,  is  a  bont 
of  a  somewhat  triangular  shape,  with  its  apex  or  narrowest  point  downward,  and  its 
broad  and  thin  expansion  upward.  The  point  of  the  shoulder  lies  opposite  to  the  first 
and  second  ribs ;  the  hinder  expansion  of  the  base  reaches  as  far  back  as  the  seventh 
rib  ;  it  therefore  extends  obliquely  along  the  chest.  It  is  divided,  externally,  into  two 
unequal  portions  by  a  ridge  or  spine  runninsf  through  -almost  the  whole  of  its  extent, 
and  designed,  as  will  be  presently  seen,  for  the  attachment  of  important  muscles. 
The  broad  or  upper  part  having  no  muscles  of  any  consequence  attached  to  it,  is 
terminated  by  cartilage. 

The  shoulder-blade  is  united  to  the  chest  by  muscle  alone.  There  is  one  large 
muscle,  with  very  remarkable  tendinous  fibres  and  of  immense  strength  (the  serratus 
major,  greater  saw-shaped  muscle),  attached  to  the  chest,  and  to  the  extensive  smooth 
internal  surface  of  the  shoulder-blade,  and  by  which,  assisted,  or  rather  strengthened, 
by  the  muscles  of  the  breast,  the  weight  of  the  body  is  supported,  and  the  shock  of 
the  widest  leap,  or  the  most  rapid  motion,  sustained.  Had  there  been  a  bony  union 
betvreen  the  shoulder  and  the  body,  the  vital  parts  contained  in  the  chest  could  not 
have  endured  the  dreadful  shock  which  they  would  occasionallj'  have  experienced ; 
nor  could  any  bone  have  long  remained  whole  if  exposed  to  such  violence.  The 
muscles  within  the  shoulder-blade  act  as  powerful  and  safe  springs.  They  yield,  as 
far  as  necessary,  to  the  force  impressed  upon  them.  By  their  gradual  yielding  they 
destroy  the  violence  of  the  shock,  and  then  by  their  elastic  power,  immediately  regain 
their  former  situation. 

SPRAIN  OF  THE   SHOULDER. 

These  muscles  are  occasionally  injured  by  some  unexpecte'd  shock.  Although  in 
not  more  than  one  case  in  twenty  is  the  farrier  right  when  he  talks  of  his  shoulder- 
lameness,  3-et  it  cannot  be  denied,  that  the  muscles  of  the  shoulder  are  occasionally 
sprained.  This  is  effected  oftener  by  a  slip  or  side-fall,  than  by  fair,  although  violent 
exertion.  It  is  of  considerable  importance  to  be  able  to  distinguish  this'shoulder- 
lameness  from  injuries  of  other  parts  of  the  fore  extremity.  There  is  not  much 
tenderness,  or  heat,  or  swelling.  It  is  a  sprain  of  muscles  deeply  seated,  and  where 
these  symptoms  of  inj\iry  are  not  immediately  evident.  If,  on  "standing  before  the 
horse,  and  looking  at  the  size  of  the  two  shoulders,  or  rather  their  points?  one  should 
appear  evidently  larger  than  the  other,  this  must  not  be  considered  as  indicative  of 
sprain  of  the  muscles  of  the  shoulder.  It  probably  arises  from  bruise  of  the  point  of 
the  shoulder,  which  a  slight  examination  will  determine. 

The  symptoms,  however,  of  shoulder-lameness  can  scarcelj-  be  mistaken  ;  and, 
when  we  relate  them,  the  farmer  will  recollect  that  they  very  seldom  occurred  when 
the  village  smith  pointed  to  the  shoulder  as  the  seat  of  disease,  and  punished  the 
animal  to  no  purpose.  In  sprain  of  the  shoulder  the  horse  evidently  suffers  extreme 
pain  while  moving,  and,  the  muscle  underneath  being  inflamed  and  tender,  he  wilj 
extend  it  as  little  as  possible.  He  will  dra^  his  toe  along  the  ground.  It  is  in  the 
lifting  of  the  foot  that  the  shoulder  is  principally  moved.  If  the  foot  is  lifted  high, 
let  the  horse  be  ever  so  lame,  the  shoulder  is  little,  if  at  all  affected.  In  sprain  of  the 
back  sinews,  it  is  only  when  the  horse  is  in  motion  that  the  injured  parts  are  put  to 
most  pain ;  the  pain  is  greatest  here  when  the  weight  rests  on  the  limb  in  shoulder- 
lameness,  and  there  is  a  peculiar  quickness  in  catching  up  the  limb  the  moment  the 


256  THEFOREj:.EGS. 

weight  is  thrown  on  it.  This  is  particularly  evident  when  the  horse  is  going  down 
hill,  and  the  injured  limb  bears  an  additional  portion  of  the  weight.  In  the  stable, 
too,  when,  in  other  cases,  the  horse  points  or  projects  one  foot  before  the  other,  that 
foot  is  usually  flat  on  the  ground.  In  shoulder-lameness,  the  toe  alone  rests  on  the 
ground.  The  circumstance  which  most  of  all  characterises  this  affection  is,  that 
when  the  foot  is  lifted  and  then  brought  considerably  forward  the  horse  will  express 
very  great  pain,  which  he  will  not  do  if  the  lameness  is  in  the  foot  or  the  leg.  This 
point  has  been  longer  dwelt  upon,  in  oider  that  the  reader  may  be  enabled  to  put  to 
the  test  the  many  cases  of  shoulder-lameness,  which  exist  only  in  the  imagination  of 
the  groom  or  the  farrier. 

In  sprain  of  the  internal  muscles  of  the  shoulder,  few  local  measures  can  be  adopted. 
The  horse  should  be  bled  from  the  vein  on  the  inside  of  the  arm  (the  plate  vein), 
because  the  blood  is  then  abstracted  more  immediately  from  the  inflamed  part.  A 
dose  of  physic  should  be  given,  and  fomentations  applied,  and  principally  on  the 
inside  of  the  arm,  close  to  the  chest,  and  the  horse  should  be  kept  as  quiet  as  possible. 
The  injury  is  too  deeply  seated  for  external  stimulants  to  have  very  great  eflect,  yet  a 
blister  will  properly  be  resorted  to,  if  the  lameness  is  not  speedily  removed.  The  swim- 
ming of  the  horse  is  an  inhuman  practice ;  it  tortures  the  animal,  and  increases  the 
inflammation.  The  pegging  of  the  shoulder  (puncturing  the  skin,  aud  blowing  into 
the  cellular  structure  beneath  until  it  is  considerably  puffed  up)  is  another  relic  of 
ignorance  and  barbarity. 

SLANTING   DIRECTION   OF  THE  SHOULDER. 

The  lessening  or  breaking  of  the  shock,  from  the  weight  being  thrown  violently  on 
the  fore  legs,  is  effected  in  another  way.  It  will  be  observed,  that  (see  G  and  J,  p. 
68)  the  shoulder-blade  and  the  lower  bone  of  the  shoulder  are  not  connected  together 
in  a  straight  line,  but  form  a  very  considerable  angle  with  each  other.  This  will  be 
more  evident  from  the  following  cut,  which  represents  the  fore  and  hind  extremities 
in  the  situations  which  they  occupy  in  the  horse. 


This  angular  construction  of  the  limbs  reminds  us  of  the  similar  arrangement  of  th» 
springs  of  a  carriage,  and  the  ease  of  motion,  and  almost  perfect  freedom  from  jolting 
which  are  thereby  obtained. 


SLANTING  DIRECTION  OF  THE  SHOULDER.  257 

It  must  not  perhaps  be  said,  that  the  form  of  the  spring  was  borrowed  from  ihis 
construction  of  the  limbs  of  the  horse,  but  the  etfect  of  the  carriage-spring  beautifully 
illustrates  the  connexion  of  the  different  bones  in  the  extremities  of  this  quadruped. 

The  obliquity  or  slanting  direction  of  the  shoulder  etl'ects  other  very  useful  pui- 
poees.  That  the  stride  in  the  gallop,  or  the  space  passed  over  in  the  trot,  may  be 
extensive,  it  is  necessary  that  the  fore  part  of  the  animal  should  be  considerably  ele- 
vated. The  shoulder,  by  means  of  the  muscles  which  extend  from  it  to  the  inferior 
part  of  the  limb,  is  the  grand  agent  in  effecting  this.  Had  the  bones  of  the  shoulder 
been  placed  more  upright  than  we  see  them,  they  could  not  then  have  been  of  the 
length  which  they  now  are, — their  connexion  with  the  chest  could  not  have  been  so 
secure, — and  their  movements  upon  each  other  would  have  been  comparatively 
restricted.  The  slightest  inspection  of  the  preceding  cut,  or  of  that  at  page  68,  wiU 
show  that,  just  in  proportion  as  the  point  of  the  shoulder  is  brought  forward  and  ele-" 
vated,  will  be  the  forward  action  and  elevation  of  the  limb,  or  the  space  passed  ove~ 
at  every  eflort. 

The  slanting  shoulder  accomplishes  a  most  useful  object.  The  muscles  extending 
from  the  shoulder-blade  to  the  lower  bone  of  the  shoulder  are  the  powers  by  which 
motion  is  given  to  the  whole  of  the  limb.  The  extent  and  energy  of  that  motion 
depend  much  on  the  force  exerted  or  the  strength  of  the  muscle ;  but  there  are  cir- 
cumstances in  the  relative  situations  of  the  different  bones  which  have  far  greater 
influence. 

Let  it  be  supposed  that,  by  means  of  a  lever,  some  one  is  endeavouring  to  raise  a 
certain  weight. 

A  is  a  lever,  resting  or  turning  on  a  pivot  B  ;  C  is  the  weight  to  be  raised  ;  and  D 
is   the  power,  or  the  situation  at  which  the  power  is  applied.     If  the  strength  i» 
applied  in  a  direction  perpendicular  to  the  lever,  as  represented  by  the  line  E,  the 
power  which  must  be  exerted  can  easily  be  calculated. 
A  B 


In  proportion  as  the  distance  of  the  power  from  the  pivot  or  centre  of  motion 
exceeds  that  of  the  weight  from  the  same  place,  so  will  be  the  advantage  gained. 
The  power  here  is  twice  as  far  from  the  centre  as  the  weight  is,  and  therefore  advan- 
vantage  is  gained  in  the  proportion  of  two  to  one  :  or  if  the  weight  is  equal  to  200lbs., 
a  force  of  lOOlbs.  will  balance  it.  If  the  direction  in  which  the  power  is  applied  is 
altered,  and  it  is  in  that  of  the  line  F,  will  lOOlbs.  effect  the  purpose]  No;  nothing 
like  it.  How,  then,  is  the  necessary  power  to  be  calculated  ]  The  line  of  direction 
must  be  prolonged,  until  another  line,  falling  perpendicularly  from  the  lever,  and 
commencing  at  the  centre  of  motion,  will  cut  it;  and  the  length  of  that  line  will  give 
the  actual  effect  of  the  strength  employed.  Now,  this  new  line  is  but  half  as  long 
as  the  distance  of  the  weight  from  the  centre  of  motion,  and  therefore  advantage  is 
lost  in  the  proportion  of  two  to  one ;  or  a  strength  equal  to  400lbs.  must  be  exerted 
to  raise  the  200lbs.,  and  so  on  in  proportion  to  the  deviation  from  the  right  or  perpen- 
dicular line. 

Let  the  shoulder  of  the  horse  be  considered.  The  point  of  the  shoulder — the 
shoulder  joint — is  the  pivot  or  centre  of  motion;  the  leg  attached  to  the  bone  of  the 
arm  is  the  weight;  the  shoulder-blade  being  more  fixed  is  the  part  whence  the  powa: 
emanates  ;  and  the  muscles  extending  from  the  one  to  the  other  are  the  lines  in  which 
that  power  is  exerted.  These  lines  approach  much  more  nearly  to  a  perpendicular 
in  the  oblique  than  in  the  upright  shoulder  (see  cut).  In  the  upright  one,  the  shoul- 
der-blade and  the  bone  of  the  arm  are  almost  in  a  straight  line,  and  the  real  action 
and  power  of  the  muscle  are  most  strangely  diminished.  In  this  point  of  view  the 
oblique  shoulder  is  most  important.  It  not  only  gives  extensive  action,  but  facility 
of  action.  The  power  of  the  muscles  is  more  than  doubled  b/  being  exerted  in  » 
line  approaching  so  much  nearer  to  a  perpendicular. 
22*  2h 


258  THE   FORE   LEGS. 

There  is  yet  another  advantage  of  the  oblique  shoulder.  The  point  of  the  shoulder 
is  projected  forward  ;  and  therefore  the  pillars  which  support  the  fore-part  of  the  hor^ 
are  likewise  placed  proportionably  forward,  and  they  have  less  weight  to  carry. 
They  are  exposed  to  less  concussion,  and  especially  concussion  in  rapid  action.  The 
horse  is  also  much  safer ;  for  having  less  weight  situated  before  the  pillars  of  sup- 
port, he  is  not  so  likely  to  have  the  centre  of  gravity  thrown  before  and  beyond  them 
by  an  accidental  trip  ;  or,  in  other  words,  he  is  not  so  likely  to  fall ;  and  he  rides  more 
pleasantly,  for  there  is  far  less  weight  bearing  on  the  hand  of  the  rider,  and  annoying 
and  tiring  him.  It  likewise  unfortunately  happens  that  nature,  as  it  were  to  supply 
the  deficiency  of  action  and  of  power  in  an  upright  shoulder,  has  sccumulated  on  it 
more  muscle,  and  therefore  the  upright  shoulder  is  proverbially  thick  and  cloddy ; 
and  the  muscles  of  the  breast  which  were  designed  to  strengthen  the  attachment  of 
the  shoulders  to  the  chest,  and  to  bind  them  together,  must,  when  the  point  of  the 
shoulder  lies  backward,  and  under  the  horse,  be  proportionably  thickened  and 
strengthened,  and  the  horse  is  thus  still  more  heavy  before,  more  unpleasant,  and 
more  imsafe  to  ride. 

Then,  ought  every  horse  to  have  an  oblique  slioulder  1  No !  The  question  has 
relation  to  those  horses  that  are  designed  to  ride  pleasantly,  or  from  which  extensive 
and  rapid  action  is  required.  In  them  it  has  been  said  that  an  oblique  shoulder  is 
indispensable :  but  there  are  others  which  are  seldom  ridden  ;  whose  pace  is  slow, 
and  who  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  throw  as  much  weight  as  possible  into  the  collar. 
To  them  an  upright  shoulder  is  an  advantage,  because  its  additional  thickness  gives 
them  additional  weight  to  throw  into  the  collar,  which  the  power  of  their  hinder  quar- 
ters is  fully  sufficient  to  accomplish;  and  because  the  upright  position  of  the  shoulder 
gives  that  direction  to  the  collar  which  enables  the  horse  to  act  upon  every  part  of  it, 
and  that  inclination  of  the  traces  which  will  enable  his  weight  or  power  to  be  most 
advantageously  employed. 

An  improved  breed  of  our  heavy  draught-horses  has  of  late  years  been  attempted, 
and  with  much  snccess.  Sufficient  uprightness  of  shoulder  is  retained  for  the  purposes 
of  draught,  while  a  slight  degree  of  obliquity  has  materially  quickened  the  pace  and 
improved  the  appearance. 

Above  its  junction  with  the  humerus,  or  lower  division  of  the  limb,  the  shoulder- 
blade  forms  what  is  called  the  point  of  the  shoulder.  Tliere  is  a  round  blunted  pro- 
jection, best  seen  in  the  cut  (p.  256).  The  neck  of  the  shoulder-blade  there  forms  a 
shallow  cavity,  into  which  the  head  of  the  next  bone  is  received. 

The  cavity  is  shallow  because  extensive  motion  is  required,  and  because  both  of 
the  bones  being  so  moveable,  and  the  motion  of  the  one  connected  sc  much  with  that 
of  the  other,  dislocation  was  less  likely  to  occur.  A  cajasw/ar  ligament,  or  one  extend- 
ing round  the  heads  of  both  bones,  confines  them  securely  together. 

This  joint  is  rarely  or  never  dislocated  ;  and,  should  it  suffer  dislocation,  the  muscles 
of  the  shoulder-blade  and  the  lower  bone  of  the  shoulder  are  so  strong,  that  the  reduc- 
tion of  it  would  be  impossible.  The  point  of  the  shoulder,  however,  projecting  con- 
siderably, is  much  exposed  to  injury  from  accident  or  violence.  Even  turning  in  a 
.narrow  stall  has  inflicted  a  serious  bruise.  Fomentations  of  warm  water  will  usually 
remove  the  tenderness  and  lameness,  but  should  they  fail,  blood  should  be  taken  from 
the  plate  vein,  or,  in  very  obstinate  cases,  a  blister  should  be  resorted  to. 

A  description  of  the  principal  muscles  of  the  shoulder-blade,  their  situation,  attach- 
ments, and  use,  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  the  lover  of  the  horse,  and  may  guide  his 
judgment  as  to  the  capability  and  proper  form  of  that  noble  animal. 

CUT  OF  MUSCLES  ON  THE  OUTSIDE  OF  THE  SHOULDER. 

a  and  b,  in  the  following  cut,  represent  a  portion  of  the  Trapezhis  muscle  attached 
to  the  longer  bones  of  the  withers  broadly  and  strongly  and  to  the  ligament  and  fascia? 
of  the  neck  (a  portion  of  which  is  seen  at  b),  narrowing  below,  terminating  almost  in 
a  point,  and  inserted  into  a  tubercle  on  the  spine  or  ridge  of  the  shoulder-blade.  It 
occupies  the  space  between  the  withers  and  the  upper  part  of  th-e  shoulder-blade,  and 
is  large  and  strong  in  proportion  to  the  height  of  the  withers,  and  the  slanting  of  the 
shoulder.  Its  use  is  evidently  to  elevate  and  support  the  scapula — to  raise  it,  and 
likewise  to  draw  it  backward  ;  therefore,  constituting  one  of  the  most  important  mus 
cles  connected  with  the  action  of  the  horse,  and  illustrating  the  advantage  of  high 
withers  and  a  slanting  shoulder.     A  portion  of  it  is  represented  as  turned  back,  in 


MUSCLES  ON  THE  OUTSIDE  OF  THE  SHOULDER. 


259 


order  to  show  other  muscles  beneath.      A  moment's  inspection  will  convince  the 
reader  that  although  a  low  forehand  and  thick  shoulder  are  very  properly  objected  to, 

yet  still  some  fulness  and  fleshiness 
are  necessary,  even  about  the  with- 
ers ;  otherwise,  although  there  may 
be  height  of  withers,  and  obliquity 
of  shoulder,  to  give  extensive  action, 
there  will  not  be  sufficient  muscular 
power  to  work  the  machine  with 
either  quickness  or  continuance. 

At  c  is  a  portion  of  the  levator 
humeri  (the  raiser  of  the  shoulder), 
descending  from  the  tubercle  of  the 
head  (see  cut,  page  68),  and  from 
the  base  of  the  temporal  bone,  and 
attaching  itself  to  the  first  four  bones 
of  the  neck,  and  to  the  ligament  of 
the  neck  ;  inserting  itself  into  the 
covering  of  the  muscles  of  the  shoul-' 
der,  and  those  about  the  point  of  the 
shoulder,  and  at  length  terminating 
in  a  ridge  on  the  body  of  the  humerus, 
arising  from  the  greater  tubercle.  It 
is  a  muscle  of  immense  power  and 
great  utility,  raising  and  drawing 
forward  the  shoulder  and  the  arm, 
or,  when  these  are  fixed,  turning  the 
head  and  neck  if  one  only  acts,  and 
depressing  them  if  the  muscles  on 
both  sides  act  at  the  same  time. 

At  £?  is  a  portion  of  the  serratus 
magnus  muscle,  between  the  shoulder 
and  side  of  the  chest,  and  constituting 
the  bulk  of  the  lower  part  of  the 
neck.  It  is  deeply  seated,  arising 
from  the  fourth,  fifth,  sixth,  and 
seventh  bones  of  the  neck  anteriorly, 
and  attached  posteriorly  to  the  eight 
first  ribs.  All  its  fibres  tend  towards 
and  are  inserted  into  the  inner  sur- 
face of  the  shoulder,  and  by  means 
of  them  the  shoulder  is  attached  to 
the  chest,  and  the  immense  weight 
of  the  body  supported.  The  use  of  this  muscle  in  obviating  concussion,  has  already 
been  spoken  of. 

When  the  horse  is  standing,  this  muscle  occasionally  discharges  another  important 
function.  The  shoulders  and  legs  are  then  rendered  fixed  points  by  the  weight  of  the 
body,  and  this  muscle  exerts  all  its  power  in  dilating  the  cavity  of  the  chest,  and 
thus  materially  assists  in  the  act  of  breathing.  Therefore,  as  was  stated  when  that 
disease  was  treated  of,  a  horse  labouring  under  inflammation  of  the  lungs  will  obsti- 
nately stand  night  and  day,  in  order  that  he  may  obtain  the  assistance  of  this  muscle 
in  respiration,  which  is  become  laborious  and  painful ;  and  for  the  same  reason  it  is 
that  we  regard  his  lying  down  as  one  of  the  most  favourable  symptoms,  because  it 
shows  us  that  the  breathing  is  so  much  relieved  as  not  to  need  the  assistance  of  this 
muscle. 

At  e  is  a  small  portion  of  the  splenius  muscle,  which  was  spoken  of  when  the  neck 
was  described,  p.  159. 

/  represents  a  muscle  sometimes  described  as  a  portion  of  the  levator  humeri,  or 
elevator  of  the  shoulder,  arising  from  the  nipple-shaped  process  or  tubercle  of  the 
temporal  bone,  running  down  the  somewhat  lateral  but  fore  part  of  the  neck,  inserted 
into  the  upper  and  middle  part  of  the  lower  bone  of  the  shoulder,  and  thence  con* 


260 


THE    FORE    LEGS, 


tinued  down  to  the  arm.  Its  office  is  to  bend  the  head ;  or,  the  head  and  neck  being 
fixed,  to  elevate  and  bring  forward  the  arm.  It  is  in  powerful  action  when  the  horse 
is  running  at  his  speed,  with  the  head  projected. 

At  g  is  a  portion  of  the  sterno  maxil/aris,  or  muscle  common  to  the  fore  part  of  the 
chest  and  the  lower  jaw,  and  described  at  p.  159. 

h  designates  the  principal  portion  of  this  muscle,  extending  from  the  shoulder  to  the 
humerus,  and  employed  in  drawing  this  bone  towards  the  shoulder-blade,  and  bending 
the  whole  of  the  limb.  Exceedingly  powerful  action  is  required  from  this  muscle; 
therefore  it  is  very  tendinous,  and  inserted  in  such  a  direction  as  to  act  with  great 
mechanical  advantage,  and  that  advantage  increased  in  proportion  to  the  slanting 
position  of  the  shoulder. 

The  muscle  /,  antea  spinaius,  is  situated  on  the  outer  and  anterior  part  of  the  shoulder, 
below  and  behind  the  muscle  next  mentioned;  and  its  office  is  to  extend  the  humerus 
on  the  scapula.  It  is  also  attached  to  the  greater  tubercle  of  the  humerus,  and  to  a 
bony  ridge  extending  from  it  to  the  capsular-ligament  of  the  shoulder-joint.  Its 
action  is  to  assist  in  flexion  of  the  humerus,  and  to  give  it  a  motion  outwards. 

The  muscle  j,  posfea  spinatus,  behind  the  spine  or  ridge,  occupies  that  space  of  the 
shoulder,  and  is  inserted  into  the  outer  and  upper  head  of  the  bone.  It  draws  this 
bone  outward  and  upward. 

At  k,  is  a  muscle  common  to  the  breast  and  the  shoulder-blade,  and  called  the  pec- 
toralis  parvus.  It  arises  from  the  breast-bone,  and  reaches  to  the  covering  of  the 
shoulder-joint,  and  the  muscles  of  the  shoulder.  Its  action,  in  common  with  that  of 
a  larger  muscle,  seen  at  m,  the  great  pectoral,  is  to  draw  the  head  of  the  shoulder  back- 
\vard,  and  also  the  lower  part  of  the  shoulder-blade,  and  to  give  the  latter  a  more  up- 
right position. 

At  q,  is  the  tendon  of  a  very  important  muscle,  the  extensor  longus  of  the  arm, 
reaching  from  the  upper  angle  and  the  posterior  border  of  the  shou'lder-blade  to  the 
point  of  the  elbow  and  the  inside  of  the  arm,  and  which  will  be  presently  described. 
At  r  and  s,  are  the  three  divisions  of  another  muscle  concerned  in  the  same  office, 
arising  from  the  shoulder-blade  and  the  lower  bone  of  the  shoulder,  and  likewise 
attached  to  the  point  of  the  elbow  by  a  very  strong 
tendon. 

Tliis  cut  represents  the  muscles  on  the  inside  of  the 
shoulder  and  fore-arm.  a  is  a  very  prominent  one.  It  is 
called  the  pectnralis  transversus  (the  muscle  crossing  the 
breast).  It  arises  from  the  first  four  bones  of  the  sternum, 
and  runs  across  to  the  inner  part  of  the  arm ;  it  is  also 
attached  to  the  inferior  part  of  the  body  of  the  humerus, 
and  to  the  fascia  covering  the  arm,  and  reaching  a  con- 
siderable way  down  the  arm.  The  use  of  this  muscle  is 
obvious  and  important.  It  binds  the  arm  to  the  side  of 
the  horse;  it  keeps  the  legs  straight  before  the  horse 
when  he  is  at  speed,  that  the  weight  of  the  body  may  be 
received  on  them  in  a  direction  most  easy  and  safe  to  the 
horse  and  to  the  rider,  and  most  advantageous  for  the  full 
play  of  all  the  muscles  concerned  in  progression.  Con- 
sidering the  unevenness  of  surface  over  which  a  horse 
often  passes,  and  the  rapid  turnings  which  are  sometimes 
necessary,  these  muscles  have  enough  to  do ;  and  when 
the  animal  is  pushed  beyond  his  strength,  and  these 
muscles  are  wearied,  and  the  fore-legs  spread  out,  and 
the  horse  is  "  all  abroad,''''  the  confused  and  unpleasant 
manner  of  going,  and  the  sudden  falling-off  in  speed,  are 
well  known  to  every  rider.  Mr.  Percivall  very  properly 
observes,  that  this  muscle  has  probably  more  to  do  in 
enabling  the  arm  to  support  weight  than  to  give  i> 
motion. 


M 


THE  HUMERUS,  OR  LOWER  BONE  OF  THE  SHOULDER. 

Forming  a  joint  with  the  shoulder-blade,  at  the  point  of  the  shoulder,  is  the  humerus 
It  is  a  short,  strong  bone,  slanting  backward  in  an  opposite  direction  to  the  shoulder 


THE    ARM.  261 

olade.  At  the  uppe*  part  it  has  a  large  round  head,  received  into  the  shallow  cavity 
of  the  shoulder-blaae ;  or,  as  Mr.  Percivall  has  graphically  described  it,  "  rt  is  the 
segment  of  a  globe,  smooth  and  polished,  evidently  for  the  purpose  of  playing  like  a 
spherical  hinge  within  the  cup-like  concavity  occupying  the  place  of  the  apex  of  the 
scapula.  There  are  no  two  bones  in  the  skeleton  whose  articular  connexion  is  of  a 
nature  to  admit  more  varied  and  extensive  motion  than  exists  between  the  scapula  and 
the  humerus.  If  we  attempt  to  lift  a  horse's  fore-leg,  we  cannot  merely  bring  it  for- 
ward and  backward,  but  we  can  also,  to  a  considerable  extent,  make  it  perform  a  sort 
of  rotatory  motion,  in  consequence  of  the  mobility  existing  in  tliis  joint  between  the 
socket  of  the  scapula  and  the  head  of  the  humerus."*  It  has  several  protuberances 
for  the  insertion  of  muscles,  and  is  terminated  below  by  two  condyles,  or  heads,  which 
in  front  receive  the  principal  bone  of  the  arm  between  thvm,  as  in  a  groove,  thus  add- 
ing to  the  security  and  strength  of  the  joint,  and  limiting  the  action  of  this  joint  and 
of  the  limb  below  to  mere  bending  and  extension,  without  any  side  motion.  Farther 
behind,  these  heads  receive  tlie  elbow  deep  between  them,  in  order  to  give  more 
extensive  action  to  the  arm.  In  a  well-formed  horse,  this  bone  can  scarcely  be  too 
short,  in  order  that  the  fore-legs  may  be  as  forward  as  possible,  for  reasons  already 
stated,  and  because,  when  the  lower  bone  of  the  shoulder  is  long,  the  shoulder  must 
be  too  upright.  Dislocation  can  scarcely  occur  in  either  of  the  attachments  of  the 
bone,  and  fracture  of  it  is  almost  impossible.  The  lower  bone  of  the  shoulder  and 
the  shoulder-blade  are  by  horsemen  confounded  together,  and  included  under  the 
appellation  of  the  shoulder,  and  in  compliance  with  general  usage,  we  have  described 
them  as  combining  to  form  the  shoulder. 

Among  the  muscles  arising  from  the  humerus,  are  two  short  and  very  strong  ones, 
seen  at  r  and  s,  p.  259,  the  first  proceeding  from  the  upper  part  of  this  bone  to  the 
elbow,  and  the  second  from  the  internal  part,  and  likewise  going  to  the  elbow,  and 
both  of  them  being  powerful  agents  in  extending  the  leg. 

In  front,  at  y,  is  one  of  the  muscles  of  the  humerus,  the  external  one  employed  in 
bending  the  arm,  arising  from  the  inner  and  back  part  of  the  neck  and  body  of  the 
humerus,  turning  obliquely  round  that  bone,  and  inserted  into  the  inner  and  upper  part 
of  the  hone  of  the  arm. 

THE  ARM. 

The  arm  extending  from  the  elbow  to  the  knee  (see  K  and  L,  p.  68,  and  also  cut, 
p.  259),  consists,  in  the  young  horse,  of  two  distinct  bones.  The  long  and  front 
bone,  called  the  radius,  is  nearly  straight,  receiving  into  its  upper  end  the  lower 
heads  of  the  humerus  ;  and  the  lower  end  corresponding  with  the  upper  layer  of  the 
bones  of  the  knee.  The  short  and  hinder  bone  is  called  the  ulna.  It  has  a  very  lonf 
and  powerful  projection,  received  between  the  heads  of  the  humerus,  and  called  the 
elbow;  it  then  stretches  down,  narrowing  by  degrees  (see  L,  p.  68,  and  the  cut,  p. 
259)  to  below  the  middle  of  the  front  bone,  where  it  terminates  in  a  point.  The  two 
bones  are  united  together  by  cartilage  and  ligament;  but  these  are  by  degrees 
absorbed  and  changed  to  bone,  and  before  the  horse  becomes  old  the  whole  of  the  arm 
consists  of  one  bone  only. 

It  will  be  perceived  that,  from  the  slanting  direction  of  the  humerus,  the  weight  of 
the  horse,  and  the  violence  of  the  concussion,  will  be  shared  between  the  radius  and 
the  ulna,  and  therefore  less  liable  to  injure  either.  The  circumstance,  also,  of  so 
much  weight  and  jar  being  communicated  to  them,  will  account  for  the  extensive  and 
peculiarly  strong^  union  between  these  bones  in  the  young  horse ;  the  speedy  inflam- 
mation of  the  uniting  substance  and  absorption  of  it,  and  the  substitution  of  bone,  and 
complete  bony  union  between  the  radius  and  ulna,  in  the  old  horse.  The  immense 
muscles  that  are  attached  to  the  point  of  the  elbow  likewise  render  it  necessary  that 
the  union  between  these  bones  should  be  very  strong. 

The  arm  is  a  most  important  part  of  the  horse,  as  will  be  seen  when  we  describe 
the  muscles  that  belong  to  it.  The  muscles  q,  r,  and  s,  proceeding  from  the  shoulder- 
blade  and  the  humerus,  and  inserted  into  the  elbow,  have  heen  already  spoken  of. 
They  are  the  grand  agents  in  extending  the  arm  ;  and  in  proportion  to  the  powei 
which  they  exert,  will  be  the  quickness  and  the  length  of  the  stride.  The  strength 
of  the  horse,  so  far  as  his  fore-limbs  are  concerned,  principally  resides  here.     Then 

*  Veterinarian,  vol.  xv.  p.  307. 


262  THE   FORE   LEGS. 

there  will  naturally  be  a  large  and  muscular  arm,  and  such  a  formation  of  the  limb, 
and  particularly  of  the  elbow,  as  will  enable  these  muscles  to  act  with  most  advantage. 

The  principle  of  the  lever  (referred  to  at  p.  257)  is  here  beautifully  applicable. 
The  elbow-joint  is  the  centre  of  motion ;  the  whole  of  the  lower  part  of  the  leg  is  the 
weight  to  be  raised  ;  and  the  power  by  which  it  is  to  be  raised  in  one  act  of  progres- 
siont  the  extending  of  the  limb,  is  the  muscles  inserted  into  the  elbow.  In  proportion 
as  the  weight  is  more  distant  than  the  power  from  the  centre  of  motion,  as  it  is  in  tha 
construction  of  this  limb,  so  will  be  the  greater  degree  of  energy  requisite  to  be  exerted 
Supposing  that  the  weight,  taking  the  knee  to  be  the  centre  of  it,  is  eighteen  inches 
from  the  elbow-joint— that  the  limb  weighs  GOlbs.,  and  that  the  elbow  projects  two 
inches  from  the  joint — then  an  energy  equal  to  nine  times  the  weight,  or  5  lUlbs.,  will 
be  needed  to  move  and  extend  the  limb,  because  the  weight  is  nine  times  farther  from 
the  centre  of  motion  than  the  power  is.  If  in  another  horse  the  point  of  the  elbow 
projects  three  inches  from  the  joint,  the  weight  of  the  leg  remaining  the  same,  only 
six  times  the  force,  or  360lbs.,  will  be  required,  making  a  difference  in,  or  saving  of, 
muscular  action,  equal  to  ISOlbs.  in  each  extension  of  the  arm.  If  a  few  pounds  in 
the  weight  of  the  rider  tell  so  much  for  or  against  the  horse  in  a  long  race,  this  saviiifr 
of  power  must  make  an  almost  incalculable  diiference  ;  and  therefore,  judges  of  the 
horse  rightly  attach  so  much  importance  to  the  depth  of  the  elbow,  or  the  projection 
of  the  point  of  the  elbow  from  the  joint. 

When  describing  the  proper  obliquity  of  the  shoulder,  it  was  stated  that  the  power 
was  exerted  with  most  advantage  in  a  line  perpendicular  to  the  arm  of  the  lever,  and 
that  the  slightest  deviation  from  that  line  was  manifestly  disadvantageous.  If  the 
reader  will  examine  the  cut,  he  will  perceive  that  muscles  from  the  shoulder  and  the 
bone  of  the  arm  take  a  direction  much  nearer  to  a  perpendicular  line  in  the  long  than 
in  the  short  elbow,  and  therefore  act  with  proportionably  greater  advantage ;  and  if  this 
advantage  from  the  direction  in  which  the  power  is  applied  to  that  which  we  gain 
from  the  increased  length  of  the  bone  is  considered,  it  will  be  plain  that  the  addition 
of  one-third  to  the  length  or  projection  of  the  elbow  would  be  attended  by  a  saving  of 
one-half  in  the  expenditure  of  muscular  power.  There  is,  however,  a  limit  to  this. 
In  proportion  as  the  elbow  is  lengthened,  it  must  move  over  a  greater  space  in  order 
to  give  the  requisite  extension  to  the  limb  ;  and  consequently  the  muscles  which  act 
upon  it  must  be  lengthened,  otherwise,  although  the  action  might  be  easy  it  would 
be  confined.  There  must  be  harmony  of  proportion  in  the  different  parts  of  the  limb, 
but  a  deep  elbow,  within  a  certain  range,  is  always  connected  with  increased  power 
of  action. 

The  elbow  is  sometimes  fractured.  If  the  animal  is  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  skilful 
veterinarian,  although  the  chances  of  cure  are  certainly  against  the  horse,  yet  the 
owner  needs  not  to  despair.  The  treatment  of  fracture  of  the  elbow-joint  will  be  con- 
sidered in  its  proper  place. 

Enlargements  sometimes  appear  about  the  elbow,  either  the  consequence  of  a  violent 
blow,  or  from  the  calkins  of  the  shoes  injuring  this  part  when  the  horse  sleeps  with 
his  legs  doubled  under  him.  If  a  seton  is  passed  through  the  tumour,  it  will  some- 
times rapidly  diminish,  and  even  disappear;  but  if  it  is  of  considerable  magnitude, 
the  skin  should  be  opened  along  the  middle  of  the  swelling,  and  the  tumour  dissected 
out. 

The  elbow-joint  is  sometimes  punctured,  either  accidentally,  or  through  the  brutality 
of  the  groom  or  carter.  The  svv'elling  is  often  rapid  and  extensive,  and  fatal  inflam- 
mation may  ensue.  Rest,  and  the  closure  of  the  wound,  are  the  most  important 
considerations. 

There  are  other  muscles  of  the  fore-arm  employed  in  extending  the  limb.  At  x 
oage  259,  is  the  principal  one,  called  the  extensor  metacarpi.  It  is  attached  superiorly 
.0  '"the  outer  and  fore  parts  of  the  external  condyle  of  the  humerus,  and  also  to  the 
capsular  ligament,  and  inferiorly  to  the  antero-superior  part  of  the  great  metacarpal 
bone.  Its  superior  attachments  are  principally  fleshy,  with  a  few  tendinous  fibres 
interposed.  These  diminish  towards  the  centre,  but  a  little  lower  down  is  a  tendon, 
round  at  its  origin,  but  gradually  growing  flat  and  expanding  in  breadth  towards  its 
termination.     Its  ofhce  is  to  extend  the  leg. 

The  next  muscle  in  situation  and  importance  is  seen  at  w,  and  called  the  extensor 
pedis.  It  rises  from  the  fore  part  of  the  external  condyle  of  the  humerus,  and  pursues 
its  course  down  the  leg,  and  expanding  after  it  has  passed  the  fetlock,  it  serves  the 


THE   ARM.  263 

purpose  of  a  capsular  ligament,  covering  and  adhering  to  the  pastern  joints.  Its  office 
is  to  extend  the  foot  and  pasterns,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  assist  in  the  extension  of 
the  knee. 

At  u,  page  259,  is  the  tendon  of  another  extensor  muscle,  and  at  z  a  curious  oblique 
one,  passing  over  the  tendon  of  x,  confining  it  in  its  situation,  and  likewise  assisting 
in  extending  or  straightening  the  leg. 

The  'iiuscles  employed  in  bending  the  leg  are  both  numerous  and  powerful.  Two 
of  the  superficial  ones  are  given  in  the  cut,  page  2G0.  The  first  is  at  /,  page  259  ; 
it  IS  also  seen  at  6,  page  259.  It  is  called  the  Jlexor  medius  metacarpi,  bec-duse  its 
office  is  to  bend  the  leg.  The  other  is  seen  at  v,  page  259.  It  is  called  the  Jlexor 
metacarpi  externus,  and  is  also  designed  to  flex  the  leg. 

The  internal  flexor  is  seen  at  e.     Its  ofiice  is  also  to  bend  the  leg. 

A  portion  of  one  of  the  most  powerful  of  the  flexor  muscles,  and  powerful  indeed 
they  must  be,  is  delineated  at  c,  page  259.  It  is  the  flexor  bracliii.  It  rises  from  the 
extremity  of  the  ridge  of  the  shoulder-blade  in  the  form  of  a  large  and  round  tendon, 
which  runs  between  two  prominences  in  the  upper  part  of  the  front  of  the  lower  bone 
of  the  shoulder,  and  in  as  perfect  a  groove  or  pulley  as  art  ever  contrived.  This 
groove  is  lined  with  smooth  cartilage ;  and  between  it  and  the  tendon  there  is  a  secre- 
tion of  oily  fluid,  so  that  the  tendon  may  play  freely  in  the  pully  without  iriction. 
Having  escaped  from  this  pully,  and  passed  the  head  of  the  lower  bone  of  the  shoul- 
der, the  cord  swells  out  into  a  round  fleshy  body,  still  containing  many  tendinous 
fibres.  Deeply  seated,  it  contributes  materially  to  the  bulk  of  the  front  of  the  arm, 
and  is  inserted  into  the  head  and  neck  of  the  bone  of  the  arm,  and  likewise  into  the 
capsular  ligament  of  the  elbow-joint.  It  is  the  muscle  by  whicli,  almost  alone,  the 
whole  of  the  leg  below  the  arm  is  bent,  and  carried  forward  and  upward. 

It  acts  at  great  disadvantage.  It  is  inserted  into  the  very  head  of  the  bone  of  the 
arm,  and  expanded  even  upon  the  joint.  Then  the  power  is  applied  almost  close  to 
the  centre  of  motion,  while  the  weight  to  be  raised  is  far  distant  from  it.  The  power 
is  thirty  times  nearer  the  centre  of  motion  than  is  the  weight ;  and,  calculating  as 
before,  the  weight  of  the  arm  and  the  rest  of  the  limb  at  GOlbs.,  it  must  act  with  a 
force  of  thirty  times  sixty,  or  ISOOlbs.  In  addition  to  this,  the  line  of  the  direction  of  the 
force  strangely  deviates  from  a  perpendicular.  The  direction  of  the  muscle  is  nearly 
the  same  as  that  of  the  limb,  and  the  mechanical  disadvantage  is  almost  incalculably 
great.  If  it  is  calculated  at  only  ten  times  more,  this  muscle,  and  its  feeble  coadju- 
tors, act  with  a  force  often  times  1800,  or  18,0001bs. 

Why  this  almost  incredible  expenditure  of  muscular  power  T  That  the  beauty  of 
the  limb  might  be  preserved,  and  the  joint  be  compact.  If  the  tendon  had  been 
inserted  half-way  down  the  arm,  the  elbow-joint  would  have  oflfered  a  very  unsightly 
appearance. 

Beauty  of  form,  however,  is  the  least  result  of  this  conformation.  Extensive  and 
rapid  motion  are  among  the  excellences  of  the  horse.  He  is  valuable  in  proportion 
as  he  has  them  combined  with  stoutness ;  and  by  this  conformation  of  the  limb  could 
he  alone  obtain  them.  Therefore  the  tendon  is  at  first  unusually  strong;  it  plays 
throuGfh  the  natural  but  perfect  pulley  of  the  bone  of  the  arm  without  friction;  the 
body  of  the  muscle  is  mixed  with  tendinous  fibres,  and  the  insertion  into  the  fore-arm 
is  very  extensive,  lest  the  application  of  such  immense  force  should  tear  it  from  its 
adhesions.  There  is  sufficient  strength  in  the  apparatus ;  the  power  may  be  safely 
applied  at  this  mechanical  disadvantage;  and  it  is  applied  close  to  the  joint  to  give 
an  extent  and  rapidity  of  motion  which  could  not  otherwise  have  been  obtained,  and 
without  which  the  horse  would  have  been  comparatively  useless. 

At  the  back  of  the  arm  are  other  flexor  muscles  of  great  power,  to  bend  the  lower 
portions  of  the  limb.  Two  of  them  have  been  described  belonging  to  the  arm  and 
the  leg,  and  some  very  peculiar  ones  acting  on  the  feet  must  not  be  omitted.  Only  a 
small  portion  of  one  of  them  can  be  seen  in  our  cut,  p.  259,  at  1. 

The  first  is  the  flexor  pedis  perfuratus.  It  is  deeply  seated  in  the  posterior  part  of 
the  cirm,  where,  with  the  perforans,  it  forms  a  thick  fleshy  mass,  the  tendons  issu 
ino  from  which  are  adapted  to  the  convexity  and  concavity  of  each  other.  As  it 
descends  along  the  bone  of  the  arm,  it  becomes  tendinous ;  and,  approaching  the 
knee,  it  is  bound  down  by  arches  or  bands  of  ligament,  that  it  may  not  start  in  sud- 
den and  violent  action.  Proceeding  from  the  knee,  it  widens,  and  partly  wraps 
rouni  the  tendon  of  the  perforating  muscle,  and  they  run  down  together  in  contact 


264  THE   FORE   LEGS. 

yet  not  adhering;  freely  playing  over  each  other,  and  a  mucous  fluid  obviating  all 
friction.  Both  of  them  are  inclosed  in  a  sheath  of  dense  cellular  substance,  attached 
to  them  by  numerous  fibrils;  and  they  are  likewise  supported  by  various  ligamentous 
expansions. 

Near  the  fetlock  the  tendon  still  further  expands,  and  forms  a  complete  ring  round 
the  tendon  of  the  perforating  muscle.  This  is  seen  at  J,  p.  113.  The  use  of  this 
will  be  best  explained  when  the  fetlock  is  treated  of. 

The  perforated  tendon  soon  afterwards  divides,  and  is  inserted  into  the  smaller 
and  larger  pastern  bones,  and  serves  to  flex  or  bend  the  fetlock  and  joints,  as  it  had 
previously  assisted  in  the  flexion  of  the  knee. 

The  flexor  perforans  muscle  has  nearly  the  same  origin  as  the  perforatus ;  but  it 
continues  muscular  farther  down  the  arm  than  it,  and  lies  before  it.  At  the  knee  its 
tendon  passes,  like  the  perforatus,  under  strong  ligamentary  arches,  which  confine  it 
in  its  situation.  It  then  becomes  round,  and  is  partly  enveloped  in  the  perforatus, 
and  at  the  fetlock  is  entirely  surrounded  by  it.  It  emerges  from  the  perforatus  when 
that  tendon  divides,  and  continues  its  progress  alone  after  the  other  has  inserted  itself 
into  the  pasterns,  and,  passing  over  the  navicular  bone,  is  broadly  implanted  into  the 
posterior  cavity  of  the  foot. 

It  is  sufficiently  plain  that  the  arm  should  be  large  and  muscular,  otherwise  it  could 
not  discharge  all  these  duties.  Horsemen  differ  on  a  variety  of  other  points,  but  here 
they  are  agreed.  A  full  and  swelling  fore-arm  is  the  characteristic  of  every  thorough- 
bred horse.  Whatever  other  good  points  the  animal  may  possess,  if  the  arm  is  nar- 
row in  front  and  near  the  shoulder,  fiat  on  the  side,  and  altogether  deficient  in  mus- 
cular appearance,  that  horse  is  radically  defective.  He  can  neither  raise  his  knee  for 
rapid  action,  nor  throw  his  legs  sufficiently  forward. 

The  arm  should  likewise  be  long.  In  proportion  to  the  length  of  the  muscle  is 
the  degree  of  contraction  of  which  it  is  capable;  and  in  proportion  also  to  the  degree 
of  contraction  will  be  the  extent  of  motion  in  the  limb  beneath.  A  racer,  with  a 
short  arm,  would  be  sadly  deficient  in  stride ;  a  hunter,  with  the  same  defect,  would 
not  be  able  to  double  his  legs  well  under  him  in  the  leap.  There  is,  however,  a 
medium  in  this,  and  the  advantage  of  length  in  the  arm  will  depend  on  the  use  to 
which  the  horse  is  applied.  The  lady's  horse,  the  cavalry  horse,  every  horse  in 
which  prancing  action  is  esteemed  a  beauty,  and  in  which  utility  is,  to  a  certain 
degree,  sacrificed  to  appearance,  must  not  be  too  long  in  the  arm.  If  he  is  long 
there,  he  will  be  proportionably  short  in  the  leg;  and  although  this  is  an  undoubted 
excellence,  whether  speed  or  continuance  is  regarded,  the  short  leg  will  not  give  the 
grand  and  imposing  action  which  fashion  may  require.  In  addition  to  this,  a  horse 
with  short  legs  may  not  have  quite  so  easy  action  as  another  whose  length  is  in  the 
shank  rather  than  in  the  arm. 

THE  KNEE. 

The  Knee  (M,  p.  68,  and  cut,  p.  256),  answering  to  the  human  ^^Tist,  constitutes 
the  joint  or  joints  between  the  arm  and  the  shank  or  leg;  and  is  far  more  complicated 
than  any  joint  that  has  been  yet  considered.  Beside  the  lower  heads  of  the  bone  of 
the  arm,  and  the  upper  heads  of  the  three  bones  of  the  leg,  there  are  no  less  than 
six  other  bones  interposed,  arranged  in  two  rows,  three  in  each  row,  and  the  seventh 
placed  behind. 

What  was  the  intention  of  this  complicated  structure?  A  joint  between  the  elbow 
and  the  fetlock  was  absolutely  necessary  to  the  action  of  the  horse.  An  inflexible 
pillar  of  that  length  could  scarcely  have  been  lifted  from  the  ground,  much  less  fai 
enough  for  rapid  or  safe  motion.  It  was  likewise  necessary,  that  the  interposing 
joint  should  be  so  constituted  as  to  preserve  this  part  of  the  limb  in  a  straight  direc- 
tion, and  possess  sufficient  strength  to  resist  all  common  work  and  accidents.  Being 
in  a  straight  direction,  the  shock  or  jar  between  the  ends  of  the  bones  of  the  arm  and 
the  leg  would  be  dreadful,  and  would  speedily  inflict  irreparable  injury.  The  heads 
of  all  bones  are  covered  with  elastic  cartilage,  in  order  to  protect  them  from  injury  by 
concussion ;  but  this  would  be  altogether  insufficient  here.  .Six  distinct  bones  are 
therefore  placed  here,  each  covered  above  and  below  by  a  thick  coating  of  cartilage, 
connected  togetlier  by  strong  ligaments,  but  separated  by  interposed  fluids  and  mem- 
branes. The  concussion  is  thus  spread  over  the  whole  of  them  —  shared  by  the 
whole  of  them ;  and,  by  the  peculiarity  of  their  connexion,  rendered  harmless. 


BROKEN   KNEES.  265 

These  six  distinct  bones,  united  to  each  other  by  numerous  and  powerful  ligaments, 
vill  also  afford  a  far  stronger  joint  than  the  apposition  of  any  two  bones,  however 
perfect  and  strong  might  be  the  capsular  ligament,  or  by  whatever  other  ligaments  it 
might  be  strengthened.  In  addition  to  the  connexion  between  the  individual  bones, 
there  is  a  perfect  capsular  ligament  here,  extending  from  the  bone  of  the  arm  to  those 
of  the  leg;  and  the  result  of  the  whole  is,  that  the  hardest  work  and  the  severest 
accidents  produce  little  deformity,  and  no  dislocation  in  the  knee  :  nor  do  the  shocks 
and  jars  of  many  a  year  cause  inflammation  or  disease.  It  is  an  undeniable  fact, 
that  such  is  the  perfect  construction  of  this  joint,  and  to  so  great  a  deoTee  does  it 
lessen  concussion,  that  the  injuries  resulting  from  hard  work  are,  almost^  without  an 
exception,  found  below  the  knee,  which  seems  to  escape  the  injuries  of  the  hock. 
There  is  a  remarkable  difference  in  the  effects  of  work  on  the  knee  and  the  hock. 
The  knee  is  subject  to  enormous  concussion  in  its  strict  sense.  The  hock  to  a  some- 
what different  work.  The  knee  altogether  escapes  bony  enlargements  and  inflam- 
mations of  the  ligaments,  like  spavins  ;  and,  what  is  more  remarkable,  it  also  escapes 
the  damages  to  which  the  anterior  fetlock  is  liable  from  precisely  the  same  concussion 
as  the  knee. 

The  seventh  bone,  the  trapezium,  so  called  from  its  quadrangular  figure,  is  placed 
(see  M,  p.  GS)  behind  the  others,  and  does  not  bear  the  slightest  portion  of  the  weight. 
It,  however,  is  exceedingly  useful.  Two  of  the  flexor  muscles,  already  described, 
proceed  from  the  bone  of  the  arm,  and  are  inserted  into  it;  and  being  thus  thrown 
off  the  limb,  have  a  less  oblique  direction  given  to  them,  and,  therefore,  according  to 
the  principle  of  the  lever,  act  with  considerably  more  power.  It  is  also  useful  in 
another  way.  As  the  tendons  of  the  various  muscles  descend  the  limbs,  they  are 
tied  down,  as  we  have  described,  by  strong  ligamentous  bands :  this  is  particulaily 
the  case  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  joints.  The  use  of  it  is  evident.  The  exten- 
sor tendons,  which  lie  principally  on  the  front  of  the  leg,  are  prevented  from  startintr 
and  strengthened  and  assisted  in  their  action ;  but  the  flexor  tendons  which  are  at  the 
back  would  be  liable  to  friction,  and  their  motion  impeded,  if  they  were  bound  down 
too  tightly.  This  projecting  bone  prevents  the  annular  or  ring-like  ligament  from 
pressing  too  closely  on  the  main  flexor  tendons  of  the  foot ;  and,  while  it  leaves  them 
room  to  play,  leaves  room  likewise  for  a  little  bag  filled  with  mucus  to  surround  them, 
which  mucus  oozing  slowly  out,  supplies  the  course  of  the  tendons  with  a  fluid  that 
prevents  much  injurious  friction. 

The  knee  should  be  broad.  It  should  present  a  very  considerable  width,  compared 
with  the  arm  above,  or  the  shank  below.  In  proportion  to  the  breadth  of  the  knee 
is  the  space  for  the  attachment  of  muscles,  and  for  the  accumulation  of  ligramentous 
expansions  and  bands.  In  proportion  to  the  breadth  of  the  knee  there  \vi]\  be  more 
strength ;  and  likewise  the  direction  of  some  muscles  will  be  less  oblique,  and  the 
course  of  others  will  be  more  removed  from  the  centre  of  motion,  in  either  of  which 
cases  much  power  will  be  gained. 

BROKEN  KNEES. 

The  treatment  of  broken  knees  is  a  subject  of  considerable  importance,  for  many 
horses  are  sadly  blemished,  and  others  are  destroyed,  by  wounds  in  the  knee-joint. 
The  horse,  when  falling,  naturally  throws  his  knees  forward;  they  receive  all  his 
weight  and  are  sometimes  very  extensively  lacerated.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  is, 
by  very  careful  washing  with  warm  water,  to  cleanse  the  wound  from  all  gravel  and 
dirt.  It  must  then  be  ascertained  whether  the  joint  is  penetrated.  The  grating  of 
the  probe  on  one  of  the  bones  of  the  knee,  or  the  depth  to  which  the  probe  enters  the 
wound,  will  too  plainly  indicate  that  the  joint  has  been  opened.  Should  anv  doubt 
exist,  a  linseed-meal  poultice  must  be  applied.  This  will  at  least  act  as  a  fomenta- 
tion to  the  wound,  and  will  prevent  or  abate  inflammation ;  and  when,  twelve  hours 
afterwards,  it  is  taken  off,  the  synovia  or  joint-oil,  in  the  form  of  a  glairy,  yellowish, 
transparent  fluid,  will  be  seen,  if  the  capsular  ligament  has  been  penetrated.  Should 
doubt  remain  after  the  first  poultice,  a  second  ought  to  be  applied. 

It  having  been  ascertained  that  the  interior  of  the  joint  is  not  injured,  attention 
must  be  paid  to  the  wound  that  is  actually  made.  The  horse  should  wear  a  cradle 
to  prevent  his  getting  at  the  wound.  A  stimulating  application — the  common  black- 
oil  of  the  farrier  is  as  good  as  any — should  be  lightly  applied  every  day  until  healthy 


266  THE  FORE   LEGS. 

pus  is  produced  on  the  wound,  and  then  a  little  friar's  balsam  will  probably  effect  a 
cure. 

The  opening  of  the  joint,  however,  being  ascertained,  the  first  and  immediate  care 
is  to  close  the  orifice ;  for  the  fluid  which  separated  and  lubricated  the  bones  .of  tlie 
knee  being  suffered  to  escape,  they  will  be  brought  into  contact  with  and  will  rub 
upon  each  other;  the  delicate  membrane  with  which  they  are  covered  will  be  highly 
inflamed ;  the  constitution  w  ill  be  speedily  affected,  and  a  degree  of  fever  will  ensue 
that  will  destroy  the  horse :  while,  in  the  mean  time,  of  all  the  tortures  that  can  be 
inflicted  on  the  poor  animal,  none  can  equal  that  which  accompanies  inflammation  of 
the  membranes  lining  the  joints. 

The  manner  of  closing  the  orifice  must  be  left  to  the  judgment  of  the  veterinary 
surgeon,  who  alone  is  capable  of  properly  treating  such  a  case.  It  may  be  effected 
by  a  compress  enclosing  the  whole  of  the  wound,  and  not  to  be  removed  for  many 
days ;  or  it  may  be  attempted  by  the  old  and  generally  successful  method  of  apply-: 
ing  the  hot  iron  over  the  wound,  and  particularly  over  the  spot  where  the  ligament 
appears  to  be  lacerated.  A  poultice  may  then  be  placed  on  the  part,  and  the  case 
treated  as  a  common  wound.  The  surgeon  will  find  no  difilculty  in  determining 
whether  the  sharp  edge  of  the  common  firing-iron  should  be  used — as  would  be  the 
case  if  the  laceration  is  considerable,  or  whether  the  budding-iron  should  be  resorted 
to.  After  the  use  of  the  cautery,  the  application  of  a  blister  may,  in  some  cases,  be 
serviceable.  Should  the  joint-oil  continue  to  flow,  the  iron  may  be  applied  a  second, 
or  even  a  third  time.  By  its  application,  so  much  swelling  is  produced  on  the  imme- 
diate puncture,  and  in  the  neighbouring  parts,  as  mechanically  to  close  and  plug  up 
the  orifice. 

If,  however,  the  opening  into  the  joint  is  extensive,  and  the  joint-oil  continues  to 
flow^  and  the  horse  is  evidently  suffering  much  pain,  humanity  will  dictate  that  he 
should  be  destroyed.  The  case  is  hopeless.  A  high  degree  of  fever  will  ere  long 
carry  him  off,  or  the  inflammation  will  cause  a  deposit  of  matter  in  the  cavity  of  the 
joint  that  will  produce  incurable  lameness. 

The  pain  caused  by  the  iron  is  doubtless  great ;  it  is,  however,  necessary  :  but  let 
no  reader  of  "The  Horse"  permit  the  torturing  experiments  of  the  farrier  to  be  tried, 
who  w  ill  frequently  inject  stimulating  fluids,  and  even  oil  of  vitriol,  into  one  of  the 
most  sensible  and  irritable  cavities  in  the  whole  frame. 

A  person  well  acquainted  with  the  anatomy  of  the  part  will  judge  of  the  proba- 
bility of  a  favourable  result,  not  merely  by  the  extent,  but  by  the  situation  of  the 
wound.  If  it  is  low  down,  and  opposite  to  the  bottom  row  of  the  bones  of  the  knee, 
a  small  opening  into  the  joint  will  be  easily  closed.  A  larger  one  needs  not  to  cause 
despair,  because  there  is  little  motion  between  the  lower  row  and  the  bones  of  the 
leg.  If  it  is  high  up,  there  is  more  danger,  because  there  is  more  motion.  If  it  is 
situated  opposite  to  the  union  of  the  two  rows,  the  result  is  most  to  be  dreaded,  be- 
cause between  these  is  the  principal  motion  of  the  joint,  and  that  motion  will  not 
only  disunite  and  irritate  the  external  wound,  but  cause  a  dreadful  friction  between 
the  bones  brought  into  actual  contact  with  each  other,  through  the  loss  of  the  joint- 
oil. 

Among  the  various  mt  tlu.ds  of  treating  opened  knee-joint,  where  the  lesion  is  very 
considerable,  is  one  introduced  by  IMr.  Turner,  of  Croydon,  which  must  not  be  passed 
over  in  silence.  The  wound  having  been  cleansed,  a  paste  is  prepared  composed  of 
wheaten  flour  and  table-beer,  which  are  stirred  together  and  boiled  for  five  minutes, 
or  until  they  become  of  the  consistence  commonly  used  by  paper-hangers.  This  is 
spread  on  the  wound,  and  round  the  joint,  and  four  inches  above  and  below  it. 
Pledgets  of  tow  are  passed  over  this  and  confined  in  their  places  by  means  of  a  stock- 
ing, and  over  the  whole  is  another  layer,  and  another  stocking  or  bandage.  This  i? 
not  removed  until  the  joint  has  closed,  and  the  synovia  ceases  to  flow.  On  the  second 
or  third  day  the  bandage  will  become  dry  and  hard,  and  cause  considerable  pain.  It 
must  not  be  meddled  with  before  or  behind,  but  four  longitudinal  incisions  may  be 
made  through  the  bandages  on  each  side,  which  will  sufficiently  liberate  the  joint  ano 
remove  the  pain.* 

When  the  knee  has  been  much  lacerated,  although  the  wound  may  be  healed,  some 
blemish  will  remain.    The  extent  of  this  blemish  will  depend  on  that  of  the  original 

*  A  full  account  of  this  interesting  operation  may  be  found  in  the  Veterinarian  for  1829 


THE   LEG.  267 

wound,  and  more  especially  on  the  nature  of  the  treatment  that  has  buen  adopted. 
Every  caustic  application  will  destroy  a  portion  of  the  skin,  and  leave  a  certain  mark. 
Should  the  blemish  be  considerable,  a  mild  blister  may  be  applied  over  the  part,  after 
the  wound  has  healed.  It  will  stimulate  the  hair  to  grow  more  rapidly  and  thickly 
round  the  scar,  and  particularly  hair  of  the  natural  colour;  and,  by  contracting  the 
skin,  it  will  lessen  the  scar  itself.  Many  persons  have  great  faith  in  ointments  that 
are  said  to  promote  the  growth  of  the  hair.  If  they  have  this  property,  it  must  be 
from  their  stimulating  the  skin  in  which  the  roots  of  the  hair  are  imbedded.  These 
ointments  usually  contain  a  small  portion  of  blistering  matter,  in  the  form  of  turpen- 
tine, or  the  Spanish-fly.  The  common  application  of  gunpowder  and  lard  may,  by 
blackening  the  part,  conceal  the  blemish,  but  can  have  no  possible  effect  in  quickening 
the  growth  of  the  hair. 

In  examining  a  horse  for  purchase,  the  knees  should  be  very  strictly  scrutinised. 
A  small  blemish  on  them  should  not  induce  u^  at  once  to  condemn  the  animal  for  a 
bad  rider,  for  the  merest  accident  may  throw  ti.e  safest  horse.  A  broken  knee,  how- 
ever, is  a  suspicious  circumstance,  and  calls  for  the  most  careful  observation  of  the 
make  and  action  of  the  horse.  If  it  is  accompanied  by  a  thick  and  upright  shoulder, 
and  legs  far  under  the  horse,  and  low  slovenly  action,  he  is  unwise  w^ho  does  not 
take  the  hint.  This  faulty  conformation  has  produced  its  natural  consequence.  But 
if  the  shoulder  is  oblique,  and  the  pastern  of  the  proper  length  and  inclination,  and 
the  fore-arm  strong,  the  good  judge  will  not  reject  the  animal  because  he  may  have 
been  accidentally  thrown. 

THE   LEG. 

The  part  of  the  limb  between  the  knee  and  the  fetlock  consists  of  three  bones  —  a 
large  one  before,  called  the  cannon  or  shank,  and  two  smaller  or  splhit  bones  behind 
(see  N,  p.  68).  The  shank-bone  is  rounded  in  front,  and  flattened,  or  even  concave, 
behind.  It  is  the  straightest  of  the  long  bones,  as  well  as  the  most  superficially 
situated,  for  in  some  parts  it  is  covered  only  by  the  skin.  The  upper  head  is  flat, 
with  slight  depressions  corresponding  with  the  lower  row  of  the  bones  of  the  knee. 
The  lower  head  is  differently  and  curiously  formed.  It  resembles  a  double  pulley. 
There  are  three  elevations ;  the  principal  one  in  the  centre,  and  another  on  each  side. 
Between  them  are  two  slight  grooves,  and  these  so  precisely  correspond  with  deep 
depressions  and  slight  prominences  in  the  upper  head  of  the  larger  pastern,  and  are  so 
enclosed  and  guarded  by  the  elevated  edges  of  that  bone,  that  when  the  shank-bone 
and  the  pastern  are  fitted  to  each  other,  they  form  a  perfect  hinge.  They  admit  of  the 
bending  and  extension  of  the  limb,  but  of  no  lateral  or  side  motion.  This  is  a  circum- 
stance of  very  great  importance  in  a  joint  so  situated,  and  having  the  whole  weight 
of  the  horse  thrown  upon  it. 

The  smaller  bones  are  placed  behind  the  larger  ones  on  either  side.  A  slight  pro- 
jection of  the  head  of  each  can  alone  be  seen  in  front.  The  heads  of  these  bones  are 
enlarged,  and  receive  part  of  the  weight  conveyed  by  the  lower  row  of  the  bones  of 
the  knee.  They  are  united  to  the  larger  bone  by  the  same  kind  of  substance  vrhich 
is  found  in  the  colt  between  the  bone  of  the  elbow  and  the  main  bone  of  the  arm ;  and 
which  is  designed,  by  its  great  elasticity,  to  lessen  the  concussion  or  jar  when  the 
weight  of  the  animal  is  thrown  on  them.  They  reach  from  one-half  to  two-thirds  of 
the  length  of  the  shank-bone,  and,  through  their  wiiole  extent,  are  united  to  it  by  this 
substance  ;  but,  as  in  the  elbow,  from  the  animal  being  worked  too  soon,  or  too 
violently,  inflammation  ensues — bony  matter  is  deposited  in  the  room  of  the 
ligamentous,  and  a  bony  union  takes  place  instead  of  the  natural  one.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  the  ease  of  motion  is  somewhat  lessened  by  this  substitution  of  bone,  but 
other  elastic  principles  are  probably  called  into  more  powerful  action,  and  the  value 
of  the  horse  is  not  perceptibly  impaired,  although  it  is  hard  to  say  what  secret  injury 
may  be  done  to  the  neighbouring  joints,  and  the  cause  of  which,  the  lameness  not 
appearing  until  a  distant  period,  is  not  suspected. 

In  this  process,  however,  mischief  does  often  immediately  extend  to  the  neigh- 
bouring parts.  The  disposition  to  deposit  bone  reaches  beyond  the  circumscribed 
space  between  the  larger  and  smaller  bones  of  the  leg,  and  a  tumour,  first  callous, 
and  afterwards  bony,  is  found,  with  part  of  its  base  resting  on  the  line  of  union 
between  these  bones.    This  is  called  a 


268  THE    FORE    LEGS. 


SPLINT. 


The  splint  is  invariably  found  on  the  outside  of  the  small  bones  and  generally  on 
the  inside  of  the  leg  (c,  p.  277).  Why  it  should  appear  on  the  outside  of  the  sniall 
bones  it  is  difficult  to  explain,  except  that  the  space  between  these  bones  is  occupied 
by  an  important  mechanism,  which  will  be  presently  described ;  and,  as  in  the  case 
of  abscess,  a  natural  tendency  was  given  to  them  to  determine  outward,  that  vital 
parts  might  not  be  injured.  The  cause  of  their  almost  exclusive  appearance  on  the 
inside  of  the  leg  admits  of  easier  explanation.  The  inner  splint-bone  is  placed  nearer 
the  centre  of  the  weight  of  the  body  than  the  other,  and,  from  the  nature  of  its  con- 
nexion with  the  bones  of  the  knee,  actually  receives  more  of  the  weight  than  does  the 
outer  bone,  and  therefore  is  more  liable  to  injury,  and  inflammation,  and  this  con- 
sequent deposit  of  bony  matter.  The  inner  bone  receives  the  whole  of  the  weight 
transmitted  to  the  small  bone  of  the  knee.  It  is  the  only  support  of  that  bone.  A 
portion  only  of  one  of  the  bones  rests  on  the  outer  splint-bone,  and  the  weight  i? 
shared  between  it  and  the  shank.  In  addition  to  this,  there  is  the  absurd  practice  of 
many  smiths  of  raising  the  outer  heel  of  the  shoe  to  an  extravagant  degree,  which 
throws  still  more  of  the  weight  of  tlie  horse  on  the  inner  splint-bone.  Bony  tumours 
occasionally  appear  on  other  parts  of  the  shank-bone,  being  the  consequence  of 
violent  blows  or  other  external  injuries,  and  are  commonly  called  splints. 

When  the  splint  of  either  sort  is  forming,  the  horse  is  frequently  lame,  for  the 
periosteum  or  membrane  covering  the  bone  is  painfully  stretched  ;  but  when  this 
membrane  has  accommodated  itself  to  the  tumour  that  extended  it,  the  lameness  sub- 
sides, and  altogether  disappears,  unless  the  splint  be  in  a  situation  in  which  it  inter- 
feres with  the  action  of  some  tendon  or  ligament,  or  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood 
of  a  joint.  Pressing  upon  a  ligament  or  tendon,  it  may  cause  inflammation  of  those 
substances ;  or,  being  close  to  a  joint,  it  may  interfere  with  its  action.  Splints,  then, 
do  not  necessarily  cause  unsoundness,  and  may  not  lessen  in  the  slightest  degree  the 
action  or  value  of  the  horse.     All  depends  on  their  situation. 

The  treatment  of  splints,  if  it  is  worth  while  to  meddle  with  them,  is  exceedingly 
simple.  The  hair  should  be  closely  shaved  oif  round  the  tumour;  a  little  strong  mer- 
curial ointment  rubbed  in  for  two  days;  and  this  followed  by  an  active  blister.  If 
the  splint  is  of  recent  formation,  it  will  generally  yield  to  this,  or  to  a  second  blister. 
Should  it,  however,  resist  these  applications,  it  can  rarely  be  advisable  to  cauterize 
the  part,  unless  the  tumour  materially  interferes  \vith  the  action  of  the  suspensory 
ligament,  or  the  flexor  tendon;  for  it  not  unfrequently  happens,  that,  although  the 
splint  may  have  apparently  resisted  this  treatment,  it  will  afterwards,  and  at  no 
great  distance  of  time,  begin  rapidly  to  lessen,  and  quite  disappear.  There  is  also  a 
natural  process  by  which  the  greater  part  of  splints  disappear  when  the  horse  grows 
old. 

The  hydriodate  of  potash,  made  into  an  ointment  with  lard,  and  a  small  quantity 
of  mercurial  ointment  being  added,  will  frequently  cause  the  disappearance  of  a  splin* 
of  either  sort. 

As  for  the  old  remedies,  many  of  them  brutal  enough — bruising  the  splint  with  a 
hammer,  boring  it  with  a  gimlet,  chipping  it  off  with  a  mallet,  sawing  it  off,  slitting 
down  the  skin  and  periosteum  over  it,  sweating  it  down  with  hot  oils,  and  passing 
setons  over  it — the  voice  of  humanity,  and  the  progress  of  science,  will  consign  them 
to  speedy  oblivion. 

Professor  Sewell  has  introduced  a  new  treatment  of  splints,  which  is  certainly 
ingenious,  and  generally  successful.  He  removes  any  inflammation  about  the  part 
by  the  use  of  poultices  or  fomentations,  and  then,  the  horse  being  cast,  the  operation 
is  commenced  by  pinching  up  the  skin,  immediately  above  the  bony  enlargement, 
with  the  finger  and  thumb  of  the  left  hand,  and  with  the  knife,  or  lancet,  or  scissors, 
making  an  orifice  sufficient  to  introduce  a  probe-pointed  bistoury,  with  the  edge  on 
the  convex  side.  This  is  passed  under  the  skin  along  the  whole  length  of  the  ossifi- 
cation beneath,  cutting  through  the  thickened  periosteum  down  to  the  bone ;  and  this 
being  effectually  completed  by  drawing  the  knife  backwards  and  forwards  severai 
times,  a  small  tape  or  seton  is  inserted,  and  if  the  tumour  js  of  long  standing,  kept  in 
during  a  few  days.  The  operation  is  attended  with  very  slight  pain  to  the  animal. 
Perhaps  slight  inflammation  may  appear,  which  subsides  in  a  few  days,  if  fomentation 


SPRAIN    OF   THE   BACK-SINEWS.  2G9 

Ig  used.     The  inflammation  being  removed,  the  enlalrgement  considerably  subsides 
and  in  many  cases  becomes  quite  absorbed.* 

The  inside  of  the  leg,  immediately  under  the  knee,  and  extending  to  the  head  of  the 
inner  splint-bone,  is  subject  to  injury  from  what  is  termed  the  speedy  cut.  A  horse 
■with  high  action,  and  in  the  fast  trot,  violently  strikes  this  part,  either  with  his  hoof 
or  the  edge  of  the  shoe.  Sometimes  bony  enlargement  is  the  result ;  at  others,  great 
heat  and  tenderness ;  and  the  pain  from  the  blow  seems  occasionally  to  be  so  great, 
that  the  horse  drops  as  if  he  were  shot.  The  only  remedy  is  to  take  care  that  no  part 
of  the  shoe  projects  beyond  the  foot";  and  to  let  the  inner  side  of  the  shoe— except  the 
country  is  very  deep,  or  the  horse  used  for  hunting  —  have  but  one  nail,  and  that  near 
the  toe.  This  part  of  the  hoof,  being  unfettered  with  nails,  will  expand  when  it 
comes  in  contact  with  the  ground,  and  contract  when  in  air  and  relieved  from  the 
pressure  of  the  weight  of  the  body ;  and,  although  this  contraction  is  to  no  great 
extent,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  carry  the  foot  harmlessly  by  the  leg.  Care  should  like- 
wise be  taken  that  the  shoe  is  of  equal  thickness  at  the  heel  and  the  toe,  and  that  the 
bearing  is  equal  on  both  sides. 

Immediately  under  the  knee,  is  one  of  those  ligamentous  rings  by  which  the  ten- 
dons are  so  usefully  bound  down  and  secured ;  but  if  the  hinder  bone  of  the  knee,  the 
trapezium,  described  at  p.  -366,  is  not  sufficiently  prominent,  this  ring  will  confine  the 
flexor  tendons  of  the  foot  too  tightly,  and  the  leg  will  be  very  deficient  in  depth  under 
tlie  knee.  This  is  called  being  tied  in  below  the  knee  {b,  p.  277).  Every  horseman 
recognises  it  as  a  most  serious  defect.  It  is  scarcely  compatible  with  speed,  and 
most  assuredly  not  with  continuance.  Such  a  horse  cannot  be  ridden  far  and  fast, 
without  serious  sprain  of  the  back  sinews.  The  reason  is  plain.  The  pressure  of  the 
ring  will  produce  a  degree  of  friction  inconsistent  with  the  free  action  of  the  tendons; 
more  force  must,  therefore,  be  exerted  in  every  act  of  progression ;  and  although  the 
muscles  are  powerful,  and  sufficiently  so  for  every  ordinary  purpose,  the  repetition  of 
this  extra  exertion  will  tire  and  strain  them. 

A  more  serious  evil,  however,  remains  to  be  stated.  When  the  back  sinews,  or 
tendons,  are  thus  tied  down,  they  are  placed  in  a  more  oblique  direction,  and  in  which 
the  power  of  the  muscles  is  exerted  with  greater  disadvantage.  A  greater  degree  of 
exertion  is  required,  and  fatigue  and  sprain  will  not  unfrequently  result.  There  arei 
few  more  serious  defects  than  this  tying-in  of  the  tendons  immediately  below  the 
kuee.  The  fore-leg  may  be  narrow  in  front,  but  it  must  be  deep  at  the  side,  in  order 
to  render  the  horse  valuable ;  for  then  only  will  the  tendons  have  free  action,  and  the 
muscular  force  be  exerted  in  the  most  advantageous  direction.  There  are  few  good 
race-horses  whose  legfs  are  not  deep  below  the  knee.  If  there  are  exceptions,  it  is 
because  their  exertion,  although  violent,  is  but  of  short  continuance.  The  race  is 
decided  in  a  few  minutes,  and,  during  that  short  period,  the  spirit  and  energy  of  the 
animal  may  successfully  struggle  with  the  disadvantages  of  form  :  but  where  great 
and  lonQT-continued  exertion  is  required,  as  in  the  hunter  or  the  hackney,  no  strength 
can  long^  contend  with  a  palpably  disadvantageous  misapplication  of  muscular  power. 

As  they  descend  the  back  part  of  the  legr,  the  tendons  of  the  perforated  and  per- 
foratincr  tiexor  muscles  should  be  far  and  distinctly  apart  from  the  shank-bone.  There 
should  be  space  free  from  thickening  for  the  finger  and  thumb  on  either  side  to  be 
introduced  between  them  and  the  bone,  and  that  extending  from  the  knee  to  the  fet- 
lock. In  a  perfect  leor,  and  towards  its  lower  part,  there  should  be  three  distinct  and 
perfect  projections  visible  to  the  eye,  as  well  as  perceptible  by  the  finger  —  the  sides 
of  the  shank-bone  beingf  the  most  forward  of  the  three ;  next,  the  suspensory  liga- 
ment; and  '.indermost  of  all,  the  flexor  tendons.  When  these  are  not  to  be  distincUy 
seen  or  felt,  or  there  is  considerable  thickening  about  them  and  between  them  (d,  p. 
277),  and  the  leg  is  round  instead  of  flat  and  deep,  there  has  been  what  is  commonly, 
but  improperly,  called 

SPRAIN  OF  -THE  BACK-SINEWS. 

These  tendons  are  enclosed  in  a  sheath  of  dense  cellular  substance,  in  order  to  con- 
line  them  in  their  situation,  and  to  defend  them  from  injur}'.  Between  the  tendon  and 
tne  sheath,  there  is  a  mucous  fluid  to  prevent  friction ;  but  when  the  horse  has  been 
orer-worked,  or  put  to  sudden  or  violent  exertion,  the  tendon  presses  upon  the  delicate 

Vide  Veterinarian,  vol.  viii.  p.  504. 
23* 


270  THE   FORE    LEGS. 

membran'^  lining  the  sheath,  and  inflammation  is  produced.  A  different  fluid  is  then 
thrown  out,  which  coagulates,  and  adhesions  are  formed  between  tlie  ten''on  and  the 
sheath,  and  the  motion  of  the  limb  is  more  difficult  and  painful.  At  other  times,  from 
violent  or  long-continued  exertion,  some  of  the  fibres  w  hich  confine  the  tendons  are 
ruptured.  A  slight  injury  of  this  nature  is  called  a  sprain  of  the  back-sinews  or  ten- 
dons ;  and,  when  it  is  more  serious,  the  horse  is  said  to  have  hruken  down.  It  should 
be  remembered,  however,  that  the  tendon  can  never  be  sprained,  because  it  is  inelastic 
and  incapable  of  extension ;  and  the  tendon,  or  its  sheath,  are  scarcely  ever  ruptured, 
even  in  what  is  called  breaking  down.  The  first  injury  is  confined  to  inflammation 
of  the  sheath,  or  rupture  of  a  few  of  the  attaching  fibres.  This  inflammation,  how- 
ever, is  often  very  great,  the  pain  intense,  and  the  lameness  excessive.  The  anguish 
expressed  at  every  bending  of  the  limb,  and  the  local  swelling  and  heat,  will  clearly 
indicate  the  seat  of  injury. 

In  every  serious  aflection  of  this  kind,  care  should  be  taken  that  the  local  inflam- 
mation does  not  produce  general  disturbance  of  the  system ;  and,  therefore,  the  horse 
should  be  bled  and  physicked.  The  bleeding  may  be  at  the  toe,  by  which  an  import- 
ant local,  as  well  as  general,  effect  will  be  produced.  The  vessels  of  the  heart  will 
be  relieved,  while  fever  will  be  prevented.  Let  not  the  hleeding  be  performed  in  the 
farrier's  usual  way  of  first  paring  down  the  sole,  and  then  taking  out  a  piece  of  it 
at  the  toe  of  the  frog ;  in  which  case  a  wound  is  made  often  difficult  to  heal,  and 
through  which  fungous  granulations  from  the  sensible  parts  beneath  will  obstinately 
spring:  but,  after  the  sole  has  been  well  thinned,  let  a  groove  be  cut  with  the  rounded 
head  of  a  small  drawing-knife,  at  the  junction  of  the  sole  and  the  crust  (see  z,  in  the 
next  cut,  p.  272).  The  large  vein  at  the  toe  will  thus  be  opened,  or  the  groove  may 
be  widened  backward  until  it  is  found.  When  the  blood  begins  to  appear,  the  vein 
may  be  more  freely  opened  by  a  small  lancet  thrust  horizontally  under  the  sole,  and 
almost  any  quantity  of  blood  may  be  easily  procured.  The  immersion  of  the  foot  in 
warm  water  will  cause  the  blood  to  flow  more  rapidly.  A  sufficient  quantity  having 
been  withdrawn,  a  bit  of  tow  should  be  placed  in  the  groove,  and  a  patten  shoe  tacked 
on,  by  which  the  heels  may  be  raised  from  the  ground,  and  much  tension  removed 
from  the  sinews.  The  bleeding  will,  thus,  be  immediately  stopped,  and  the  wound 
will  readily  heal. 

As  a  local  application,  no  hot  farrier's  oil  should  come  near  the  part,  but  the  leg 
should  be  well  fomented  with  warm  water  two  or  three  times  in  the  day,  and  half  an 
hour  at  each  time.  Between  the  fomentations,  the  leg  should  be  enclosed  in  a  poul- 
tice of  linseed-meal.  Any  herb  that  pleases  the  owner  may  be  added  to  the  fomenta- 
tion, or  vineo-ar  or  Goulard's  extract  to  the  poultice  ;  for  the  beneficial  effect  of  both 
depends  simply  on  the  warmth  of  the  water  and  the  moisture  of  the  poultice.  All 
stimulating  applications  will  infallibly  aggravate  the  mischief. 

The  horse  beginning  to  put  his  foot  better  to  the  ground,  and  to  bear  pressure  on 
the  part,  and  the  heat  having  disappeared,  the  object  to  be  accomplished  is  changed. 
Recurrence  of  the  inflammation  must  be  prevented,  the  enlargement  must  be  got  rid 
of,  and  the  parts  must  be  strengthened.  The  two  latter  purposes  cannot  be  better 
effected  than  by  using  an  elastic  bandage — one  of  thin  flannel  will  be  the  best.  This 
will  sustain  and  support  the  limb,  while  by  few  means  are  the  absorbents  sooner 
induced  to  take  up  the  effused  coagulable  matter  of  which  the  swelling  is  composed, 
than  by  moderate  pressure.  If  the  bandage  is  kept  wet  with  vinegar — to  each  pint 
of  which  a  quarter  of  a  pint  of  spirit  of  wine  has  been  added  —  the  skin  will  be 
slightly  stimulated  and  contracted,  and  the  cold  produced  by  the  constant  evapora- 
tion will  tend  to  subdue  the  remaining  and  deep-seated  inflammation.  This  band- 
age should  be  daily  tightened  in  proportion  as  the  parts  are  capable  of  bearing 
increased  pressure,  and  the  treatment  should  be  persisted  in  for  a  fortnight.  If,  at 
the  expiration  of  that  period,  there  is  no  swelling,  tenderness,  or  heat,  the  horse  may 
gradually,  and  very  cautiously,  be  put  to  his  usual  work. 

Should  there,  however,  remain  the  slightest  lameness  or  considerable  enlargement, 
the  leg  must  be  blistered,  and,  indeed,^it  would  seldom  be  bad  practice  to  blister 
after  every  case  of  severe  sprain,  for  the  inflammation  may  lie  deep  in  the  sheath  of 
the  tendons,  and  the  part  once  sprained  may  long  remain  weak,  and  subject  to 
renewed  injury,  not  only  from  unusual,  but  even  ordinary  exertion.  If  a  blister  is 
resorted  to,  time  should  be  given  for  it  to  produce  its  gradual  and  full  effect,  and 
the  horse  should  be  afterwards  turned  out  for  one  or  two  months.     We  must  here 


WIND-GALLS.  271 

be  permitted  to  repeat  that  a  blister  should  never  be  used  while  any  heat  or  tender- 
ness remains  about  the  part,  otherwise  the  slightest  injury  may  be,  and  often  is,  con- 
verted into  incurable  lameness. 

Very  severe  sprains,  or  much  oftener,  sprains  badly  treated,  may  require  the  appli- 
cation of  the  cautery.  If  from  long-continued  inflammation  the  structure  of  the  part 
is  materially  altered  —  if  the  swelling  is  becoming  callous,  or  the  skin  is  thickened 
and  prevents  the  free  motion  of  the  limb,  no  stimulus  short  of  the  heated  iron  will  be 
sufficient  to  rouse  the  absorbents  to  remove  the  injurious  deposit.  The  principal  use 
of  firing  is  to  rouse  the  absorbents  to  such  increased  action  that  they  shall  take  up 
and  remove  the  diseased  thickness  of  the  skin,  and  likewise  the  unnatural  deposit  in 
the  cellular  substance  beneath.  The  firing  should  be  applied  in  straight  lines, 
because  the  skin,  contracting  by  the  application  of  the  cautery,  and  gradually  regain- 
ing its  elastic  nature,  will  thus  form  the  best  bandage  over  the  weakened  part.  It 
should  likewise  be  as  deep  as  it  can  be  applied  without  penetrating  the  skin.  Here, 
even  more  particularly  than  in  the  blister,  time  should  be  given  for  the  full  action  of 
the  firing.  This  removal  of  diseased  matter  is  a  work  of  slov/  progress.  ]\Iany 
weeks  pass  away  before  it  is  perfectly  accomplished ;  and,  after  firing,  the  horse 
should  have  at  least  a  six  months',  and  it  would  be  better  if  he  could  be  given  a 
t\velve  months'  run  at  grass.  When  the  animal  has  been  set  to  work  in  a  few  weeks, 
and  the  enlargement  remains,  or  lameness  returns,  the  fault  is  to  be  attributed  to  the 
impatience  of  the  owner,  and  not  to  the  want  of  power  in  the  operation  or  skill  in  the 
operator. 

Farriers  are  apt  to  blister  immediately  after  firing.  A  blister  may  be  useful  six 
wi?eks  or  two  months  after  firing,  if  lameness  remains ;  but  can  never  be  wanted 
immediately  after  the  severe  operation  of  the  cautery.  If  the  iron  has  been  skilfully 
applied,  subsequent  blistering  inflicts  on  the  animal,  already  sufficiently  tortured, 
much  unnecessary  and  useless  pain,  and  should  never  be  resorted  to  by  him  wiio 
possesses  the  slightest  feeling  of  humanity. 

In  examining  a  horse  for  purchase,  the  closest  attention  should  be  paid  to  the 
appearance  of  these  flexor  tendons.  If  there  is  any  thickness  of  cellular  substance 
around  them,  that  horse  has  been  sprained  violently,  or  the  sprain  has  not  been  pro- 
perly treated.  This  thickening  will  probably  fetter  the  motion  of  the  tendon,  and 
dispose  the  part  to  the  recurrence  of  inflammation  and  lameness.  Such  a  horse, 
although  at  the  time  perfectly  free  from  lameness,  should  be  regarded  with  suspicion, 
End  cannot  fairly  be  considered  as  sound.  He  is  only  patched  up  for  a  while,  and 
will  probably  fail  at  the  close  of  the  first  day's  hard  work. 

WIND-GALLS. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  the  fetlock  there  are  occasionally  found  considerable 
enlargements,  oftener  on  the  hind-leg  than  the  fore-one,  which  are  denominated, 
in'nd-ga!k  (e,  p.  277).  Between  the  tendons  and  other  parts,  and  wherever  the  ten- 
dons are  exposed  to  pressure  or  friction,  and  particularly  about  their  extremities,  little 
bags  or  sacs  are  placed,  containing  and  suflTering  to  ooze  slowly  from  them  a  mucous 
fluid  to  lubricate  the  parts.  From  undue  pressure,  and  that  most  frequently  caused 
by  violent  action  and  straining  of  the  tendons,  or,  often,  from  some  predisposition 
about  the  horse,  these  little  sacs  are  injured.  They  take  on  inflammation,  and  some- 
ti-nes  become  large  and  indurated.  There  are  few  horses  perfectly  free  from  them. 
When  they  first  appear,  and  until  the  inflammation  subsides,  they  may  be  accompa- 
nied by  some  degree  of  lameness ;  but  otherwise,  except  when  they  attain  a  great 
size,  they  do  not  interfere  with  the  action  of  the  animal,  or  cause  any  considerable 
unsoundness.  The  farriers  used  to  suppose  that  they  contained  wind  — hence  their 
name,  wind-galls;  and  hence  the  practice  of  opening  them,  by  which  dreadful  inflam- 
mation was  often  produced,  and  many  a  valuable  horse  destroyed.  It  is  not  uncom- 
mon for  wind-galls  entirely  to  disappear  in  aged  horses. 

A  slight  wind-gall  will  scarcely  be  subjected  to  treatment;  but  if  these  tumours 
are  numerous  and  large,  and  seem  to  impede  the  motion  of  the  limb,  they  may  bs 
attacked  first  by  bandage.  The  roller  should  be  of  flannel,  and  soft  pads  should  be 
placed  on  each  of  the  enlargements,  and  bound  down  tightly  upon  them.  The  band- 
aje  should  also  be  wetted  with  the  lotion  recommended  for  sprain  of  the  back-sinews. 
The  wind-gall  will  often  diminish  or  disappear  by  this  treatment,  but  will  too  fire- 


272 


THE   FORE   LEGS. 


quently  return  when  the  horse  is  again  hardly  worked.  A  blister  is  a  more  eflec 
tual,  but  too  often  temporar}'  remedy.  Wind-galls  will  return  with  the  renewal  of 
work.  Firing  is  still  more  certain,  if  the  tumours  are  sufficiently  large  and  annoy- 
ing to  justify  our  having  recourse  to  measures  so  severe;  for  it  will  not  only  effect 
the  immediate  absorption  of  the  fluid,  and  the  reduction  of  the  swelling,  but,  by  con- 
tracting the  skin,  will  act  as  a  permanent  bandage,  and  therefore  prevent  the  reap- 
pearance of  the  tumour.  The  iodine  and  mercurial  ointments  have  occasionally 
been  used  with  advantage  in  the  proportion  of  three  parts  of  the  former  to  two  of  the 
latter. 

THE  PASTERNS. 


a  The  shank-bone. 
b  The  upper  and  larger  pastern-bone. 
c  The  sessamoid-bone. 
d  The  lower  or  smaller  pastern-bone. 
e  The  navicular  or  shuttlo-bone. 
/Tlie  coffin-bone,  or  bone  of  the  foot. 

g  The  suspensory  ligament,  inserted  into  the  sessamoid-bone. 

h  A  continuation  of  the  suspensory  ligament,  inserted  into  the  smaller  pastern-bone. 
i  The  small  inelastic  Jiwament,  tying  down  the  sessamoid-bone  to  the  larger  pastern-bone. 
Jc  A  long  ligament  reaching  from  the  pastern-bone  to  the  knee. 
I  The  extensor  tendon  inserted  into  both  the  pasterns  and  the  coffin-bone. 
TO  The  tendon  of  the  perforating  flexor  inserted  into  the  coffin-bone,  after  having  passed  ovoi 
the  navicular  bone. 
n  The  seat  of  the  navicular  joint  lameness. 
CI  The  inner  or  sensible  frog. 
p  The  cleft  of  the  horny  frog. 

q  A  hgament  uniting  the  navicular  bone  to  the  smaller  pastern. 
r  A  ligament  uniting  the  navicular  bone  to  the  coffin-bone. 
8  The  sensible  sole,  between  the  coffin-bone  and  the  horny  sole. 
t  The  horny  sole. 
u  The  crust  or  wall  of  the  foot. 

V  The  sensible  laminae  to  which  the  crust  is  attached. 
w  The  coronary  ring  of  the  crust. 

X  The  covering  of  the  coronary  ligament  from  which  the  cruat  is  eecreted. 
e  Place  of  bleeding  at  the  toe. 


THE   SUSPENSORY   LIGAMENTS.  273 

At  the  back  of  the  shank  just  below  the  knee,  arid  in  the  space  between  the  two 
splint-bones,  is  found  an  important  ligament,  admirably  adapted  to  obviate  concus- 
sion. It  originates  from  the  head  of  tlie  shank-bone,  and  also  from  the  heads  of  the 
splint-bones;  then,  descending  down  the  leg,  it  fills  the  groove  between  tbe  splint- 
bones,  but  is  not  attached  to  either  of  them.  A  little  lower  down  it  expands  on  either 
side,  and,  approaching  the  pasterns,  bifurcates,  and  the  branches  are  inserted  into  two 
little  bones  found  at  the  back  of  tbe  upper  pastern,  one  on  each  side,  called  the  sessa- 
moid  bones.  (See  page  272,  and  in  this  cut  which  represents  the  pastern  and  foot, 
sawn  through  the  centre.)  The  bones  form  a  kind  of  joint  both  with  the  lower  head 
of  the  shank-bone  and  the  upper  i)astern-bone,  to  both  of  which  they  are  united  by 
ligaments  (?  and  g),  but  much  more  closely  tied  to  the  pastern  than  to  the  shank. 
The  flt'xor  tendons  pass  down  between  them  through  a  large  mucous  bag  to  relieve 
them  from  the  friction  to  which,  in  so  confined  a  situation,  they  would  be  exposed. 
The  suspensory  ligament  is  continued  over  the  sessamoids,  and  afterwards  obliquely 
forward  over  the  pastern  to  unite  with  the  long  extensor  tendon,  and  downward  to  the 
perforated  tendon,  which  it  surrounds  and  fixes  in  its  place,  and  also  to  the  smaller 
pastern-bone. 

It  will  be  easy  to  perceive,  from  this  description  of  the  situation  of  the  suspensory 
ligament,  why  splints  placed  backward  on  the  leg  are  more  likely  to  produce  lame- 
ness than  those  which  are  found  on  the  side  of  it.  They  may  interfere  with  the  motion 
of  this  ligament,  or,  if  they  are  large,  may  bruise  and  wound  it. 

The  principal  action  of  these  ligaments  is  with  the  sessamoid  bones,  which  they 
seem  to  suspend  in  their  places,  and  they  are  therefore  called  the  suspensory  liga- 
ments. The  pasterns  (see  cut  p.  272)  are  united  to  the  shank  in  an  oblique  direction, 
differing  in  degree  in  the  different  breed  of  horses,  and  in  each  adapted  to  the  pur- 
pose for  which  that  breed  was  designed.  The  weight  falls  upon  the  pastern  in  the 
direction  of  the  shank-bone,  and  the  pastern  being  set  on  obliquely,  a  portion  of  that 
weight  must  be  communicated  to  the  sessamoids.  Much  concussion  is  saved  by  the 
yielding  of  the  pasterns,  in  consequence  of  their  oblique  direction ;  and  the  concus 
sion  which  Avould  be  produced  by  that  portion  of  weight  whicli  falls  on  the  sessa- 
moid bones  is  completely  destroyed,  for  there  is  no  bone  underneath  to  receive  it. 
They  are  suspended  by  this  ligament  —  an  elastic  ligament,  which  gradually  yields 
to,  and  is  lengthened  by,  the  force  impressed  upon  it,  and  in  this  gradual  yielding  and 
lengthening,  materially  lessening,  or  generally  preventing,  all  painful  or  dangerous 
concussion. 

If  the  ligament  lengthens,  the  sessamoid  bones  must  descend  when  the  weight  is 
thrown  on  them,  and  it  would  appear  that  they  do  so.  If  the  thorough-bred  horse 
with  his  long  pasterns  is  carefully  observed  as  he  stands,  the  tuft  at  the  fetlock  will 
be  some  inches  from  the  turf;  but  when  he  is  in  rapid  motion,  and  the  weight  is 
thrown  violently  on  this  joint,  the  tuft  descends  and  sweeps  the  very  ground.  This, 
however,  is  from  the  combined  action  of  the  fetlock  and  pastern-joints,  and  the  sessa- 
moid-bones.  The  sessamoids  do  not  actually  descend  ;  but  they  revolve,  they  partly 
turn  over.  The  strong  ligament  by  which  they  are  attached  to  the  pastern-bone  acts 
as  a  hinge,  and  the  projecting  part  of  the  bone  to  which  the  suspensory  ligament  is 
united,  turns  round  with  the  pressure  of  the  weight;  so  that  part  of  the  bone  be- 
comes lower.  How  is  it  raised  again  1  This  ligament,  strangely  constructed  as  a 
ligament,  is  elastic.  It  yields  to  the  force  impressed  upon  it  and  lengthens  ;  but  as 
soon  as  the  foot  is  lifted  from  the  ground,  and  the  weight  no  longer  presses,  and  the 
force  is  removed,  its  elastic  power  is  exerted,  and  it  regains  its  former  dimensions, 
and  the  sessamoid-bono  springs  back  into  its  place,  and  by  that  forcible  return  assists 
in  raising  the  limb.* 

It  may  be  supposed  that  ligaments  of  this  character,  and  discharging  such  functions, 

*  Mr.  Percivall  very  clearly  describes  this :  "  Furthermore  it  seems  to  ns  that  these  elastic 
parts  assist  in  the  elevation  of  the  feet  from  the  ground  in  those  paces  in  which  they  are  called 
into  sadden  and  forcible  action.  The  suspensory  hgament,  by  its  reaction,  instantaneously 
after  its  extension,  aids  the  flexor  muscles  in  bending  the  pastern-joints.  The  astonishing 
activity  and  expedition  displayed  in  the  movements  of  the  race-horse  at  speed,  seem  to  be 
referable,  in  part,  to  the  promptitude  with  which  the  suspensory  ligament  can  act  before  the 
Sexor  muscles  are  duly  prepared  ;  the  latter,  we  should  say  catch,  as  it  were,  and  then  direct 
the  limb  first  snatched  trom  the  ground  by  the  powers  of  elasticity." — Percivall's  TiCCturea 
o»  the  Veterinary  Art,  vol.  i.  p.  334. 

2e 


274  THE  FORE  LEGS. 

will  occasionally  be  subject  to  injury,  and,  principally  to  strains.  Mr.  W,  C.  Spooner* 
gives  a  very  satisfactor}'  account  of  this.  He  says  that  ''  hunters  and  race-horses 
are  considerably  more  liable  to  lesions  of  the  suspensory  ligament  than  any  other 
description  of  horses.  The  character  of  these  strains  is  very  rarely  so  acute  as  that 
of  the  tendons.  They  generally  come  on  gradually  with  little  inflammation  or  lame- 
ness. Occasionally  the  injury  is  sudden  and  severe,  but  then  it  is  rarely  confined  to 
these  ligaments,  for  although  they  may  be  principally  involved,  the  neighbouring 
parts  are  generally  implicated.  The  usual  symptoms  are  a  slight  enlargement  and 
lameness  at  first,  or  there  may  be  the  former  without  the  latter.  The  enlargement  is 
commonly  confined  to  the  ligament  below  the  place  of  bifurcation,  and  sometimes  one 
division  alone  is  affected.  \Vith  the  exception  of  strains  of  the  flexor  sinews,  this 
unfits  more  animals  for  racing  than  any  other  cause — indeed  horses  are  rarely  or  never 
fit  for  the  turf  after  the  suspensory  ligaments  have  been  diseased,"  or  for  hunting. 

The  case  being  evidently  a  lesion  of  the  suspensory  ligament,  nothing  short  of  firing 
will  be  of  service. 

The  length  and  obliquity  of  the  pastern  vary  in  the  different  breeds  of  horses,  and 
on  it  depends  the  elastic  action  of  the  animal,  and  the  easiness  of  his  paces.  The 
pastern  must  be  long  in  proportion  to  its  obliquity,  or  the  fetlock  will  be  too  close  to 
the  ground,  and,  in  rapid  action,  come  violently  into  contact  with  it.  It  is  necessary 
that  the  fetlock  should  be  elevated  a  certain  distance  from  the  ground,  and  this  may 
be  effected  either  by  a  short  and  upright,  or  a  long  and  slanting  pastern.  In  propor- 
tion as  the  pastern  is  oblique  or  slanting,  two  consequences  will  follow,  less  weight 
will  be  thrown  on  the  pastern,  and  more  on  the  sessamoid,  and,  in  that  proportion, 
concussion  will  be  prevented. 

Every  advantage,  however,  has,  to  a  certain  extent,  its  corresponding  disadvantage. 
In  proportion  to  the  obliquity  or  slanting  of  the  pastern,  will  be  the  stress  on  the  fet- 
lock-joint, and,  therefore,  the  liability  of  that  joint  to  injur}"  and  strain;  and  also  the 
liability  to  sprain  of  the  back-sinews  from  the  increased  action  and  play  of  the  flexor 
tendons  ;  and  likewise  to  injuries  of  the  paslern-joints,  for  the  ligaments  will  be  weak 
in  proportion  to  their  length.  The  long  and  slanting  pastern  is  advantageous  in  the 
race-horse,  from  the  springiness  of  action  and  greater  extent  of  stride  by  which  it  is 
accompanied.  A  less  degree  of  it  is  given  in  the  hunter  who  is  to  unite  continuance 
of  exertion  with  ease  of  pace.  For  the  hackney  there  should  be  sufficient  obliquity  to 
give  pleasantness  of  going,  but  not  enough  to  endanger  continuance  and  strength. 
Experience  among  horses  will  alone  point  out  the  most  advantageous  direction  of  the 
pastern,  for  the  purpose  required  ;  but  the  slightest  observation  will  show  the  necessity 
of  considerable  variety  in  the  structure  of  this  part.  Let  the  reader  imagine  the 
heavy  dray-horse  with  his  short  and  upright  pasterns  contending  in  the  ract  ;  or  the 
race-horse  with  his  long  and  weak  pasterns,  endeavouring  to  dig  his  toe  into  the 
ground  in  order  to  move  some  heavy  weight.  The  concussion  which  attends  the  com- 
mon action  of  the  cart-horse  is  little,  because  his  movements  are  slow,  and  therefore 
the  upright  and  strong  pastern  is  given  to  him,  which  be  can  force  into  the  ground, 
and  on  which  he  can  throw  the  whole  of  his  immense  weight.  The  oblique  pastern 
is  given  to  the  race-horse  because  that  alone  is  compatible  with  extent  of  stride  and 
great  speed.  Except  a  horse  for  general  purposes,  and  particularly  for  riding,  is  very 
hardly  used,  a  little  too  much  obliquity  is  a  far  less  evil  than  a  pastern  too  upright. 
While  the  jolting  of  the  upright  pastern  is  an  insufferable  nuisance  to  the  rider,  it  is 
injuriou";  and  most  unsafe  to  the  horse,  and  produces  many  diseases  in  the  feet  and 
legs,  and  particularly  ringbone,  ossification  of  the  cartilages,  and  contracted  feet. 

Strains  of  the  pastern-joint  are  not  so  frequent,  nor  so  severe  as  those  of  the  fetlock, 
but  they  are  not  uncommon,  especially  in  horses  with  pasterns  naturally  too  upright. 
By  careless  observers  they  are  not  so  readily  detected  as  in  the  fetlock-joint,  for  ♦he 
increaped  heat  round  the  pastern-joint  may  be  overlooked. 

The  treatment  will  not  differ  materially  from  that  of  the  fetlock-joint. 

LESIONS  OF  THE  SUSPENSORY  LIGAMENT. 

The  suspensory  ligament  is  sometimes  strained  and  even  ruptured  by  extraordinary 
exertiexi.  The  sessamoids,  which  in  their  natural  state  are  suspended  by  it,  and  fronn 
which  function  its  name  is  derived,  are  in  the  latter  case  let  down,  and  the  fetlock 

*  Mr.  W.  C.  Spooner  on  the  Foot  and  Leg  of  the  horse. 


THE   FETLOCK  — GROGGINESS  — CUTTING.  275 

almost  touches  the  ground.  This  is  generally  mistaken  for  rupture  of  the  flexor 
tendon ;  but  one  circumstance  will  sufficiently  demonstrate  that  it  is  the  suspensory 
ligament  which  is  concerned,  viz.  :  that  the  horse  is  able  to  bend  his  foot.  Kupturft 
of  this  ligament  is  a  bad,  and  almost  desperate  case.  The  horse  is  frequently  lame 
for  life,  and  never  becomes  perfectly  sound.  Keeping  him  altogether  quiet,  bandaging 
the  leg,  and  putting  on  a  high-heeled  shoe,  will  atibrd  the  most  probable  means  of 
relief. 

The  common  injury  to  this  ligament  is  sprain,  indicated  by  lameness,  and  swelling, 
and  heat,  more  or  less  severe  in  proportion  as  the  neighbouring  parts  are  involved. 
This  will  sometimes  yield  to  rest  and  cooling  treatment ;  but  if  the  case  is  obstinate, 
it  will  be  necessary  to  have  recourse  to  the  actual  cautery.  The  hunter  and  the  race- 
horse are  most  subject  to  lesions  of  these  ligaments  —  the  hunter  from  leaping  the 
fence,  and  the  race-horse  from  the  violent  efforts  which  'ire  occasionally  demanded 
from  him.  In  both  cases,  the  neighbouring  parts  usually  share  in  the  injury,  and  a 
cure  is  rarely  completely  effected. 

The  means  of  cure  are  the  same  as  in  lesions  of  other  joints,  but  they  must  be  more 
seriously  and  perseveringly  applied. 

THE  FETLOCK. 

Tlie  fetlock-joint  is  a  very  complicated  one,  and  from  the  stress  which  is  laid  on  it, 
and  its  being  the  principal  seat  of  motion  below  the  knee,  it  is  particularly  subject  to 
injury.  There  are  not  many  cases  of  sprain  of  the  back-sinew  that  are  not  accom- 
panied by  inflammation  of  the  ligaments  of  this  joint;  and  numerous  supposed  cases 
of  sprain  higher  up  are  simple  aftections  of  the  fetlock.  It  requires  a  great  deal  of 
care,  and  some  experience,  to  distinguish  the  one  from  the  other.  The  heat  about  the 
part,  and  the  point  at  which  the  horse  least  endures  the  pressure  of  the  finger,  will  be 
the  principal  guides.  Occasionally,  by  the  application  of  cooling  lotions,  the  inflam- 
mation may  be  subdued,  but,  at  other  times,  the  horse  suffers  dreadfully,  and  is  unablo 
to  stand.  A  serious  affection  of  the  fetlock-joint  demands  treatmeut  more  prompt  and 
severe  than  that  of  the  sheaths  of  the  tendons. 

GROGGINESS. 

The  peculiar  knuckling  of  the  fetlock-joint,  and  the  tottering  of  the  whole  of  the 
fore-leg,  known  by  the  name  of  groggincss,  and  which  is  so  often  seen  in  old  and 
over-worked  horses,  is  seldom  an  affection  of  either  the  fetlock  or  the  pastern-joints 
simply.  Indeed  it  is  difficult  to  fix  on  any  particular  joint,  unless  it  is  that  wiiich  is 
deep  in  the  foot,  and  where  the  flexor  tendon  runs  over  the  navicular  bone.  It  seems 
oftenest  to  be  a  want  of  power  in  the  ligaments  of  the  joints  generally,  produced  by 
frequent  and  severe  sprains,  or  by  ill-judged  and  cruel  exertion.  Professor  Stewart 
very  truly  says,  that  "  it  is  common  among  all  kinds  of  fast  workers,  and  long  journeys 
at  a  fast  pace  will  make  almost  any  horse  groggy.  Bad  shoeing  and  want  of  stable 
care  may  help  to  increase,  but  never  can  alone  produce  grogginess.  It  is  one  of  the 
evils  of  excessive  work."*     In  the  majority  of  cases  it  admits  of  no  remedy. 

CUTTING. 

The  inside  of  the  fetlock  is  often  bruised  by  the  shoe  or  the  hoof  of  the  opposite 
foot.  IVIany  expedients  used  to  be  tried  to  remove  this ;  the  inside  heel  has  been 
raised  and  lowered,  and  the  outside  raised  and  lowered;  and  sometimes  one  operation 
has  succeeded,  and  sometimes  the  contrar}' ;  and  there  was  no  point  so  involved  in 
obscurity  or  so  destitute  of  principles  to  guide  the  practitioner.  The  most  successful 
remedy,  and  that  which  in  the  great  majority  of  cases  supersedes  all  others,  is  Mr. 
Turner's  shoe,  of  equal  thickness  from  heel  to  toe,  and  having  but  one  nail,  and  that 
near  the  toe  on  the  inside  of  the  shoe ;  care  being  taken  that  the  shoe  shall  not 
extend  beyond  the  edge  of  the  crust,  and  that  the  crust  shall  be  rasped  a  little  at  the 
quarters. 

There  are  some  defects,  however,  in  the  natural  form  of  the  horse,  which  are  the 
causes  of  cutting,  and  Avhich  no  contrivance  will  remedy ;  as  when  the  legs  are 
placed  too  near  to  each  other,  or  when  the  feet  are  turned  inward  or  outward.     A 

•  Stewart's  Stable  (Economy,  p.  385. 


276 


THE   FORE   LEGS. 


horse  with  these  defects  should  he  carefully  examined  at  the  inside  of  the  fetlock,  and 
if  there  are  any  sore  or  callous  places  from  cutting,  there  will  be  sufficient  reason  for 
rejecting;'  the  animal.  Some  horses  will  cut  only  when  they  are  fatigued  or  lame,  and 
old ;  many  colts  will  cut  before  they  arrive  at  their  full  strength. 

A  consideration  of  the  pasterns  will  throw  more  light  upon  this  and  other  diseases 
of  the  extremities. 

The  upper  pastern  bone  (6,  p.  272,  and  a  in  the  first  figure,  and  b  in  the  second  in 
the  following  cuts)  receives  the  lower  pulley-like  head  of  the  shank-bone,  and  forms 
a  hinge-joint  admitting  only  of  bending  and  extension,  but  not  of  side  motion ;  it 
likewise  articulates  with  the  sessamoid-bones.  Its  lower  head  has  two  rounded  pro- 
tuberances, which  are  received  into  corresponding  depressions  in  the  lower  pastern. 
On  either  side,  above  the  pastern  joint,  are  roughened  projections  for  the  attachment 
of  very  strong  ligaments,  both  in  capsular  ligaments,  and  many  cross  ligaments, 
which  render  the  joint  between  the  two  pasterns  sufficiently  secure. 


Fig.  1. 
a  The  upper  pastern. 
6  The  lower  pastern. 
c  The  navicular  bone. 
d  The  coffin-bone. 

■        Fig.  2. 
a  The  sessamoid  bone. 
h  The  upper  pastern. 
c  The  lower  pastern. 
d  The  navicular  bone. 
e  The  coffin-bone,  with  the  horny  laminae. 


The  lower  pastern  (f/,  p.  272,  and  h  in  the  first  figure,  and  c  in  the  second  in  this 
cut)  is  a  short  and  thick  bone  with  its  larger  head  downward.  Its  upper  head  has 
two  depressions  to  receive  the  protuberances  on  the  lower  head  of  the  upper  bone, 
bearing  some  resemblance  to  a  pulley,  but  not  so  decidedly  as  the  lower  head  of  the 
shank-bone.  Its  lower  head  resembles  that  of  the  other  pastern,  and  has  also  two 
prominences,  somewhat  resembling  a  pulley,  by  which  it  articulates  with  the  coffin- 
bone  ;  and  a  depression  in  front,  corresponding  with  a  projection  in  the  coffin-bone. 
There  are  also  two  slight  depressions  behind,  receiving  eminences  of  the  navicular 
bone.  Neither  of  these  joints  admits  of  any  lateral  motion.  The  ligaments  of  this 
joint,  both  the  capsular  and  the  cross  ones,  are  like  those  of 
tbe  pastern-joint,  exceedingly  strong.  The  tendon  of  the 
extensor  muscle  is  inserted  into  the  fore  part,  both  of  the 
upper  and  lower  pastern-bones  as  well  as  into  the  upper  part 
of  the  coffin-bone  (/,  p.  272)  ;  and  at  the  back  of  these  bones 
the  suspensory  ligament  is  expanded  and  inserted,  while  a 
portion  of  it  goes  over  the  fore  part  of  the  upper  pastern  to 
reach  the  extensor  tendon.  These  attachments  in  front  oi 
the  bones  are  seen  in  the  accompanying  cut,  in  which  a 
represents  the  lower  part  of.the  shank-bone  ;  b  the  sessamoid- 
bones  ;  c  the  upper  pastern ;  d  the  lower  pastern ;  and  e  the 
coffin-bone ;  /  are  the  branches  of  the  suspensory  liga 
ments  going  to  unite  with  the  extensor  tendon ;  g  the 
long  extensor  tendon;  h  ligaments  connecting  thu  two 
pastern-bones  together;  and  i  the  lateral  cartilages  of  the 
foot. 


SPRAIN  OF  THE  COFFIN-JOINT- RINGBONE.  277 

SPRAIN   OF  THE  COFFIN-JOINT 

The  F'^f  of  this  is  when  the  lameness  is  sudden,  and  the  heat  and  tenderness  are 
principally  felt  round  the  coronet.  Bleeding  at  the  toe,  physic,  fomentation,  and 
blisters  are  the  usual  means  adopted.  This  lameness  is  not  easily  removed,  even  bv 
a  blister;  and  it  removed,  like  sprains  of  the  fetlock  and  of  the  back  sinews,  it  is  apt 
u)  return,  and  finally  produce  a  great  deal  of  disorganization  and  mischief  in  the  foot. 
Sprain  of  the  coffin-joint  sometimes  becomes  a  very 
serious  affair.  Not  being  always  attended  by  any 
external  swelling  and  being  detected  only  by  heat 
round  the  coronet,  the  seat  of  the  lameness  is 
often  overlooked  by  the  groom  and  the  farrier; 
and  the  disease  is  suffered  to  become  confirmed 
before  its  nature  is  discovered. 

From  violent  or  repeated  sprains  of  the  pastern 
or  coffin-joints,  or  extension  of  the  ligaments 
attached  to  other  parts  of  the  pastern-bones,  in- 
flammation takes  place  in  the  periosteum,  and  bony 
matter  is  formed,  which  often  rapidly  increases, 
and  is  recognized  by  the  name  of 

RINGBONE. 

Ringbone  is  a  deposit  of  bony  matter  in  one  of 
the  pasterns,  and  usually  near  the  joint.   It  rapidly 
spreads,  and  involves  not  only  the  pastern-bones,  but 
the  cartilages  of  the  foot,  and  spreading  around  the 
pasterns   and  cartilages,  thus  derives   its   name. 
When  the  first  deposit  is  on  the  lower  pastern, 
and  on  both  sides  of  it,  and  produced  by  violent 
inflammation  of  the  ligaments  of  the  joints,  it  is 
recognised  by  a  slight  enlargement,  or  bony  tumour 
on  each  side  of  the  foot,  and  just  above  the  coronet. 
(See  /  in  the  accompanying  cut.)     Horses  with 
short  upright  joints,  and  with  small  feet  and  high 
action,  are  oftenest,  as  may  be  supposed,  the  sub- 
jects of  this  disease,  which  is  the  consequence 
either  of  concussion  or  sprain  of  the  pastern-joints. 
It  is  also  more  frequent  in  the  hind  foot  than  the 
fore,  because,  from  the  violent  action  of  the  hind 
legs  in  propelling  the  horse  forward,  the  pasterns 
are  more  subject  to  ligamentarj'  injury  behind  than 
before;   yet  the  lameness  is  not  so  great  there, 
because  the  disease  is  confined  principally  to  the 
ligaments,  and  the  bones  have  not  been  injured  by 
concussion ;  while  from  the  position  of  the  fore 
limbs,  there  will  generally  be  in  them  injury  of 
the  bones  to  be  added  to  that  of  the  ligaments.   In 
its  early  stage,  and  when  recognized  only  by  a  bony 
enlargement  on  both  sides  of  the  pastern-joint,  or 
in  some  few  cases  on  one  side  only,  the  lameness 
is  not  very  considerable,  and  it  is  not  impossible 
to  remove  the  disease  by  active  blistering,  or  by 
the  application  of  the  cauterj- :  but  there  is  so  much 
wear  and  tear  in  this  part  of  the  animal,  that  the 
inflammation  and  the  disposition  to  the  formation 
of  bone  rapidly  spread.   The  pasterns  first  become 
connected  together  by  bone  instead  of  lioament, 
and  thence  results  what  is  called  an  anchyfosed  or 
fixed  joint.     From  this  joint  the  disease  proceeds 
to   the   cartilages  of  the   foot,  and   to   the  union 
between  the  lower  pastern,  and   the  coffin  and 


278  THE    FORE    LEGS. 

navicular  hones.  The  motion  of  these  parts  likewise  is  impeded  or  lost,  and  the 
whole  of  the  foot  becomes  one  mass  of  spongy  bone.  From  a  disposition  to  spread, 
and  at  first  around  the  pastern-joint,  which  is  situated  just  above  the  coronet,  the 
disease  has  acquired  the  name  of  ringbone. 

On  the  preceding  page  we  have  introduced  a  bird's-eye  view  of  some  of  the  principal 
lamenesses  to  which  the  fore  extremities  of  the  horse  are  subject. 

At  a  is  a  representation  of  the  capped  hock,  or  enlargement  of  the  joint  of  the  elbow. 

b  is  the  tying-in  of  the  leg  below^  the  knee. 

c  is  the  most  frequent  situation  of  splint  on  the  side  of  the  shank-bone,  and  not  pro- 
ducing lameness  after  its  first  formation,  because  it  does  not  interfere  with  the  motion 
of  the  knee,  nor  injure  the  suspensory  ligament. 

d  is  the  situation  and  appearance  of  the  enlargement  accompanying  sprain  of  the 
back  sinews.  This,  however,  is  an  aggravated  case  ;  and  the  sprain  may  be  great, 
and  the  lameness  distressing,  without  all  this  swelling. 

e  is  the  place  of  wind-gall. 

/  gives  the  appearance  of  ringbone  when  it  first  appears  on  the  side  of  the  pastern, 
about  the  joint,  and  where  there  is  naturally  some  prominence  of  bone. 

g  is  the  situation  of  sand-crack  in  the  fore-leg. 

h  the  situation  of  mallenders. 

The  fore-legs,  when  viewed  in  front,  should  be  widest  at  the  chest,  and  should 
gradually  approach  to  each  other  as  we  descend  towards  the  fetlock.  The  degree  of 
width  must  depend  on  the  purpose  for  which  the  horse  is  wanted.  The  legs  of  a 
heavy  draught-horse  can  scarcely  be  too  far  apart.  His  rounded  chest  enables  him  to 
throw  more  weight  into  the  collar ;  and  not  being  required  for  speed,  he  wants  not 
that  occasionally  increased  expansion  of  chest  which  the  circular  form  is  not  calculated 
to  give.  A  hunter,  a  hackney,  and  a  coach-horse  should  have  sutficient  expansion  of 
the  chest,  or  the  legs  sufficiently  wide  apart,  to  leave  room  for  the  play  of  the  lungs  ; 
but  depth  more  than  roundness  of  chest  is  here  required,  because  the  deep  chest  admits 
of  most  expansion  when  the  horse,  in  rapid  action,  and  the  circulation  proportionally 
quickened,  needs  most  room  to  breathe :  yet  if  the  breast  is  too  wide,  there  will  be 
considerable  weight  thrown  before,  and  the  horse  will  be  heavy  in  hand  and  unsafe. 

Whether  the  legs  are  near  to  each  other  or  wide  apart,  they  should  be  straight. 
The  elbow  should  not  have  the  slightest  inclination  inward  or  outward.  If  it  inclines 
towards  the  ribs,  its  action  will  be  confined,  and  the  leg  will  be  thrown  outward  when 
in  motion,  and  describe  a  curious  and  awkward  curve.  This  will  give  a  peculiar 
rolling  motion,  unpleasant  to  the  rider  and  unsafe  to  the  animal.  The  toe  will  like- 
wise be  turned  outward,  which  will  not  only  prevent  the  foot  from  coming  flat  on  the 
ground  in  its  descent,  but  be  usually  accompanied  by  cutting,  even  more  certainly 
than  when  the  toe  turns  inward.  If  the  elbow  is  turned  outward,  the  toes  will 
necessarily  be  turned  inward,  which  is  a  great  unsightliness,  and  to  a  considerable 
degree  injurious,  for  the  weight  cannot  be  perfectly  distributed  over  the  foot — the 
bearing  cannot  be  true.  There  will  also  be  undue  pressure  on  the  inner  quarter,  a 
tendency  to  unsafeness,  and  a  disposition  to  splint  and  corn.  The  legs  should  come 
down  perpendicularly  from  the  elbow.  If  they  incline  backward  and  under  the  horse, 
there  is  undue  stress  on  the  extensor  muscles ;  and,  the  legs  being  brought  nearer  the 
centre  of  gravity,  too  great  weight  is  thrown  forward,  and  the  horse  is  liable  to 
knuckle  over  and  become  unsafe.  If  the  legs  have  a  direction  forward,  the  flexor 
muscles  are  strained,  and  the  action  of  the  horse  is  awkward  and  confined,  'i'lic  to« 
should  be  found  precisely  under  the  point  of  the  shoulder.  If  it  is  a  little  more  i.ir- 
ward,  the  horse  will  probably  be  deficient  in  action;  if  it  is  more  under  the  horse, 
unsafeness  Avill  be  added  to  still  greater  defect  in  going. 


THE    HAUNCH  — THE    THIGH  279 

CHAPTER     XIII. 
THE     HIND     LEGS. 

THE  HAUNCH. 

The  haunch  (see  O,  p.  68,  and  the  cut,  p.  256,)  is  composed  of  three  bones.  The 
first  is  the  ilium,  principally  concerned  in  the  formation  of  the  haunch.  Its  extended 
branches  behind  the  flanks  are  prominent  in  every  horse.  When  they  are  more  than 
usually  wide,  the  animal  is  said  to  be  ras^ged-hipped.  A  branch  runs  up  to  the  spine 
at  the  commencement  of  the  sacral  vertebraj  (E),  and  here  the  haunch-bones  are  firmly 
united  with  the  bones  of  the  spine.  The  ischium,  or  hip-bone,  is  behind  and  below 
the  ilium.  Its  tuberosities  or  prominences  are  seen  under  the  tail  (cut,  p.  68).  The 
pubis  unites  with  the  two  former  below  and  behind. 

From  the  loins  to  the  setting-on  of  the  tail  a  line  should  be  carried  on  almost 
straight,  or  rounded  only  in  a  slight  degree.  Thus  the  haunch-bones  will  be  most 
oblique,  and  will  produce  a  corresponding  obliquity,  or  slanting  direction,  in  the  thigh- 
bone— a  direction  in  which,  as  stated  when  the  fore  legs  were  described,  the  muscles 
act  with  most  advantage.  This  direction  of  the  haunch  is  characteristic  of  the 
thorough-bred  horse  ;  and  by  the  degree  in  which  it  is  found,  we  judge  to  a  considera- 
ble extent  of  the  breeding  of  the  animal.  If  the  bones  at  D  and  E,  p.  68,  take  a 
somewhat  arched  form,  as  they  do  in  the  cart-horse,  it  is  evident  that  the  haunch- 
bone  O  would  be  more  upright.  The  thigh-bone  P  would  likewise  be  so.  The  stifle 
Q  would  not  be  so  far  under  the  body,  and  the  power  of  the  horse  would  be  considera- 
bly impaired.  The  oblique  direction  of  the  haunch  and  thigh-bones,  produced  by  the 
straightness  of  the  line  of  the  spine,  does  not,  as  is  commonly  supposed,  afford 
increased  surface  for  the  attachment  of  muscles,  but  places  the  muscles  in  a  direction 
to  act  with  great  advantage.  It  is  in  the  advantageous  direction,  quite  as  mnch  as  in 
the  bulk  of  the  muscle,  that  the  strength  of  the  horse  consists. 

It  will  be  seen,  from  the  diff'erent  cuts,  that  the  angles  formed  by  the  fore  and  hind 
extremities  have  different  directions.  One  points  forward,  and  the  other  backward. 
The  action  of  the  fore  legs  thus  least  interferes  with  the  chest,  and  that  of  the  hind 
legs  with  the  belly. 

Width  of  haunch  is  a  point  of  great  consequence,  for  it  evidently  aflTords  more  room 
for  the  attachment  of  muscles  ;  and  even  though  it  should  be  so  wide  as  to  subject 
the  horse  to  the  charge  of  being  ragged-hipped,  and  may  somewhat  offend  the  eye,  it 
will  not  often  be  any  detriment  to  action.  If  the  loins  are  broad  and  the  horse  well 
ribbed  home,  the  protuberances  of  the  ilium  can  scarcely  be  too  far  apart.  Many  a 
ragged-hipped  horse  has  possessed  both  fleetness  and  strength,  while  but  few  that 
were  narrow  across  the  haunch  could  boast  of  the  latter  quality. 

The  opening  in  the  centre  of  these  bones,  which  constitutes  the  passage  through 
which  the  young  animal  is  expelled  from  the  mother,  is  large  in  the  mare,  and  in 
every  quadruped,  because  there  cannot,  on  account  of  the  form  of  the  animal,  be  any 
danger  of  abortion  from  the  weight  of  the  foetus  pressing  on  the  part. 

The  only  portion  of  these  bones  exposed  to  injury  or  fracture  are  the  tuberosities  or 
prominences  of  the  haunch.  A  fall  or  blow  may  chip  ofT  or  disunite  a  portion  of  them, 
and,  if  so,  there  are  no  means  of  forcibly  bringing  the  disunited  parts  together  again, 
and  retaining  them  in  their  natural  position.  The  power  of  nature,  however,  will 
gradually  unite  them,  but  that  union  will  be  attended  by  deformity  and  lameness.  A 
charge,  or  very  strong  adhesive  plaster,  across  the  haunch  may  be  useful,  as  helping, 
in  some  slight  degree,  to  support  the  parts,  and  hold  them  together. 

THE  THIGH. 

In  the  lower  and  fore  part  of  the  hip-bones  is  a  deep  cavity  or  cup  for  the  reception 
of  the  head  of  the  thigh-bone.*     Although  in  the  movement  of  the  hind  legs  there 

*  This,  alfhoufrh  the  true  thigh-bone,  is  so  concealed  by  thick  muscles  that  its  situation  and 
shape  arc  not  visible  to  the  eye.  It  is  therefore  frequently  overlooked  by  horsemen,  who  call 
'he  next  bone,  extending  from  the  stifle  to  the  hock,  the  thigh. 


280  THE   HIND    LEGS. 

cannc*  be  the  concussion  to  which  the  fore  legs  are  exposed  (for  the  weight  of  the 
body  s  never  thrown  violently  upon  them),  yet  in  the  powerful  action  of  these  limbs 
there  is  much  strain  on  the  joints,  and  we  shall,  therefore,  find  that  there  are,  in  all 
of  them,  admirable  provisions  against  injury.  The  head  of  the  upper  bone  of  the  thigh 
is  received  into  a  deep  cup  (the  acetabulum'),  by  which  it  is  surrounded  on  every  side, 
and  dislocation  from  which  would  seem  almost  impossible.  But  the  bony  cup  may 
orive  way  *?  Not  so,  provision  is  made  against  this.  All  three  of  the  haunch-bones 
unite  in  the  formation  of  this  cup,  and  the  sutures  by  which  they  are  held  together  are 
of  such  a  nature,  that,  generally  speaking,  no  shock,  or  exertion,  or  accident,  can  dis- 
unite them.  There  is  even  something  more  in  order  to  make  the  attachment  doubly 
sure.  In  addition  to  the  usual  capsular  and  other  ligaments,  a  singularly  strong  one 
rises  from  the  base  of  the  cup,  and  is  inserted  into  the  head  of  the  thigh-bone,  seeming 
as  if  it  would  render  separation  or  dislocation  altogether  impossible.  Such,  however, 
is  the  strange  power  of  the  muscles  of  the  hind  limbs,  that,  with  all  these  attach- 
ments, sprain  of  the  ligaments  of  the  thigh,  or  the  round  bone,  as  horsemen  call  it,  and 
even  dislocation  of  it,  are  occasionally  found. 

The  thio-h-bone  is  both  the  largest  and  strongest  in  the  frame.  It  is  short  and 
thick,  and  exhibits  the  most  singular  prominences,  and  roughnesses,  and  hollows,  for 
the  insertion  of  the  immense  muscles  that  belong  to  it.  Four  prominences,  in  particu- 
lar, called  by  anatomists  trochanters,  two  on  the  outside,  one  on  the  inside,  and  one 
near  the  head  of  the  bone,  afford  attachment  to  several  important  muscles.  The  head 
of  the  bone  is  placed  at  right  angles  with  its  body,  by  which  this  important  advantage 
is  gained,  that  the  motion  of  the  thigh-joint  is  principally  limited  to  the  act  of  bending 
and  extending,  although  it  possesses  some  slight  lateral,  and  even  some  rotatory  action. 
The  lower  head  of  the  thigh-bone  is  complicated  in  its  form.  -It  consists  of  two 
prominences,  which  are  received  into  corresponding  depressions  in  the  next  bone, 
and  a  hollow  in  front,  in  which  the  bone  of  the  knee  or  stifle  plays  as  over  a  perfect 
pulley. 

A  short  description  of  the  muscles  of  the  hinder  extremities  may  not  be  uninterest- 
ing to  the  horseman.     The  next  cut  will  contain  a  few  of  them. 

The  muscles  of  the  hinder  extremity  are  more  powerful  than  those  of  any  other 
part  of  the  frame ;  therefore  an  extraordinary  provision  is  made  to  confine  them  in 
their  respective  situations,  and  thus  contribute  to  their  security  and  strength.  When 
the  skin  is  stripped  from  any  part,  we  do  not  at  once  arrive  at  the  muscles,  but  they 
are  thickly  covered  by  a  dense,  strong,  tendinous  coat,  intended  to  confine  them  to 
their  places.  This  membrane,  called  the  fascia,  is  of  extraordinary  strength  in  the 
hind  quarter,  and  reaches  over  the  whole  of  the  haunch  and  thigh,  and  only  ceases 
to  be  found  at  the  hock  where  there  are  no  muscles  to  be  protected.  If  the  power  of 
the  muscles  is  sufficient  to  dislocate  or  fracture  the  thigh-bone,  they  need  the  support 
and  confinement  of  this  tendinous  coat.  When  this  tendinous  band  is  dissected  off, 
another  is  found  beneath,  which  is  represented  at  a,  in  the  cut  at  p.  281,  raised  and 
turned  back,  larger  than  the  former,  thicker  and  more  muscular.  It  proceeds  from  the 
haunch-bones  to^the  stifle,  upon  the  fore  and  outer  part  of  the  haunch  and  thigh,  and 
is  intended  to  tighten  and  strengthen  the  other. 

Under  the  part  of  this  flat  and  binding  muscle,  which  is  represented  in  our  cut  as 
raised  from  its  natural  situation,  is  a  large  round  one,  proceeding  from  the  ilium,  not 
far  from  the  cup  which  receives  the  upper  bone  of  the  thigh,  and  running  straight 
down  this  bono,  and  thence  its  name  rectus.  It  is  inserted  into  the  bone  of  the  stifle. 
An  inspection  of  the  cut,  p.  68,  will  show  that  it  is  so  situated  as  to  be  enabled  to 
exert  its  great  power  in  the  most  advantageous  way.  It  is  a  very  prominent  muscle, 
and  possesses  immense  strength.  It  terminates  in  a  tendon,  which  is  short  and  very 
strong,  and  which  is,  before  its  insertion  into  the  patella,  united  with  the  prolongation 
of  the  tendinous  substance  at  g,  in  the  cut,  p.  282,  and  also  with  the  tendon  of  the 
muscle  at  i,  in  that  cut,  and  at  c,  in  that  on  page  281,  and  which  is  properly  called 
vastus,  from  its  great  bulk.  Some  have  divided  this  into  two  muscles  :  the  external 
and  internal.  The  external  arising  from  the  outer  surface  of  the  upper  bone  of  the 
thigh;  the  internal,  from  the  innef  surface ;  and  they  are  inserted  into  the  upper  pa-t 
of  the  bone  of  the  stifle,  both  on  the  inner  and  outer  side.  These  muscles  act  at 
considerable  mechanical  disadvantage.  They  form  a  very  slight  angle,  not  at  all 
approaching  to  a  right  angle;  but  they  are  muscles  of  immense  size,  and  occupy  all 
the  fore  part  of  the  thigh,  i'rom  the  stifle  upwards.     They  are  powerful  extensors  of 


THE   THIGH. 


281 


the  thigh,  and  of  the  hinaer  leg  gene- 
rally ;  for  they  are  all  inserted  into 
the  bone  of  the  knee,  and  that  is 
connected  by  strong  tendons  with 
the  bone  of  the  true  leg. 

On  the  inside  of  the  thigh  are 
several  other  large  fleshy  muscles, 
which  will  be  easily  recognized  on 
the  thigh  of  the  living  horse.  First 
is  a  long,  narrow,  prominent  muscle, 
the  sarturius,  d,  arising  partly  from 
the  lumbar  vertebra,  and  extending 
down  the  thigh  —  assisting  in  bind- 
ing the  leg,  and  turning  it  inward — 
giving  it  a  rotatory  motion,  and  also 
aiding  in  many  of  the  natural  actions 
of  the  horse. 

Next  comes  a  broad,  thin  muscle, 
the  gracilis.,  e,  occupying  the  greater 
portion  of  the  surface  of  the  inner 
part  of  the  thigh,  and  particularly 
the  prominent  part  of  it.  It  arises 
from  the  lower  portion  of  the 
haunch-bone,  and,  in  its  passage 
downward  uniting  with  the  last 
muscle,  is  inserted  with  it  into  the 
inner  and  upper  part  of  the  tibia. 
It  acts  with  great  mechanical  disad- 
vantage, but  its  power  is  equal  to 
the  task.  It  bends  the  leg,  and 
rotates  it  inward. 

Still,  on  the  inside  of  the  thigh, 
and   forming  the  posterior  edge  of 
the  thigh  inwards,  and  contributing 
much  to  its  bulk,  is  another  import- 
ant muscle,  the  peciineus.     Part  of 
it  acts  with  very  great  mechanical 
advantage,  and  powerfully  flexes  the 
thigh  on  the  pelvis,  and  lifts  and  bends  the  leg.     It  is  one  of  the  most  effectual  of 
the  extensor  muscles.     Considering  the  weight  of  limb  which  it  has  to  raise  ami 
tlex,  it  had  need  to  possess  great  power. 

We  now  turn  to  some  of  the  muscles  that  are  evident  to  the  eye  on  the  outside  ot 
the  thigh. 

First  is  the  glutxus  exfernus,  situated  in  the  middle  of  the  external  partof  the 
haunch.  It  is  of  a  triangular  figure,  attached  to  the  antero-superior  and  to  the  inferior 
spines  of  the  ilium,  and  is  inserted  into  the  smaller  outer  prominence  of  the  upper  bone 
of  the  thigh.  Next  is  the  great  glutastis  muscle,  arising  from  the  spinous  and  transverse 
processes  of  several  of  the  bones  of  the  loins,  and  from  the  sacrum,  and  from  the  dif- 
ferent edges  of  the  ilium,  and  inserted  into  the  great  protuberance  of  the  upper  bone 
of  the  thigh  (page  68),  behind  and  a  little  above  the  joint  that  unites  the  thigh  to  the 
haunch-bone.  It  is  seen  at  c,  in  the  cut  on  the  following  page.  It  constitutes  the 
upper  and  outer  part  of  the  haunch,  and  gives  that  fulness  and  roundness  to  it  which 
good  judges  so  much  admire  in  the  quarters  of  the  horse.  It  is  one  of  the  main 
instruments  in  progression.  When  the  thigh  has  heen  brought  forward  under  the 
body  by  the  muscles  already  described,  the  plain  action  of  these  glutasi  muscles  is  to 
extend  the  haunch,  and  force  or  project  the  body  onward.  To  effect  this,  they  must 
be  very  powerful,  and  therefore  they  are  so  large,  and  rise  from  such  an  extensive 
surface.  They  ought,  also,  to  act  at  great  mechanical  advantage,  and  so,  in  one 
sense,  t^ey  do.  Springing  from  the  loins  and  the  ilium,  and  the  sacrum,  they  act 
almost  in  a  right,  or  perpendicular  line  ;  in  that  line  in  which  we  ha^e  seen  that  the 
greatest  power  is  gained. 

24*  2l 


282 


THE   HIND    LEGS. 


CUT    OF   THE    MUSCLES    OF    THE    OUTSIDE 
OF    THE    THIGH. 


There  is  another  and  smaller  glutxi/s 
muscle  under  that  which  lias  hccii  last 
described,  arising  likewise  from  the 
back  of  the  ilium,  inserted  into  the  same 
protuberance  of  the"  thigh-bone,  and 
assisting  in  the  same  office.  It  is  not 
visible  in  the  cut. 

These  muscles,  as  Mr.  Percivall  well 
explains  it,  are  extensors  either  of  the 
femoris  upon  the  pelvis,  or  the  pelv/« 
and  loins  upon  the  hind  quarter.  \\  hen 
the  limb  has  been  carried  in  advance 
under  the  body  by  the  muscles  of  the 
anterior  femoral  region,  and  the  toe 
firmly  set  down  upon  the  ground,  the 
glutei,  by  extending  the  haunch,  will 
carry  the  trunk  forward  ;  thus  becom- 
ing potent  agents  in  progression,  and 
the  maximus  being  the  most  powerful 
of  them. 

In  the  acts  both  of  rearing  and  kick- 
ing, these  muscles  are  thrown  into  vio- 
lent and  forcible  contraction.  In  the 
former  action,  the  limbs  become  the 
fixed  points,  and  the  trunk  the  weight 
moved,  and  vice  versa  in  the  latter.* 

There  are  also  several  other  muscles 
proceeding  from  different  parts  of  the 
haunch-bones,  and  inserted  about  the 
heads  of  the  upper  thigh-bone,  and  per- 
forming the  same  work ;  but  there  are 
two  muscles  to  which  we  must  par- 
ticularly refer.  The  first  occupies  the 
outer  part  of  the  quarter  behind,  and  is 
beautifully  developed  in  the  blood- 
horse;  it  is  found  at  e,  above.  It  lises 
high  up  from  the  bones  of  the  spine, 
from  others  at  the  root  of  the  tail,  from  the  protuberances  of  the  ischium  (vide  cut,  p. 
68),  and  from  other  bones  of  the  pelvis.  It  in  fact  consists  of  two  muscles,  but  is 
usually  described  as  one  muscle  with  two  heads,  hiceps femoris,  the  two-headed  mus- 
cle of  the  thigh.  It  is  situated  on  the  postero-external  side  of  the  haunch  and  thigh, 
where,  being  superficial,  it  is  well  marked  in  the  living  animal.  The  two  divisions 
of  it  have  an  opposite  action.  The  anterior  or  superior  one  assists  the  vasti  in  extend- 
ing the  thigh  —  the  posterior  one  flexes  it.  They  both,  however,  co-operate  in 
abducting  the  limb,  and  also  in  rotating  it  forward,  the  hock,  at  the  same  time,  turn- 
ing outwards. 

Those  muscles  alone  have  been  selected  which  are  particularly  prominent  in  tht 
thorough-bred  horse,  and  are  the  source  of  his  strength  and  speed.  The  following 
cut,  containing  one  excellence  above  and  many  defects  below,  will  not  be  unaccepta 
ble  here : — 

The  Os  Femoris,  or  Thigh  Bone  (see  P,  page  68),  is  long  and  cylindrical,  taking 
an  oblique  direction  from  above,  downwards,  and  from  i)ehind,  forwards.  At  its 
upper  extremities,  and  projecting  from  the  body,  is  a  thick  flattened  neck,  terminat- 
ir.nr  in  a  large  smooth  hemispherical  head,  adapted  to  a  hollow,  or  acetabulum,  in  the 
superior  point  of  the  haunch. 

This  bone  is  commonly  called  the  Round  Bone,  It  has,  in  some  rare  instances, 
been  dislocated  and  fractured.  It  is  much  oftencr  sprained,  but  not  so  frequently  as 
the  groom  or  farrier  imagines.  There  is  nothing  peculiar  in  the  lamenes.'s  to  detect 
injury  of  this  part,  except,  that  the  horse  will  drag  his  leg  after  him.     Injury  jf  ihe 


Percivall's  Anatomy,  p.  148. 


THE   STIFLE. 


283 


CCT  OP  THE  HAUNCH  AND  HIND  LEGS. 


round  bone  will  be  principally  dbcovered  by 
heat  and  tenderness  in  the  situation  of  the 
joint. 

A  part  so  deeply  situated  is  treated  witli 
difficulty.  Fomentions  should  at  first  be  used 
to  abate  the  intlammation,  and,  after  that,  an 
active  blister  should  be  apj)lied.  Strains  of 
this  joint  are  not  always  immediately  relieved, 
and  the  muscles  of  the  limb  in  some  cases 
waste  considerably  :  it  therefore  may  be  neces- 
sary to  repeat  the  blister,  while  absolute  rest 
should  accompany  every  stage  of  the  treat- 
ment. It  may  even  be  requisite  to  fire  the 
part, — or,  as  a  last  resort,'  a  charge  may  be 
placed  over  the  joint,  and  the  horse  turned  out 
for  two  or  three  months. 

Proceeding  from  the  body  of  the  bone  is  a 
large  irregular  projection,  rising  from  a  kind 
of  pyramidal  eminence  (see  p.  68),  and  into 
which  are  implanted  various  powerful  mus- 
cles. 

THE  STIFLE. 

The  inferior  extremity  presents  a  pulley- 
like articulatory  surface  in  front,  over  which 
plays  the  p-^.tella,  and  two  condyles,  rounded 
and  smooth,  presenting  inferiorly  and  posteri- 
orly, and  which  are  received  into  slight  de- 
pressions on  the  upper  surface  of  the  lower 
bone ;  while  in  front  is  a  curious  groove,  over 
which  plays  a  small  irregular  bone,  the  pa- 
tella, or  stifle  bone.  The  whole  is  commonly 
called  the  stifle  joint.  The  patella  (Q,  p.  68) 
answers  to  the  kneepan  in  the  human  subject. 
Some  of  the  tendons  of  the  strongest  muscles 
of  the  upper  bone  of  the  thigh  are  inserted 
into  it,  and  continued  from  it  over  the  lower 
bone.  This  important  joint  is  hereby  much 
strengthened ;  for  the  proper  ligaments  be- 
tween the  upper  and  lower  bones,  and  these 
additional  tendons  and  ligaments  from  the 
patella,  must  form  altogether  a  very  pow- 
erful union.  The  patella  likewise  answers  another  and  even  more  important  purpose. 
The  tendons  of  some  strong  muscles  are  inserted  into  it.  When  these  muscles  are 
not  in  action,  the  patella  lies  in  the  groove  which  nature  has  contrived  for  it;  but 
when  they  begin  to  contract,  it  starts  from  its  partial  hiding-place,  becomes  promi- 
nent from  the  joint,  and  alters  the  line  of  direction  in  which  the  muscles  act.  It 
increases  the  angle,  and  thus  very  materially  increases  the  power  of  the  muscles. 

The  lower  bone  of  the  thigh  is  double.  The  larger  portion,  in  front,  extending 
from  the  stifle  to  the  hock,  is  called  the  Tibia,  The  smaller  bone,  or  fibula,  behind 
(see  R,  p.  68),  reaches  not  more  than  a  third  of  the  way  down.  It  is  united  to  the 
shank-bone,  like  the  splint-bone,  by  a  cartilaginous  substance,  which  is  soon  changed 
into  a  bony  one.     Of  the  use  of  these  little  bones  we  cannot  speak. 

The  lower  bone  of  the  thigh  forms  an  angle  with  the  upper  one,  being  the  reverse 
of  that  which  exists  between  the  upper  bone  and  the  pelvis.  The  object  of  this  is 
twofold, — to  obviate  concussion,  and  to  give  a  direction  to  the  muscles  favourable  to 
their  powerful  action;  and  in  proportion  to  the  acuteness  of  the  angle,  or  the  dejrree 
in  which  the  stifle  is  brought  under  the  horse,  will  these  purposes  be  accomplished. 
There  is  much  difference  in  this  in  different  horses,  and  the  construction  of  this  part 
of  the  frame  is  a  matter  worthy  of  more  regard  than  is  generally  paid  to  it. 

Tb\s  part  of  the  thigh  should  likewise  be  long.     In  proportion  to  the  length  of  the 


284  THE   HIND    LEGS. 

muscle  is  the  degree  of  contraction  of  wliich  it  is  capable ;  and  also  in  proportion  tc 
the  contraction  of  the  muscle  is  the  extent  of  motion  in  the  limb ;  but  it  is  still  more 
necessary  that  this  part  of  the  thigh  should  have  considerable  muscle,  in  order  that 
streno-th  may  be  added  to  such  extent  or  compass  of  motion.  Much  endurance  would 
not  be  expected  from  a  horse  with  a  thin  arm.  A  horse  with  thin  and  lanky  thighs 
will  not  possess  the  strength  which  considerable  exertion  would  sometimes  require. 
In  the  cuts  p.  281  and  2h2,  the  principal  muscles  of  this  part  of  the  thigh  are  deli- 
neated. They  are  usually  somewhat  prominent,  and  may  readily  be  traced  in  the 
living  animal :  a  very  brief  notice  of  them  may  not  be  uninteresting. 

The  continuation  from  g,  p.  282,  is  the  tendinous  expansion  given  to  bind  and 
strengthen  these  muscles. 

w  is  a  very  important  muscle.  It  is  the  principal  extensor  muscle  of  the  hind  leg 
{extensor  pedis,  extensor  of  the  foot).  It  commences  by  a  small  flat  tendon,  common 
to  it,  and  the  flexor  metatarsi.  Passing  over  the  tibia  it  becomes  fleshy  :  but  a  little 
above  the  hock  it  changes  to  a  flat  tendon,  and  pursues  its  course  in  front  of  the  hock 
in  union  with  the  tendon  of  the  perona;us.  On  the  fetlock  joint  they  disunite.  It 
now  begins  to  expand,  and  is  finally  inserted  into  the  upper  part  of  the  cofiin-bone, 
or  bone  of  the  foot,  after  having  given  various  fibres  to  both  the  pasterns.  The 
course  of  the  corresponding  tendon  in  the  hind  leg  is  given  in  the  cut  p.  282,  fig.  /. 
It  helps  to  flex  the  hock  joint,  but  is  principally  concerned  in  the  extension  of  the 
foot,  and  also  the  pastern  and  fetlock  joints. 

At  771,  p.  282,  is  another  of  the  extensor  muscles,  called  the  peronscvs,  from  a  name 
given  to  the  fibula.  It  arises  from  the  whole  course  of  the  fibula,  and  also  becomes 
tendinous  before  it  reaches  the  hock.  About  half-way  down  the  shank  it  is  found  in 
the  same  sheath  with  the  principal  extensor  muscle,  and  is  inserted  with  it  into  the 
coffin-bone.  Its  office  is  to  co-operate  with  the  extensor  pedis  in  raising  the  foot  from 
the  ground,  and  bringing  it  forward  under  the  body. 

At  0  is  %\\Bjlexor  pedis,  one  of  the  principal  flexor  muscles  of  the  foot,  arising  from 
the  upper  part  of  the  tibia.  As  it  approaches  the  hock  rt  is  distin^ished  by  its 
large  round  tendon,  which  is  seen  to  enter  into  a  groove  at  the  back  of  the  hock.  Its 
tendon  passes  down  the  back  of  the  leg  like  that  of  a  similar  muscle  in  the  fore  leg. 
It  is  the  perforating  flexor  muscle  of  the  hind  leg,  and  assists  in  flexing  the  pastern 
and  fetlock. 

h  is  a  very  slender  muscle,  arising  from  the  head  of  the  fibula,  and  proceeding  over 
the  external  part  of  the  thigh,  and,  just  above  the  hock,  its  tendon  unites  with  that 
of  the  perforating  muscle. 

j  is  a  very  powerful  muscle,  springing  from  the  head  of  the  upper  bone  of  the 
thigh,  and,  midway  down  the  lower  bone  of  it,  ending  in  a  flat  tendon,  which  is 
inserted  into  the  point  of  the  hock.  Its  use  is  to  extend  the  hock.  It  is  evidently 
most  advantageously  situated  for  powerful  action ;  for  it  acts  almost  at  right  angles, 
and  its  effect  is  increased  in  proportion  to  the  projection  of  the  point  of  the  hock. 

We  will  now  turn  to  the  inner  side.     See  cut,  p.  281. 

772  gives  a  portion  of  the  muscle  which  has  been  just  described. 

n  is  an  inside  view  of  the  perforating  flexor  muscle  of  the  foot. 

/  is  the  peronaeus. 

0  is  the  flexor  perforatus  muscle,  having  its  origin  from  near  the  lower  head  of  the 
upper  bcie  of  the  thigh  —  becoming  tendinous  as  it  passes  down  the  thigh  —  ex- 
panding over  and  surrounding  the  point  of  the  hock,  and  assisting  in  extending  it. 
After  this  the  tendon  pursues  its  course  down  the  posterior  part  of  the  leg,  in  a  man- 
ner so  much  resembling  that  of  similar  tendons  in  the  fore  leg,  that  it  will  be  suffi 
cient  to  refer  to  a  description  of  the  perforated  and  perforating  flexor  tendons  at  page 
280. 

At  e  is  a  continuation  of  the  gracilis  muscle,  p.  281,  over  the  stifle. 

At  h  is  the  extensor  pedis,  already  described,  p.  282,  with  its  tendon. 

At  i  is  a  muscle  used  to  bend  the  hock,  the  flexor  metatarsi,  or  bender  of  the  leg; 
arising  from  the  external  condyle  of  t^P  os  femoris,  and  inserted  into  the  large  and 
small  metatarsal  bones.  It  is  a  muscle  of  considerable  power,  although  disadvania- 
geously  situated,  both  as  to  its  direction  and  its  being  inserted  so  near  to  the  joint 
It  flexes  the  hock,  the  joint  turning  somewhat  inwards. 

At  k  is  a  short  muscle  extending  from  the  upper  to  the  lower  thigh-bones  (the  vopn- 
tens),  bending  the  stifle  and  turning  the  limb  inward. 


THOROUGH-PIN  — THE  HOCK,  285 

These  cuts  represent  the  situation  of  some  of  the  principal  blood-vessels  and  nerves 
'if  the  hind  extremities. 

In  the  cut  of  the  inside  of  the  thigh,  page  281,  p  represents  the  course  of  the  prm- 
cipal  artery  ;  at  q  are  blood-vessels  belonging  to  the  groin ;  at  r  is  the  large  cutane- 
ous vein,  or  the  vein  immediately  under  the  skin.  The  principal  nerves  on  the  fore 
part  of  the  inside  of  the  thigh  pursue  their  course  at  /,  in  the  direction  of  the  subcu- 
taneous vein ;  and  those  of  the  posterior  part  are  seen  at  s,  while  at  «  are  those  im- 
portant ligamentous  bands  at  the  bending  of  the  hock  which  confine  the  tendons. 

In  the  cut  of  the  outside  of  the  thigh,  page  282,  p  will  give  the  course  of  the  an- 
terior arteries  and  veins  ;  q  that  of  the  principal  nerves,  and  coming  into  sight  below ; 
and  r  the  bands  described  in  the  former  plate. 

Also,  in  the  cut  of  the  outside  of  the  shoulder  and  arm,  p.  259,  the  figures  1,  2,  and 
3,  designate  the  places  of  the  principal  artery,  nerve,  and  vein  of  the  leg;  4  gives 
the  subcutaneous  vein  running  within  the  arm;  and  5  the  subcutaneous  vein  of  the 
side  of  the  chest. 

In  the  cut  of  the  inside  of  the  arm,  p.  260,  the  lines  above  represent,  in  the  order 
from  the  front,  the  principal  nerves,  arteries,  and  veins  of  the  shoulder  and  arm ;  and, 
on  the  muscles,  k  represents  the  principal  subcutaneous  vein  of  the  inside  of  the  arm, 
and  i  the  artery  by  which  it  is  accompanied. 

The  stifle  joint  is  not  often  subject  to  sprain.  The  heat  and  tenderness  will  guide 
to  the  seat  of  injury.  Occasionally,  dislocation  of  the  patella  has  occurred,  and  the 
horse  drags  the  injured  limb  after  him,  or  rests  it  on  the  fetlock ;  the  aid  of  a  veteri- 
nary surgeon  is  here  requisite.  The  muscles  of  the  inside  of  the  thigh  have  some- 
times been  sprained.  This  may  be  detected  by  diffused  heat,  or  heat  on  the  inside 
of  the  thigh  above  the  stifle.  Rest,  fomentations,  bleeding,  and  physic,  will  be  the 
proper  means  of  cure. 

THOROUGH-PIN. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  ivind-galls  and  their  treatment.  A  similar  enlargement 
is  found  above  the  hock,  between  the  tendons  of  the  flexor  of  the  foot  and  the  exten- 
sor of  the  hock.  As  from  its  situation  it  must  necessarily  project  on  both  sides  of 
the  hock,  in  the  form  of  a  round  swelling,  it  is  called  a  thorough-pin,  a,  p.  283.  It  is 
an  indication  of  considerable  work,  but  is  rarely  attended  by  lameness.  The  mode 
of  treatment  must  resemble  that  for  wind-galls.  Although  thorough-pin  cannot,  per- 
haps, be  pronounced  to  be  unsoundness,  it  behoves  the  buyer  to  examine  well  a  horse 
that  is  disfigured  by  it,  and  to  ascertain  whether  undue  work  may  not  have  injured 
him  in  other  respects. 

THE  HOCK. 

This  is  a  most  important  joint,  occasionally  the  evident,  and  much  oftener  the  un- 
suspected seat  of  lameness,  and  the  proper  formation  of  which  is  essentially  connect- 
ed with  the  value  of  the  horse.     It  answers  to  the  ancle  in  the  human  being. 

The  inferior  head  of  the  tibia  is  formed  into  two  deep  grooves,  with  three  sharpen- 
ed ridges,  one  separating  the  grooves,  and  the  other  two  constituting  the  sides  of 
them.  It  is  seen  at  a  in  the  following  cut.  It  rests  upon  a  singularly-shaped  bone, 
i,  the  astralgus,  which  has  two  circular  risings  or  projections,  and,  with  a  depression 
between  them,  answering  exactly  to  the  irregularities  of  the  tibia.  These  are  re- 
ceived and  mortised  into  each  other.  At  the  posterior  part  its  convex  surface  is  re- 
ceived into  a  concavity  near  the  base  of  another  bone,  and  with  which  it  is  united  by 
very  strong  ligaments.  This  bone,  c,  is  called  the  os  calcis,  or  bone  of  the  heel,  and 
it  projects  upwards,  flattened  at  its  sides,  and  receives,  strongly  implanted  into  it,  the 
tendons  of  powerful  muscles.  These  bones  rest  on  two  others,  the  os  cuboides,  d 
(cube-formed),  behind,  and  the  larger  cuneiform  or  wedje-shaped  bone  e,  in  front. 
The  larger  wedge-shaped  bone  is  supported  by  two  smaller  ones,  /,  and  these  two 
smaller  ones  and  the  cuboides  by  the  upper  heads  of  the  shank-bone  s-,  and  the  splint- 
Dones  h.  The  cuboides  is  placed  on  the  external  splint-bone,  and  the  cannon-bone, 
or  principal  bone  of  the  leg;  the  small  wedge-bone  is  principally  evident  on  the  inner 
splint-bone,  not  seen  in  the  cut;  and  the  middle  wedge-bone  on  the  shank-bone  only, 
g.  These  bones  are  all  connected  together  by  very  strong  ligaments,  which  prevent 
dislocation,  but  allow  a  slight  degree  of  motion  between  them,  and  the  surfaces  which 
ve  opposen  to  each  other  are  thickly  covered  by  elastic  cartilage. 


288 


THE   HIND    LEGS. 


CUT    OF    THE    HOCK. 


Considering  the  situation  and  action  of  this  joint,  the  weight  and  stress  thrown 

upon  it  must  be  exceedingly  great, 
and  it  is  necessarily  liable  to  much 
injury  in  rapid  and  powerful  mo- 
tion. What  are  the  provisions  to 
prevent  injury'?  The  grooved  or 
pulley-like  heads  of  the  tibia  and 
the  astragalus,  received  deeply 
into  one  another,  and  confined  by 
powerful  ligaments,  admitting 
freely  of  hinge-like  action ;  but 
of  no  side  motion,  to  which  the 
joint  would  otherwise  be  exposed 
in  rapid  movement,  or  on  an  un- 
even surface.  A  slight  inspection 
of  the  cut  will  show  that  the  stress 
or  weight  thrown  by  the  tibia  a 
on  the  astragalus  b,  does  not 
descend  perpendicularly,  but  in  a 
slanting  direction.  By  this  much 
concussion  is  avoided,  or  more 
readily  diffused  among  the  dif- 
ferent bones;  and, the  joint  con- 
sisting of  six  bones,  each  of  them 
covered  with  elastic  cartilage,  and 
each  admitting  of  a  certain  degree 
of  motion,  the  diminished  con- 
cussion is  diffused  among  them 
all,  and  thereby  neutralised  and 
rendered  comparatively  harmless. 
Each  of  these  bones  is  covered 
not  only  by  cartilage,  but  by  a 
membrane  secreting  synovia  ;  so 
that,  in  fact,  these  bones  are 
formed  into  so  many  distinct 
joints,  separated  from  each  other, 
and  thereby  guarded  from  injury, 
yet  united  by  various  ligaments — 
possessing  altogether  sufficient 
motion,  yet  bound  together  so 
strongly  as  to  defy  dislocation. 
When,  however,  the  work  which 
this  joint  has  to  perform,  and  the 
thoughtlessness  and  cruelty  with 
which  that  work  is  often  exacted, 
are  considered,  it  will  not  excite 
any  surprise  if  this  necessarily  complicated  mechanism  is  sometimes  deranged.  The 
hock,  from  its  complicated  structure  and  its  work,  is  the  principal  seat  of  lameness 
behind. 

ENLARGEMENT   OF  THE   HOCK. 

First,  there  is  inflammation,  or  sprain  of  the  hock-joint  generally,  arising  from  sud- 
den violent  concussion,  by  some  check  at  speed,  or  over-weight,  and  attended  with 
enlargement  of  the  whole  joint,  and  great  tenderness  and  lameness.  This,  however, 
like  other  diffused  inflammations,  is  not  so  untractable  as  an  intense  one  of  a  more 
circumscribed  nature,  and  by  rest  and  fomentation,  or,  perchance,  firing,  the  limb 
recovers  its  action,  and  the  horse  becomes  fit  for  ordinary  work. 

The  swelling,  however,  does  not  always  subside.  Enlargement,  spread  over  the 
whole  of  the  hock-joint,  remains.  A  horse  with  an  enlarged  hock  must  always  be 
regarded  with  suspicion.  In  truth,  he  is  unsound.  The  parts,  altered  in  structure, 
must  be  to  a  certain  degree  weakened.    The  animal  may  discharge  his  usual  work 


BOG    SPAVIN.  287 

ilurinff  a  long  period,  without  return  of  lameness;  but  if  one  of  those  emergencies 
sliould  occur  when  all  his  energies  require  to  be  exerted,  the  disorganised  and 
weakened  part  will  fail.  The  purchase,  therefore,  of  a  horse  with  enlarged  hock 
will  depend  on  circumstances.  If  he  has  other  excellences,  he  will  not  be  uniformly 
rejected ;  for  he  may  be  ridden  or  driven  moderately  for  many  a  year  without  incon- 
venience, yet  one  extra  hard  day's  work  may  lame  him  for  ever. 

CURB. 

There  are  often  injuries  of  particular  parts  of  the  hock-joint.  Curb  is  an  affection 
of  this  kind.  It  is  an  enlargement  at  the  back  of  the  hock,  three  or  four  inches  below 
its  point.  It  is  represented  at  d,  p.  283,  and  is  either  a  strain  of  the  ring-like  liga- 
ment wiiich  binds  the  tendons  in  their  place,  or  of  the  sheath  of  the  tendons ;  oftener, 
however,  of  the  ligament  than  of  the  sheath.  Any  sudden  action  of  the  limb  of  more 
than  usual  violence  may  produce  it,  and  therefore  horses  are  found  to  '  throw  out 
curbs'  after  a  hardly-contested  race,  an  extraordinary  leap,  a  severe  gallop  over  heavy 
ground,  or  a  sudden  check  in  the  gallop.  Young  horses  are  particularly  liable  to  it, 
and  horses  that  are  cow-hocked  (vide  cut,  p.  283),  —  whose  hocks  and  legs  resemble 
those  of  the  cow,  the  hocks  being  turned  inward,  and  the  legs  forming  a  considerable 
angle  outwards.  This  is  intelligible  enough;  for  in  hocks  so  formed,  the  annular 
ligament  must  be  continually  on  the  stretch,  in  order  to  confine  the  tendon. 

Curbs  are  generally  accompanied  by  considerable  lameness  at  their  first  appearance, 
but  the  swelling  is  not  always  great.  They  are  best  detected  by  observing  the  leg 
sideway. 

The  first  object  in  attempting  the  curs  is  to  abate  inflammation,  and  this  will  be 
most  readily  accomplished  by  cold  evaporating  lotions  frequently  applied  to  the  part. 
Equal  portions  of  spirit  of  wine,  water,  and  vinegar,  will  afford  an  excellent  applica- 
tion. It  will  be  almost  impossible  to  keep  a  bandage  on.  If  the  heat  and  lameness 
are  considerable,  it  will  be  prudent  to  give  a  dose  of  physic,  and  to  bleed  from  the 
subcutaneous  vein,  whose  course  is  represented  at  r,  p.  281 ;  and  whether  the  injury 
■  s  of  the  annular  ligament,  or  the  sheath  of  the  tendon,  more  active  means  will  be 
necessary  to  perfect  the  cure.  Either  a  liquid  blister  should  be  rubbed  on  the  part, 
consisting  of  a  vinous  or  turpentine  tincture  of  cantharides,  and  this  daily  applied 
until  some  considerable  swelling  takes  place  ;  or,  what  is  the  preferable  plan,  the  hair 
should  be  cut  off,  and  the  part  blistered  as  soon  as  the  heat  has  been  subdued.  The 
blister  should  be  repeated  until  the  swelling  has  disappeared,  and  the  horse  goes 
sound.  In  severe  cases  it  may  be  necessary  to  fire;  but  a  fair  trial,  however,  should 
be  given  to  milder  measures.  If  the  iron  is  used,  it  should  be  applied  in  straight 
lines. 

There  are  few  lamenesses  in  which  absolute  and  long-continued  rest  is  more  requi- 
site. It  leaves  the  parts  materially  weakened,  and,  if  the  horse  is  soon  put  to  work 
again,  the  lameness  will  frequently  return.  No  horse  that  has  had  curbs,  should  be 
put  even  to  ordinary  work  in  less  than  a  month  after  the  apparent  cure;  and,  even 
then,  he  should  very  gradually  resume  his  former  habits. 

A  horse  with  a  curb,  is  manifestly  unsound.  A  horse  with  the  vestige  of  curb, 
should  be  regarded  with  much  suspicion,  or  generally  condemned  as  unsound. 

Curb  is  also  an  hereditary  complaint;  and  therefore  a  horse  that  has  once  suffered 
from  it,  should  always  be  regarded  with  suspicion,  especially  if  either  of  the' parents 
has  exhibited  it. 

BOG  SPAVIN. 

The  hock  is  plentifully  supplied  with  reservoirs  of  mucus,  to  lubricate  the  different 
portions  of  this  complicated  joint.  Some  of  these  are  found  on  the  inside  of  the  joint, 
which  could  not  be  represented  in  the  cut,  p.  236.  From  over-exertion  of  the  joint, 
they  become  inflamed,  and  considerably  enlarged.  They  are  wind-galls  of  the  hock. 
The  subcutaneous  vein  passes  over  the  inside  of  the  hock,  and  over  some  of  these 
enlarged  mucous  reservoirs,  and  is  compressed  between  them  and  the  external  integu- 
ment—  the  course  of  the  blood  is  partially  arrested,  and  a  portion  of  the  vein  below 
the  impediment,  and  between  it  and  the  next  valve,  is  distended,  and  causes  the  soft 
tumour  on  the  inside  of  the  hock,  called  Bog  or  Blood  spavin. 

This  is  a  very  serious  disease,  attended  with  no  great,  but  often  permanent  lame 
ness,  and  too  apt  to  return  when  the  enlargement  has  subsided  under  medical  treat 


288  THE   HIND    LEGS. 

ment.  It  mast  be  considered  as  decided  unsoundness.  In  a  horse  for  slow  draught, 
it  is  scarcely  worth  wliile  even  to  attack  it.  And  in  one  destined  to  more  rapid  action, 
the  j)robiibility  of  a  relapse  should  not  be  forgotten,  when  the  chances  of  success  and 
the  exuenses  of  treatment  are  calculated. 

The  cause  of  the  disease  —  the  enlarged  mucous  capsule  —  lies  deep,  and  is  with 
difllculty  operated  upon.  Uniform  pressure  would  sometimes  cause  the  absorption 
of  the  fluid  contained  in  cysts  or  bags  like  these,  but  in  a  joint  of  such  extensive 
motion  as  the  hock,  it  is  difficult,  or  almost  impossible,  to  confine  the  pressure  on  the 
precise  spot  at  which  it  is  required.  Could  it  be  made  to  bear  on  the  enlarged  bag, 
it  would  likewise  press  on  the  vein,  and  to  a  greater  degree  hinder  the  passage  of  the 
blood,  and  increase  the  dilatation  below  the  obstruction.  The  old  and  absurd  method 
of  passing  a  ligature  above  and  below  the  enlarged  portion  of  the  vein,  and  then  dis- 
secting out  the  tumour,  is  not,  in  the  advanced  stage  of  veterinary  science',  ])ractised 
by  any  surgeon  who  regards  his  reputation.  The  only  method  of  relief  which  holds 
out  any  promise  even  of  temporary  success,  is  exciting  considerable  inflammation  on 
the  skin,  and  thus  rousing  the  deeper-seated  absorbents  to  carry  away  the  fluid  eifused 
in  the  enlarged  bag.  P^or  this  purpose,  blisters  or  firing  may  be  tried :  but  in  the 
majority  of  cases,  the  disease  will  bid  defiance  to  all  appliances,  or  will  return  and 
baffle  our  hopes  when  we  had  seemed  to  be  accomplishing  our  object. 

A  horse  with  bog  spavin  will  do  for  ordinary  work.  He  may  draw  in  a  cart,  or 
trot  fairly  in  a  lighter  carriage,  with  little  detriment  to  his  utility;  but  he  ^vill  never 
do  for  hard  or  rapid  work. 

BONE  SPAVIN. 

A  still  more  formidable  disease  ranks  under  the  name  of  Spavin,  and  is  an  affec- 
tion of  the  bones  of  the  hock-joint.  It  has  been  stated  that  the  bones  of  the  leg,  the 
shank-bone,  g,  p.  286,  and  the  two  small  splint-bones  behind,  h,  support  the  lower 
layer  of  the  bones  of  the  hock.  The  cube-bone,  d,  rests  principally  on  the  shank- 
bone,  and  in  a  slight  degree  on  the  outer  splint-bone.  The  middle  wedge-bone,  /, 
rests  entirely  upon  the  shank-bone,  and  the  smaller  wedge-bone  presses  (not  seen  in 
the  cut)  in  a  very  slight  degree  on  the  shank-bone,  but  principally,  or  almost  entirely, 
on  the  inner  splint-bone.  Then  the  splint-bones  sustain  a  very  unequal  degree  of 
concussion  and  weight.  Not  only  is  the  inner  one  placed  more  under  the  body,  and 
nearer  the  centre  of  gravity,  but  it  has  almost  the  whole  of  the  weight  and  concussion 
communicated  to  the  smaller  cuneiform  bone  carried  on  to  it.  It  is  not,  therefore,  to 
be  wondered  at  that,  in  the  violent  action  of  this  joint  in  galloping,  leaping,  heavy 
draught,  and  especially  in  young  horses,  and  before  the  limbs  have  become  properly 
knit,  the  inner  splint-bone,  or  its  ligaments,  or  the  substance  which  connects  it  with 
the  shank-bone,  should  suffer  material  injury. 

The  smith  increases  the  tendency  to  this  by  his  injudicious  management  of  the  feet. 
It  is  a  common  notion  that  cutting,  and  wounds  in  the  feet — from  one  foot  treading  on 
the  other — are  prevented  by  putting  on  a  shoe  with  a  calkhi  on  the  outer  heel  —  that 
is,  the  extremity  of  the  heel  being  considerably  raised  from  the  ground.  It  is  not 
unusual  to  see  whole  teams  of  horses  with  the  outer  heel  of  the  hind  foot  considerably 
raised  above  the  other.  This  unequal  bearing,  or  distribution  of  the  weight,  cannot 
fail  of  being  injurious.  It  places  an  unequal  strain  on  the  ligaments  of  the  joints, 
and  particularly  of  the  hock-joint,  and  increases  the  tendency  to  spavin. 

The  weight  and  concussion  thus  thrown  on  the  inner  splint-bone,  produce  inflam- 
mation of  the  cartilaginous  substance  that  unites  it  to  the  shank-bone.  In  conse- 
quence of  it,  the  cartilage  is  absorbed,  and  bone  deposited ;  the  union  between  the 
splint-bone  and  the  shank  becomes  bony,  instead  of  cartilaginous ;  the  degree  of 
elastic  action  between  them  is  destroyed,  and  there  is  formed  a  splint  of  the  hind  leg. 
This  is  uniformly  on  the  inside  of  the  hind  leg,  because  the  greatest  weight  and  con- 
cussion are  thrown  on  the  inner  splint-bones.  As  in  the  fore  leg,  the  disposition  to 
form  bony  matter  having  commenced,  and  the  cause  which  produced  it  continuing  to 
act,  bone  continues  to  be  deposited,  and  it  generally  appears  in  the  form  of  a  tumour, 
vi'here  the  head  of  the  splint-bone  is  united  with  the  shank,  and  in  front  of  that  union. 
It  is  seen  at  c,  p.  283.  This  is  called  bone  spavin.  Inflammation  of  the  ligaments 
of  any  of  the  small  bones  of  the  hock,  proceeding  to  bony  tumour,  would  equally 
class  under  the  name  of  spavin  ;  but,  commonly,  the  disease  commences  on  the  pre- 
cise spot  that  has  been  described. 


BONE   SPAVIN.  289 

While  spaYin  is  /orming,  there  is  always  lameness,  and  that  frequenTly  to  a  vtry 
great  degree:  but  when  the  membrane  of  the  bone  has  accommodated  itself  to  the 
tumour  that  extended  it,  the  lameness  subsides  or  disappears,  or  depends  upon  the 
degree  in  which  the  bony  deposit  interferes  with  the  motion  of  the  joint.  It  is  well 
known  to  horsemen,  that  many  a  hunter,  with  spavin  that  would  cause  his  rejection 
by  a  veterinary  surgeon,  stands  his  work  without  lameness.  The  explanation  is  this : 
there  is  no  reason  why  an  old  bony  tumour  on  the  outside  of  any  of  the  bones  of  the 
hock,  free  from  connexion  with  the  next  bone,  and  from  any  tendon,  should  be  at  all 
injurious ;  as,  for  instance,  one  immediately  under  e  or/,  p.  286  :  but,  from  the  com- 
plicated nature  of  the  hock,  it  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  be  quite  sure  of  the 
place,  or  extent,  from  inspection,  of  the  tumour ;  and,  besides,  the  disposition  to  throw 
out  bone  covered  by  the  tumour,  may  continue  and  extend  to  the  joint.  The  surgeon, 
therefore,  cannot  be  perfectly  safe  in  pronouncing  a  bone  spavin  to  be  of  no  conse- 
quence. Horses  with  exceedingly  large  spavins,  are  often  seen  that  are  only  slightly 
lame,  or  that  merely  have  a  stiffness  in  their  gait  at  first  starting,  but  which  gradually 
goes  off  after  a  little  motion  ;  while  others,  with  the  bony  tumour  comparatively 
small,  have  thg  lameness  so  great  as  to  destroy  the  usefulness  of  the  horse.  There  is 
always  tliis  peculiarity  in  the  lameness  of  spavin,  tliat  it  abates,  and  sometimes  dis- 
appears, on  exercise;  and,  therefore,  a  horse,  with  regard  to  which  there  is  any  sus- 
picion of  this  affection,  should  be  examined  when  first  in  the  morning  it  is  taken  from 
the  stable. 

If  the  spavin  continues  to  increase,  the  bony  deposit  first  spreads  over  the  lower 
wedge-bones,  /,  page  386,  for  these  are  nearest  to  its  original  seat.  They  are  capa- 
ble of  slight  motion,  and  share  in  every  action  of  the  joint,  but  their  principal  de- 
sign is  to  obviate  concussion.  The  chief  motion  of  the  joint,  and  that  compared 
with  which  the  motion  of  the  other  bones  is  scarcely  to  be  regarded,  is  confined  to 
the  tibia  a,  and  the  astragalus  b,  and  therefore  stiffness  rather  than  lameness  may 
accompany  spavin,  even  when  it  is  beginning  to  affect  the  small  bones  of  the  joint. 
Hence,  too,  is  the  advantage  of  these  bones  having  each  its  separate  ligaments  and 
membranes,  and  constituting  so  many- distinct  joints,  since  injury  may  happen  to 
some  of  them,  without  the  effect  being  propagated  to  the  rest.  When  the  bony  de- 
posit continues  to  enlarge  and  takes  in  the  second  layer  of  bones — the  larger  wedge- 
bones  e — and  even  spreads  to  the  cuboid  bones  on  the  other  side,  the  lameness  may 
not  be  very  great,  because  these  are  joints,  or  parts  of  the  joint,  in  which  the  motion 
is  small ;  but  when  it  extends  to  the  union  of  the  tibia  a,  and  the  astragalus  b — when 
the  joint,  in  which  is  the  chief  motion  of  the  hock,  is  attacked  —  the  lameness  ia 
indeed  formidable,  and  the  horse  becomes  nearly  quite  useless. 

Spavined  horses  are  generally  capable  of  slow  work.  They  are  equal  to  the  greater 
part  of  the  work  of  the  farm,  and  therefore  they  should  not  be  always  rejected  by  the 
small  farmer,  as  they  may  generally  be  procured  at  little  price.  These  horses  are 
not  only  capable  of  agricultural  work,  but  they  generally  improve  under  it.  The 
lameness  in  some  degree  abates,  and  even  the  bony  tumour  to  a  certain  degree  dimin- 
ishes. Tliere  is  sufficient  moderate  motion  and  friction  of  the  limb  to  rouse  the  ab- 
sorbents to  action,  and  cause  them^  to  take  up  a  portion  of  the  bony  matter  thrown 
out,  but  not  enough  to  renew  or  prolong  inflammation.  It  cannot  be  said  that  the 
plough  affords  a  cere  for  spavin,  but  the  spavined  horse  often  materially  improves 
while  working  at  it. 

For  fast  work,  and  for  work  that  must  be  regularly  performed,  spavined  horses  are 
not  well  calculated  ;  for  this  lameness  behind  produces  great  difficulty  in  rising,  and 
the  consciousness  that  he  will  not  be  able  to  rise  without  painful  effort  occasionally 
prevents  the  horse  from  lying  down  at  all ;  and  the  animal  that  cannot  rest  well  can- 
not long  travel  far  or  fast. 

The  treatment  of  spavin  is  simple  enough,  but  far  from  being  always  effectual. 
The  owner  of  the  horse  will  neither  consult  his  own  interest,  nor  the  dictates  of  hu- 
manity, if  he  suffers  the  chisel  and  mallet,  or  the  gimlet,  or  the  pointed  iron,  or  arse- 
nic, to  be  used ;  yet  measures  of  considerable  severity  must  be  resorted  to.  Repeated 
blisters  will  usually  cause  either  the  absorption  of  the  bony  deposit,  or  the  abatement 
or  removal  of  the  inflammation  of  the  ligaments,  or,  as  a  last  resource,  the  heated 
iron  may  be  applied. 

The  accoun',  of  the  diseases  of  the  hock  is  not  yet  completed.  It  is  well  known 
that  the  horse  "s  frequently  subject  to  lameness  behind,  when  no  ostensible  cause  for 
25  2m 


290  THE    HIND    LEGS. 

it  can  be  found,  an-l  there  is  no  external  heat  or  enlargement  to  indicate  its  seat. 
Farriers  and  gTooms  pronounce  these  to  be  afl'ections  of  the  stifle,  or  round  bone ;  or, 
f  the  gait  of  the  horse  and  peculiar  stifTness  of  motion  point  out  the  hock  as  the 
affected  part,  yet  the  joint  may  be  of  its  natural  size,  and  neitlier  heat  nor  tenderness 
can  be  discovered.  The  groom  has  his  own  method  of  unravelling  the  mystery.  He 
says  that  it  is  the  beginning  of  spavin;  but  months  and  years  pass  away,  and  the 
■snavin  does  not  appear,  and  the  horse  is  at  length  destroyed  as  incurably  lame. 

Horsemen  are  indebted  to  Mr.  W.  J.  Goodwin,  V.  S.  to  Her  Majesty,  for  the  dis- 
covery of  the  seat  of  frequent  lameness  behind.  The  cut,  p.  286,  represents  the  two 
'ayersof  small  bones  within  the  hock — the  larger  wedge-like  bone  e,  above;  and  the 
middle  /,  and  the  smaller  one  below,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  almost  the  whole  of  the 
\veight  of  the  horse,  communicated  by  the  tibia  o,  is  thrown  upon  these  bones.  The 
cube-bone  d  does  little  more  than  support  the  point  of  the  hock  c.  It  is  then  easy  to 
imagine  that,  in  the  concussion  of  hard  work  or  rapid  travelling,  these  bones,  or  the 
delicate  and  sensible  membranes  in  which  they  are  wrapped,  may  be  severely  injured. 
Repeated  dissections  of  horses  that  have  been  incurably  lame  behind,  without  any- 
thing external,  during  life,  to  point  out  the  place  or  cause  of  lameness,  have  shown 
that  inflammation  of  the  membranes  lining  these  joints,  and  secreting  the  fluid  that 
lubricates  them,  has  taken  place. 

Mr.  Goodwin  narrates  a  very  interesting  case  in  corroboration  of  this  account  of 
hock  lameness.  The  author  of  this  work  had  the  honour  of  being  present  when  the 
examination  took  place.  "  The  patient  was  a  harness  horse  of  unusual  perfection, 
both  in  shape  and  action,  and  was  a  great  favourite  with  an  illustrious  personage. 
He  suddenly  became  lame  behind  on  the  ofF-leg,  but  without  the  least  accident  or 
alteration  of  structure  to  account  for  it.  He  was  turned  out  for  a  short  time,  and  the 
lameness  disappeared.  He  was  then  incautiously  made  to  perform  his  usual  work, 
until  perfectly  incapacitated  for  it  by  returning  and  aggravated  lameness.  Suspect- 
ing the  seat  of  lameness  to  be  in  the  hock,  although  the  joint  was  perfectly  unaltered 
in  form,  he  was,  three  months  after  the  commencement  of  the  lameness,  blistered  and 
fired,  and  placed  either  in  a  loose  place  or  paddock,  as  circumstances  seemed  to  re- 
quire. Not  the  least  amendment  took  place  at  the  end  of  six  months,  even  in  his 
quiescent  state,  and,  after  twelve  months  from  the  time  of  his  being  given  up  for 
treatment,  he  was  destroyed,  his  case  being  naturally  considered  a  hopeless  one. 
Ulceration  of  the  synovial  membrane  was  found,  taking  its  origin  between  the  two 
cuneiform  bones.  These  bones  had  become  carious,  and  the  disease  had  gradually 
extended  itself  to  other  parts  of  the  joint.  Mr.  Goodwin  had  no  doubt  that  if  the 
animal  had  been  suffered  to  work  on  for  any  greater  length  of  time,  necrosis,  or  an- 
chylosis of  every  bone  concerned  in  the  hock,  would  have  been  the  result."* — (Fe/e- 
rinarian,  iii.  158.) 

Much  more  depends,  than  they  who  are  not  well  accustomed  to  horses  imagine,  on 
the  length  of  the  os  calcis,  or  projection  of  the  hock.  In  proportion  to  the  length  of 
this  bone  will  two  purposes  be  effected.  The  line  of  direction  will  be  more  advanta- 
geous, for  it  will  be  nearer  to  a  perpendicular,  and  the  arm  of  the  lever  to  which  the 
power  is  applied  will  be  lengthened,  and  thus  mechanical  advantage  will  be  gained 
to  an  almost  incredible  extent.  The  slightest  lengthening  of  the  point  of  the  hock 
will  wonderfully  tell  in  the  course  of  a  day's  work,  and  therefore  it  is  that  the  char- 
acter of  the  OS  calcis  is  of  such  immense  importance. 

The  point  of  the  hock  is  sometimes  swelled.  A  soft,  fluctuating  tumour  appears 
on  it.  This  is  an  enlargement  of  one  of  the  mucous  bags  of  which  mention  has  been 
made,  and  that  surrounds  the  insertion  of  the  tendons  into  the  point  of  tlie  hock.  It 
is  termed, 

CAPPED  HOCK. 

It  is  eeldom  accompanied  by  lameness,  and  yet  it  is  a  somewhat  serious  business, 
for  it  is  usually  produced  by  blows  and  mostly  by  the  injuries  which  the  horse  in- 

*  These  opinions  of  the  seat  and  nature  of  obscure  hock-lameness  are  now  maintained  b" 
the  majority  of  %'eterinary  surgeons,  although  some  of  them  diflier  a  little  with  regard  to  the 
articulation  that  is  p;cneral!y  affected,  and  the  manner  in  which  the  depressions  or  excavations 
on  the  surface  of  these  Viones  is  effected.  In  tlie  10th  volume  of  the  "Veterinarian,"  are 
some  valuable  observations  on  this  subject  by  Professor  Dick,  and  Messrs.  Pritchard  and 
Spooner. 


MALLENDERS  AND  SALLENDERS.  — SWELLED   LEGS.  291 

flicts  upon  himself  in  the  act  of  kicking:  therefore  it  is  that  a  horse  with  a  capped 
hock  is  very  properly  regarded  with  a  suspicious  eye.  The  whole  of  the  hock 
should  be  carefully  examined  in  order  to  discover  whether  there  are  other  marks  of 
violence,  and  the  previous  history  of  the  animal  should  be  carefully  inquired  into. 
Does  he  kick  in  harness  or  in  the  stall,  or  has  lie  been  lying  on  a  thin  bed,  or  on  nc 
bed  at  all ;  and  mus  may  the  liock  have  been  bruised,  and  the  swelling  produced'? 

It  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  apply  a  bandage  over  a  capped  hock;  and  puncturing 
the  tumour,  or  passing  a  seton  through  it,  would  be  a  most  injudicious  practice". 
Blisters,  or  iodine,  repeated  as  often  as  may  be  necessary,  are  the  best  means  to  be 
employed.  Occasionally  the  tumour  will  spontaneously  disappear;  but  at  other 
times  it  will  attain  a  large  size,  or  assume  a  callous  structure,  that  will  bid  defiance 
to  all  the  means  that  can  be  employed. 

MALLENDERS  AND  SALLENDERS. 

On  the  inside  of  the  hock,  or  a  little  below  it,  as  well  as  at  the  bend  of  the  knee 
{h,  p.  277),  there  is  occasionally  a  scurfy  eruption,  called  mallenders  in  the  fore  leg, 
and  sallenders  in  the  hind  leg.  They  seldom  produce  lameness ;  but  if  no  means  are 
taken  to  get  rid  of  them,  a  discharge  proceeds  from  them  which  it  is  afterwards 
difficult  to  stop.     They  usually  indicate  bad  stable  management. 

A  diuretic  ball  should  be  occasionally  given,  and  an  ointment  of  sugar-of-lead  and 
tar,  with  treble  the  quantity  of  lard,  rubbed  over  the  part.  Should  this  fail,  a  weak 
mercurial  ointment  may  be  used.     Iodine  has  here  also  been  useful. 

The  line  of  direction  of  the  legs  beneath  the  hocks  should  not  be  disregarded.  Tho 
leg  should  descend  perpendicularly  to  the  fetlock.  The  weight  and  stress  will  thus 
be  equally  diffused,  not  only  over  the  whole  of  the  hock,  but  also  the  pasterns  and 
the  foot.  Some  horses  have  their  hocks  closer  than  usual  to  each  other.  The  legs 
take  a  divergent  direction  outward,  and  the  toes  also  are  turned  outward.  These 
horses  are  said  to  be  Cat  or  Cow  hocked.  They  are  generally  supposed  to  possess 
considerable  speed.  Perhaps  they  do  so;  and  it  is  thus  accounted  for.  The  cow- 
hocked  horse  has  his  legs  not  only  turned  more  outward,  but  bent  more  under  him, 
and  this  increases  the  distance  between  the  point  of  the  hock  and  the  tendons  of  the 
perforating  muscle  :  see  6,  in  the  cut,  page  283.  It  increases  the  s"j>ace  which  is 
usually  occupied  by  thoroughpin,  see  a,  in  the  same  page.  Then  tl  e  point  of  the 
hock,  moved  by  the  action  of  the  muscles,  is  enabled  to  describe  a  gieater  portion  of 
a  circle ;  and  in  proportion  to  the  increased  space  passed  over  by  the  point  of  the  hock, 
will  the  space  traversed  by  the  limb  be  increased,  and  so  the  stride  of  the  horse  may 
be  lengthened,  and,  thus  far,  his  speed  may  be  increased.  But  this  advantage  is 
more  than  counterbalanced  by  many  evils.  This  increased  contraction  of  the  muscles 
is  an  expenditure  of  animal  power ;  and,  as  already  stated,  the  weight  and  the  con- 
cussion being  so  unequally  distributed  by  this  formation  of  the  limbs,  some  part  must 
be  over-strained  and  over-worked,  and  injury  must  ensue.  On  this  account  it  is  that 
the  cow-hocked  horse  is  more  subject  than  others  to  thoroughpin  and  spavin;  and  is 
so  disposed  to  curbs,  that  these  hocks  are  denominated  by  horsemen  curly  hocks. 
The  mischief  extends  even  farther  than  this.  Such  a  horse  is  peculiarly  liable  to 
windgall,  sprain  of  the  fetlock,  cutting,  and  knuckling. 

A  slight  inclination  to  this  form  in  a  strong  powerful  horse  may  not  be  very  objec- 
tionable, but  a  horse  decidedly  cow-hocked  should  never  be  selected. 

SWELLED  LEGS. 

The  fore  legs,  but  oftener  the  hind  ones,  and  especially  in  coarse  horses,  are  some- 
times subject  to  considerable  enlargement.  Occasionally,  when  the  horse  does  not 
eeera  to  labour  under  any  other  disease,  and  sometimes  from  an  apparent  shifting  of 
disease  from  other  parts,  the  hind  legs  suddenly  swell  to  an  enormous  degree  from 
the  hock  and  almost  from  the  stifle  to  the  fetlock,  attended  by  a  greater  or  less  degree 
of  heat,  and  tenderness  of  the  skin,  and  sometimes  excessive  and  very  peculiar  lame- 
ness. The  pulse  likewise  becomes  quick  and  hard,  and  the  horse  evidently  labours 
under  considerable  fever.  It  is  acute  inflammation  of  the  cellular  substance  of  the 
legs,  and  that  most  sudden  in  its  attack,  and  most  violent  in  its  degree,  and  therefore 
attended  by  the  effusion  of  a  considerable  quantity  of  fluid  into  the  cellular  membrane. 
It  occurs  in  young  horses,  and  in  those  which  are  over-fed  and  little  exercised 


292  THE   HIND    LEGS. 

Fomentation,  diuretics,  oi  puroratives,  or,  if  there  is  much  fever,  a  moderate  bleeding 
will  often  relieve  the  distension  almost  as  suddenly  as  it  appeared. 

The  kind  of  swelled  legs  most  frequently  occurring  and  most  troublesome  is  of  a 
different  nature,  or  rather  it  is  most  various  in  its  kind  and  causes,  and  consequences 
and  mode  of  treatment.  Sometimes  the  legs  are  filled,  but  there  is  little  lameness  or 
inconvenience.  At  other  times  the  limbs  are  strangely  gorged,  and  with  a  great 
degree  of  stiffness  and  paim  Occasionally  the  horse  is  apparently  well  at  night,  but, 
onthe  following  morning,  one  or  both  of  the  legs  are  tremendously  swollen ;  and  on 
its  being  touched,  the  horse  catches  it  up  suddenly,  and  nearly  falls  as  he  does  so. 
Many  horses,  in  seemingly  perfect  health,  if  suffered  to  remain  several  days  without 
exercise,  will  have  swelled  legs.  If  the  case  is  neglected,  abscesses  appear  in  various 
parts  of  the  legs ;  the  heels  are  attacked  by  grease,  and,  if  proper  measures  are  not 
adopted,  the  horse  has  an  enlarged  leg  for  life. 

The  cure,  when  the  case  has  not  been  too  long  neglected,  is  sufficiently  plain. 
Physic  or  diuretics,  or  both,  must  be  had  recourse  to.  iMild  cases  will  generally 
yield  to  their  intiuence;  but,  if  the  animal  has  been  neglected,  the  treatment  must  be 
decisive.  If  the  horse  is  in  high  condition,  these  should  be  preceded  or  accompanied 
by  bleeding;  but  if  there  are  any  symptoms  of  debility,  bleeding  would  only  increase 
the  want  of  tone  in  the  vessels. 

Horses  taken  from  grass  and  brought  into  close  stables  very  speedily  have  swelled 
legs,  because  the  difference  of  food  and  increase  of  nutriment  rapidly  increase  the 
quantitv  of  the  circulating  fluid,  while  the  want  of  exercise  takes  away  the  means  by 
which  it  might  be  got  rid  of.  The  remedy  here  is  sufficiently  plain.  Swelled  legs, 
however,  may  proceed  from  general  debility.  They  may  be  the  consequence  of 
starvation,  or  disease  that  has  considerably  weakened  the  animal ;  and  these  parts, 
being  farthest  from  the  centre  of  circulation,  are  the  first  to  show  the  loss  of  power 
by  the  accumulation  of  fluid  in  them.  Here  the  means  of  cure  would  be  to  increase 
the  general  strength,  with  which  the  extremities  would  sympathise.  I\lild  diuretics 
and  tonics  would  therefore  be  evidently  indicated. 

Horses  in  the  spring  and  fall  are  subject  to  swelled  legs.  The  powers  of  the  con- 
stitution are  principally  employed  in  providing  a  new  coat  for  the  animal,  and  the 
extremities  have  not  their  share  of  vital  influence.  Mingled  cordials  and  diuretics  are 
indicated  here  —  the  diuretic  to  lessen  the  quantity  of  the  circulating  fluid,  and  the 
cordial  to  invigorate  the  frame. 

Swelled  legs  are  often  teasing  in  horses  that  are  in  tolerable  or  good  health  :  but 
where  the  work  is  somewhat  irregular  the  cure  consists  in  giving  more  equal  exercise, 
walking  the  horse  out  daily  when  the  usual  work  is  not  required,  and  using  plentj' 
of  friction  in  the  form  of  hand-rubbing.  Bandages  have  a  greater  and  more  durable 
effect,  for  nothing  tends  more  to  support  the  capillary  vessels,  and  rouse  the  action 
of  the  absorbents,  tlian  moderate  pressure.  Hay -bands  will  form  a  good  bandage  for 
the  airricultural  horse,  and  their  effect  will  probably  be  increased  by  previously 
dipping  them  in  water. 

GREASE. 

The  physic,  or  the  diuretic  ball,  may  occasionally  be  used,  but  very  sparingly  ;  and 
only  when  they  are  absolutely  required.  In  the  hands  of  the  owner  of  the  horse,  or 
of  the  veterinary  surgeon,  they  may  be  employed  with  benefit ;  but  in  those  of  the 
carter  or  the  groom  they  will  do  far  more  harm  than  good.  The  frequent  and  undue 
stimulus  of  the  urinary  organs  by  the  diuretic  ball,  will  be  too  often  followed  by 
speedy  and  incurable  debility.  If  the  swelling  bids  defiance  to  exercise  and  friction 
and  bandage,  the  aid  of  the  diuretic  may  be  resorted  to,  but  never  until  these  have 
failed,  unless  there  is  an  evident  tendency  to  humour  or  grease. 

Swelled  legrs,  although  distinct  from  grease,  is  a  disease  that  is  apt  to  degenerate 
into  it.  Grease  is  a  specific  inflammation  of  the  skin  of  the  heels,  sometimes  of  the 
fore-feet,  but  oftener  of  the  hinder  ones.  It  is  not  a  contagious  disease,  as  some  have 
asserted,  althoudi  when  it  once  appears  in  a  stable  it  frequently  attacks  almost  every 
horse  in  it.     Bad  stable  manajement  is  the  true  cause  of  it. 

There  is  a  peculiarity  about  the  skin  of  the  heel  of  the  horse.  In  its  healthy  state 
there  is  a  secretion  of  greasy  matter  from  it,  in  order  to  prevent  excoriation  and  chap- 
ping, and  the  skin  is  soft  and  pliable.  Too  often,  however,  from  bad  management, 
the  secretion  of  this  greasy  matter  is  stopped,  and  the  skin  of  the  heel  becomes  red, 


GREASE.  293 

and  drj',  and  scurfy.  The  joint  still  continuing  to  be  extended  and  flexed,  cracks  of 
the  skin  begin  to  appear,  and  these,  if  neglected,  rapidly  extend,  and  the  heel  becomes 
a  mass  of  soreness,  ulceration,  and  fungus. 

The  distance  of  the  heel  from  the  centre  of  circulation,  and  the  position  of  the  hina 
limbs,  render  the  return  of  blood  slow  and  difficult.  There  is  also  more  variation  of 
temperature  here  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  frame.  As  the  horse  stands  in  the 
closed  stable,  the  heat  of  this  part  is  too  often  increased  by  its  being  embedded  in 
straw.  When  the  stable  door  is  open,  the  heels  are  nearest  to  it,  and  receive  first, 
and  most  powerfully,  the  cold  current  of  air.  When  he  is  taken  from  his  stable  to 
work,  the  heels  are  frequently  covered  with  mire  and  wet,  and  they  are  oftenest  and 
most  intensely  chilled  by  the  long  and  slow  process  of  evaporation  which  is  taking 
place  from  them.  No  one,  then,  can  wonder  at  the  frequency  with  which  the  heels 
are  attacked  by  inflammation,  and  the  difficulty  there  is  in  subduing  it. 

Much  error  has  prevailed,  and  it  has  led  to  considerable  bad  practice,  from  the 
notion  of  humours  flying  about  the  horse,  and  which,  it  is  said,  must  have  vent  some- 
where, and  attack  the  heels  as  the  weakest  part  of  the  frame.  Thence  arise  the 
physicking,  and  the  long  course  of  diuretics,  which  truly  weaken  the  animal,  and  often 
do  irreparable  mischief. 

Grease  is  a  local  complaint.  It  is  produced  principally  by  causes  that  act  locally, 
and  it  is  most  successfully  treated  by  local  applications.  Diuretics  and  purgatives 
may  be  useful  in  abating  inflammation ;  but  the  grand  object  is  to  get  rid  of  the  inflam- 
matory action  which  exists  in  the  skin  of  the  heel,  and  to  heal  the  wounds,  and 
resnedy  the  mischief  which  it  has  occasioned. 

The  first  appearance  of  grease  is  usually  a  dry  and  scurfy  state  of  the  skin  of  the 
heel,  with  redness,  heat,  and  itcliiness.  The  heel  should  be  well  but  gently  washed 
with  soap  and  water,  and  as  much  of  the  scurf  detached  as  is  easily  removable.  An 
ointment,  composed  of  one  part  plumb,  diacet.  and  seven  of  adeps  suillae,  will  usually 
supple,  and  cool,  and  heal  the  part. 

When  cracks  appear,  the  mode  of  treatment  will  depend  on  their  extent  and  depth. 
If  they  are  but  slight,  a  lotion,  composed  plumbi  sulph.  oij.  et  aluminis  oiiij.,  dis- 
solved in  a  pint  of  water,  will  often  speedily  dry  them  up,  and  close  them.  There  is 
sometimes  considerable  caprice  in  the  application  of  this  lotion,  which  has  induced 
Professor  Morton  to  have  recourse  to  alumen  et  terebinthinus  vulgaris  one  part  each, 
and  adeps  suillse  three  parts,  made  into  an  ointment. 

If  the  cracks  are  deep,  with  an  ichorous  discharge  and  considerable  lameness,  it 
will  be  necessarj"  to  poultice  the  heel.  A  poultice  of  linseed  meal  will  be  generally 
eflective,  unless  the  discharge  is  thin  and  offensive,  when  an  ounce  of  finely-powdered 
charcoal  should  be  mixed  with  the  linseed  meal ;  or  a  poultice  of  carrots,  boiled  soft 
and  mashed.  The  efficacy  of  a  carrot-poultice  is  seldom  sufficiently  appreciated  in 
cases  like  this. 

When  the  inflammation  and  pain  have  evidently  subsided,  and  the  sores  discharge 
good  matter,  the  calamine  ointment  may  be  applied  with  advantage ;  and  the  cure 
will  generally  be  quickened  if  a  verj'  diluted  vitriolic  or  alum  solution  is  applied. 

The  best  medicine  will  consist  of  mild  aloetic  balls  ;  gentle  diuretics  being  given 
towards  the  close  of  the  treatment. 

After  the  chaps  or  cracks  have  healed,  the  legs  will  sometimes  continue  gorged  and 
swelled.  A  flannel  bandage,  evenly  applied  over  the  whole  of  the  swelled  part,  will 
be  very  serviceable  ;  or,  should  the  season  admit  of  it,  a  run  at  grass,  particularly 
spring  grass,  should  be  allowed.  A  blister  is  inadmissible,  from  the  danger  of 
bringing  back  the  inflammation  of  the  skin,  and  the  discharge  from  it;  but  the 
actual  cautery,  special  care  being  taken  not  to  penetrate  the  skin,  may  occasionally  be 
resorted  to. 

In  some  cases  the  cracks  are  not  confined  to  the  centre  of  the  heels,  but  spread  over 
them,  and  extend  on  the  fetlock,  and  even  up  the  leg,  while  the  legs  are  exceedingly 
swelled,  and  there  is  a  watery  discharge  from  the  cracks,  and  an  apparent  oozing 
through  the  skin  at  other  places.  The  legs  are  exceedingly  tender  and  sometimes 
hot.  and  there  is  an  appearance  which  the  farrier  thinks  very  decisive  as  to  the  state 
of  the  disease,  and  which  the  better  informed  man  should  not  overlook  —  the  heels 
smoke — the  skin  is  so  hot.  that  the  watery  fluid  partly  evaporates  as  it  runs  from  the 
cracks  or  oozes  through  the  skin. 

There  will  be  great  danger  in  suddenly  stopping  this  discharge.     Inflammation  of 


29^  THE   HIND    LEGS. 

a  more  important  part  has  rapidly  succeeded  to  the  injudicious  attempt.  The  local 
application  should  be  directed  to  the  abatement  of  the  inflammation.  The  poultices 
just  referred  to  should  be  diligently  used  night  and  day,  and  especially  the  carrot- 
poultice;  and  when  the  heat,  and  tenderness,  and  stiiTness  of  motion  have  diminished, 
astringent  lotions  may  be  applied — either  the  alum  lotion,  or  a  strong  decoction  of  oak- 
bark,  changed,  or  used  alternately,  but  not  mixed.  The  cracks  should  likewise  be 
dressed  with  the  ointment  above-mentioned  ;  and,  the  moment  the  horse  can  bear  it,  a 
flannel  bandage  should  be  put  on,  reaching  from  the  coronet  to  three  or  four  inches 
above  the  swelling. 

The  medicine  should  be  confined  to  mild  diuretics,  mixed  with  one-third  part  of 
cordial  mash  ;  or,  if  the  horse  is  gross,  and  the  inflammation  runs  high,  a  dose  of 
physic  may  be  given.  If  the  horse  is  strong,  and  full  of  flesh,  physic  should  always 
precede  and  sometimes  supersede  the  diuretics.  In  cases  of  much  debility,  diuretics, 
with  aromatics  or  tonics,  will  be  preferable. 

The  feeding  should  likewise  vary  with  the  case,  but  with  these  rules,  which  admit 
of  no  exception,  that  green  meat  should  be  given,  and  more  especially  canots,  when 
they  are  not  too  expensive,  and  mashes,  if  the  horse  will  eat  them,  and  never  the  full 
allowance  of  corn. 

Walking  exercise  should  be  resorted  to  as  soon  as  the  horse  is  able  to  bear  it,  and 
this  by  degrees  may  be  increased  to  a  gentle  trot. 

From  bad  stable  management  at  first,  and  neglect  during  the  disease,  a  yet  worse 
kind  of  grease  occasionally  appears.  The  ulceration  extends  over  the  skin  of  the  heel 
and  the  fetlock,  and  a  fungus  springs  from  the  surface  of  both,  highly  sensible,  bleed- 
ing at  the  slightest  touch,  and  interspersed  with  scabs.  By  degrees,  portions  of  the 
fungus  begin  to  be  covered  with  a  horny  substance  protruding  in  the  form  of  knobs, 
and  collected  together  in  bunches.  These  are  known  by  the  name  of  grapes.  A 
fcEtid  and  very  peculiar  exudation  proceeds  from  nearly  the  whole  of  the  unnatural 
substance.  The  horse  evidently  suffers  much,  and  is  gradually  worn  down  by  the 
discharge.     The  assistance  of  a  veterinary  surgeon  is  here  indispensable. 

Some  horses  are  more  subject  to  grease  than  others,  particularly  draught-horses, 
both  heavy  and  light,  but  particularly  the  former,  and  if  they  have  no  degree  of  blood 
in  them.  It  was  the  experience  of  this  which  partly  contributed  to  the  gradual 
change  of  coach  and  other  draught-horses  to  those  of  a  lighter  breed.  In  the  great 
majority  of  cases,  grease  arises  from  mismanagement  and  neglect. 

Everything  that  has  a  tendency  to  excite  inflammation  in  the  skin  of  the  heel  is  a 
cause  of  grease.  Therefore  want  of  exercise  is  a  frequent  source  of  this  disease 
The  fluid  which  accumulates  about  the  extremities  and  is  unable  to  return,  is  a  source 
of  irritation  by  its  continual  pressure.  When  high  feeding  is  added  to  irregular  or 
deficient  exercise,  the  disease  is  evidently  still  more  likely  to  be  produced.  Want 
of  cleanliness  in  the  stable  is  a  fruitful  source  of  grease.  When  the  heels  are 
embedded  in  filth,  they  are  weakened  by  the  constant  moisture  surrounding  them — 
irritated  by  the  acrimony  of  the  dung  and  the  urine,  and  little  prepared  to  endure  the 
cold  evaporation  to  which  they  are  exposed  when  the  horse  is  taken  out  of  the  stable. 
The  absurd  practice  of  washing  the  feet  and  legs  of  horses  when  they  come  from 
their  work,  and  either  carelessly  sponging  them  down  afterwards,  or  leaving  them  to 
dry  as  they  may,  is,  however,  the  most  common  origin  of  grease. 

When  the  horse  is  warmed  by  his  work,  and  the  heels  share  in  the  warmth,  the 
momentary  cold  of  washing  may  not  be  injurious,  if  the  animal  is  immediately  rubbed 
dry ;  yet  even  this  would  be  better  avoided  :  but  to  wash  out  the  heels,  and  then 
leave  them  partially  dry  or  perfectly  wet,  and  suffering  from  the  extreme  cold  that  is 
produced  by  evaporation  from  a  moist  and  wet  surface,  is  the  most  absurd,  danger- 
ous, and  injurious  practice  that  can  be  imagined.  It  is  worse  when  the  post-horse  or 
the  plough-horse  is  plunged  up  to  his  belly  in  the  river  or  pond,  immediately  after 
his  work.  The  owner  is  little  aware  how  many  cases  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs, 
and  bowels,  and  feet,  and  heels  follow.  After  they  have  been  sufiered  to  stand  for 
twenty  minutes  in  the  stable,  during  which  time  the  horse-keeper  or  the  carter  may 
be  employed  in  taking  care  of  the  harness,  or  carriage,  or  beginning  to  dress  the 
horse,  the  greater  part  of  the  dirt  which  had  collected  about  the  heels  may  be  got  rid 
of  with  a  dry  brush  ;  and  the  rest  Mill  disappear  a  quarter  of  an  hour  afterwards  under 
the  operation  of  a  second  brushing  .  The  trouble  will  not  be  great,  and  the  heel8 
will  not  be  chilled  and  subject  to  inflammation. 


THE   FOOT. 


29b 


There  has  heen  some  dispute  as  to  the  propriety  of  cuttinor  the  h?.ir  from  theheels.* 
Custom  has  very  properly  retained  the  hair  on  our  farm-horses.  Nature  would  not 
have  5fiven  it,  had  it  not  been  useful.  It  guards  the  heel  from  being  injured  by  the 
inequalities  of  the  ploughed  field;  it  prevents  the  dirt,  in  which  the  heels  are  cor. 
stantly  enveloped,  from  reaching  and  caking  on,  and  irritating  the  skin;  it  hinders 
the  usual  moisture  which  is  mixed  with  the  clay  and  mould  from  reaching  the  skin 
ind  it  preserves  an  equal  temperature  in  the  parts.     If  the  hair  is  suft'ered'to  remain 

n  the  heels  of  the  farm-horses,  there  is  greater  necessity  for  brushing  and  hand-rub- 

ing  the  heels,  and  never  washing  them. 
Fashion  and  utility  have  removed  the  hair  from  the  heels  of  our  hackney  and  car-  . 

iage  horses.  When  the  horse  is  carefully  tended  after  his  work  is  over,  and  his  legs 
quickly  and  completely  dried,  the  less  hair  he  has  about  them  the  better,  for  then 
both  the  skin  and  tiie  hair  can  be  made  perfectly  dry  before  evaporation  begins,  or 
proceeds  so  far  as  to  deprive  the  legs  of  their  heat.  Grease  is  the  child  of  negligence 
and  mismanagement.  It  is  driven  from  our  cavalry,  and  it  will  be  the  fault  of  the 
gentle:nan  and  the  farmer  if  it  is  not  speedily  banished  from  every  stable. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 
THE  FOOT. 


a  The  external  crust  seen  at 
the  quarter. 

b  The  coronary  ring. 

c  The  httle  horny  plates  lining 
the  crust. 

d  The  same  continued  over  the 
bars. 

e  e  The  two  concave  surfaces 
of  the  inside  of  the  horny  frog. 

/  That  which  externally  is  the 
cleft  of  the  frog. 

g  The  bars. 

h  The  rounded  part  of  the  heels, 
belonging  to  the  frog. 


This  smaller  cut  exhibits,  in  as  satisfactory  a  manner,  the  mechanism  and  struc- 


ture of  the  base  of  the  foot. 


a  a  The  frog. 

i]  b     The  sole. 

c  c  The  bars. 

d  d  The  crust. 


*  Professor  Stewart  has  the  following  observations:  —  "During  two  very  wet  winters  I 
,lad  opportunity  of  observing  the  results  of  trimming  and  no  trimming,  among  upwards  of 
500  horses.  More  than  300  of  these  have  been  employed  in  coaching  and  posling,  or  work 
of  a  similar  kind,  and  about  150  are  cart-horses.  Grease,  and  other  skin  diseases  of  the  heels 
have  been  of  most  frequent  occurrence  where  the  horses  are  both  trimmed  and  washed  ;  they 
have  been  common  where  the  horses  were  trimmed  but  not  washed,  and  there  have  been 
very  few  case"  where  washing  or  trimming  were  forbidden  or  neglected."— .S<a6Ze  CEconomy, 


296  THE   FOOT. 

The  foot  is  composed  of  the  horny  box  that  covers  the  extremities  of  the  horse,  and 
Hie  contents  of  that  box.  The  hoof  or  box  is  composed  of  the  crust  or  wall,  the  coro- 
nary ring  and  band,  the  bars,  the  horny  laminae,  the  sole,  and  the  horny  frog. 

THE  CRUST  OR  WALL  OF  THE  HOOF. 

The.  crust,  or  luall,  is  that  portion  which  is  seen  when  the  foot  is  placed  on  tho 
ground,  and  reaches  from  the  termination  of  the  hair  to  the  ground.  It  is  deepest  in 
front,  where  it  is  called  the  toe,  measuring  there  about  three  inches  and  a  half  in 
depth  (see  cut,  p.  297),  shallower  at  the  sides,  which  are  denominated  the  quarters, 
and  of  least  extent  behind,  where  it  is  seldom  more  than  an  inch  and  a  half  in  height, 
and  is  termed  the  heel.  The  crust  in  the  healthy  foot  presents  a  flat  and  narrow  sur- 
face to  the  ground,  ascending  obliquely  backwards,  and  possessing  diflerent  degrees 
of  obliquity  in  different  horses.  In  a  sound  hoof  the  proper  degree  of  obliquity  is 
calculated  at  forty-five  degrees,  or  the  fourth  part  of  a  semicircle,  at  the  front  of  the 
foot.  When  the  obliquity  is  greater  than  this,  it  indicates  undue  flatness  of  the  sole, 
and  the  crust  is  said  to  have  "  fallen  in."  If  the  obliquity  is  very  much  increased,  the 
sole  projects,  and  is  said  to  be  pumiced  or  convex. 

If  the  foot  is  more  upright,  or  forms  a  greater  angle  than  forty-five  degrees,  it 
indicates  much  contraction,  and  a  sole  too  concave ;  and  this  difference  of  obliquity 
is  often  so  great,  that  the  convexity  or  concavity  of  the  sole  may  be  affirmed  without 
the  trouble  of  raising  the  foot  for  the  purpose  of  examination. 

It  is  of  some  importance  to  observe  whether  the  depth  of  the  crust  appears  rapidly 
or  slowly  to  decrease  from  the  front  to  the  heel.  If  the  decrease  is  little,  and  even  at 
the  heel  the  crust  is  high  and  deep,  this  indicates  a  foot  liable  to  contraction,  sand- 
crack,  thrush,  and  inflammation.  The  pasterns  are  upright,  the  paces  of  that  horse 
are  not  pleasant.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  crust  rapidly  diminishes  in  depth,  and 
the  heels  are  low,  this  is  accompanied  by  too  great  slanting  of  the  pastern,  and  dis- 
position to  sprain  in  the  back  sinew.  The  foot,  generally,  is  liable  to  be  weak  and 
flat,  and  bruised,  and  there  is  more  tendency  to  the  frequent,  but  obscure  lameness, 
of  which  there  will  presently  be  occasion  to  treat — the  navicular-joint  disease. 

The  crust  is  composed  of  numerous  horny  fibres,  connected  together  by  an  elastic 
membranous  substance,  and  extending  from  the  coronet  to  the  base  of  the  hoof.  It 
differs  materially  in  its  texture,  its  elasticity,  its  growth,  and  its  occasional  fragilit)'^, 
according  to  the  state  in  which  it  is  kept,  and  the  circumstances  that  are  acting 
upon  it. 

The  exterior  wall  of  the  hoof  should  be  smooth  and  level.  Protuberances  or  rings 
round  the  crust  indicate  that  the  horse  has  had  inflammation  in  the  feet,  and  that  to 
such  a  degree,  as  to  produce  an  unequal  growth  of  horn,  and  probably  to  leave  some 
injurious  consequences  in  the  internal  part  of  the  foot.  If  there  is  a  depression  or 
hollow  in  front  of  the  foot,  it  betrays  a  sinking  of  the  coffin-bone,  and  a  flat  or  pumiced 
sole.    If  there  is  a  hollow  at  the  quarters,  it  is  the  worst  symptom  of  bad  contraction. 

The  thickness  of  the  crust,  in  the  front  of  the  foot,  is  rather  more  than  half  an  inch ; 
it  becomes  gradually  thinner  towards  the  quarters  and  heels,  but  this  often  varies  to 
a  considerable  extent.  In  some  hoofs,  it  is  not  more  than  half  the  above  thickness. 
If  however  there  is  not,  in  the  majority  of  horses,  more  than  half  an  inch  for  nail-hold 
at  the  toe,  and  not  so  much  at  the  quarters,  it  will  not  appear  surprising  that  these 
horses  are  occasionally  wounded  in  shoeing,  and  especially  as  some  of  them  are  very 
unmanacreable  while  undergoing  this  process. 

While  the  crust  becomes  thinner  towards  both  quarters,  it  is  more  so  at  the  inner 
quarter  than  at  the  outer,  because  more  weight  is  thrown  upon  it  than  upon  the  outer. 
It  is  more  under  the  horse.  It  is  under  the  inner  splint-bone,  on  which  so  much  more 
of  the  weight  rests  than  on  the  outer;  and,  being  thinner,  it  is  able  to  expand  more. 
Its  elasticity  is  called  more  into  play,  and  concussion  and  injury  are  avoided.  When 
the  expansion  of  the  quarters  is  prevented  by  their  being  nailed  to  an  unbending  shoe, 
the  inner  quarter  suffers  most.  Corns  are  oftenest  found  there;  contraction  begins 
there;  sand-crack  is  seated  there.  Nature  meant  that  this  should  be  the  most  yield- 
ing part,  in  order  to  obviate  concussion,  because  on  it  the  weight  is  princinally 
thrown,  and  therefore  when  its  power  of  yielding  is  taken  away  it  must  be  the'  first 
to  suffer. 

A  careful  observer  will  likewise  perceive  that  the  inner  quarter  is  higher  than  the 


THE    CORONARY    RING.  — THE    BARS.  297 

outer.     While  it  is  thin  to  yield  to  the  shock,  its  iiicreased  surface  gives  it  sufiicient 
strength. 

On  account  of  its  thinness,  and  the  additional  weight  which  it  bears,  the  inner  heel 
wears  away  quicker  than  the  outer;  a  circumstance  that  should  never  be  forgotten  by 
the  smith.  His  object  is  to  give  a  plane  and  level  bearing  to  the  whole  of  the  crust. 
To  accomplish  this,  it  will  be  often  scarcely  necessary  to  remove  anythin<r  from  the 
inner  heel,  for  this  has  already  been  done  by  the  wear  of  the  foot.  If  he  forgets  this, 
as  he  too  often  seems  to  do,  and  cuts  away  with  his  knife  or  his  buttress  an  equal 
portion  all  round,  he  leaves  the  inner  and  weaker  quarter  lower  than  the  outer ;  he 
throws  an  uneven  bearing  upon  it;  and  produces  corns  and  sand-cracks  and  splints, 
ivhich  a  little  care  and  common  sense  might  have  avoided. 

THE  CORONARY  RING. 

The  crust  does  not  vary  much  in  thickness  (see  a,  page  295,  and  b,  in  the  accom- 
panying cut),  until  near  the  top,  at  the  coronet,  or  union" of  the  horn  of  the  foot  with 
the  skin  of  the  pasterns,  where  (ly,  page  272),  it  rapidly  gets 
thin.  It  is  in  a  manner  scooped  and  hollowed  out.  It  likewise 
changes  its  colour  and  consistence,  and  seems  almost  like  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  skin,  but  easily  separable  from  it  by  maceration 
or  disease.  This  thin  part  is  called  the  coronary  ring,  x,  p.  272. 
It  extends  round  the  upper  portion  of  the  hoofs,  and  receives, 
within  it,  or  covers,  a  thickened  and  bulbous  prolongation  of  the 
skin,  called  the  coronary  ligament  (see  b,  in  the  accompanying 
cut).  This  prolongation  of  the  skin  —  it  is  nothing  more  —  is 
thickly  supplied  with  blood-vessels.  It  is  almost  a  mesh  of 
blood-vessels  connected  together  by  fibrous  texture,  and  many 
of  them  are  employed  in  secreting  or  forming  the  crust  or  wall 
of  the  foot.  Nature  has  enabled  the  sensible  laminae  of  the  coffin-bone,  c,  which  will 
be  presently  described,  to  secrete  a  certain  quantity  of  horn,  in  order  to  afford  an 
immediate  defence  for  itself  when  the  crust  is  wounded  or  taken  away.  Of  this  there 
is  proof  when  in  sand-crack  or  quitter  it  is  necessary  to  remove  a  portion  of  the  crust. 
A  pellicle  of  horn,  or  of  firm  hard  substance  resembling  it,  soon  covers  the  wouhd ; 
bat  the  crust  is  principally  formed  from  this  coronary  ligament  Hence  it  is,  that  in 
sand-crack,  quitter,  and  other  diseases  in  which  strips  of  the  crust  are  destroyed,  it  is 
so  long  in  being  renewed,  or  growing  dowii.  It  must  proceed  from  the  coronarj' 
ligament,  and  so  gradually  creep  down  the  foot  with  the  natural  growth  or  lengthen- 
ing of  the  horn,  of  which,  as  in  the  human  nail,  a  supply  is  slowly  given  to  answei 
to  the  wear  and  tear  of  the  part. 

Below  the  coronary  ligament  is  a  thin  strip  of  horny  matter,  which  has  been  traced 
to  the  frog,  and  has  been  supposed  by  some  to  be  connected  with  the  support  or 
action  of  that  body,  but  which  is  evidently  intended  to  add  to  the  security  of  the  part 
on  which  it  is  found,  and  to  bind  together  those  various  substances  which  are  collected 
at  the  coronet.  It  resembles,  more  than  anything  else,  the  strip  of  skin  that  surrounds 
the  root  of  the  human  nail,  and  which  is  placed  there  to  strengthen  the  union  of  the 
nail  with  the  substance  from  which  it  proceeds. 

THE   BARS. 

At  the  back  part  of  the  foot  the  wall  of  the  hoof,  instead  of  continuing  round  and 
forming  a  circle,  is  suddenly  bent  in  as  in  the  small  cut,  in  page  295,  where  d  repre- 
sents the  base  of  the  crust,  and  e  its  inflection  or  bending  at  the  heel.  The  bars  are, 
in  fact,  a  continuation  of  the  crust,  forming  an  acute  angle,  and  meeting  at  a  point  at 
the  toe  of  the  frog  —  see  a,  b,  and  c,  in  the  smaller  cuts  —  and  the  inside  of  the  bars, 
like  the  inside  of  the  crust — see  the  first  and  larger  cut — presents  a  continuance  of  the 
horny  leaves,  showing  that  it  is  a  part  of  the  same  substance,  and  helping  to  discharge 
the  same  office. 

It  needs  only  the  slightest '  onsideration  of  the  cut,  or  of  the  natural  hoof,  to  show 
the  importance  of  the  bars.  The  arch  which  these  form  on  either  side,  between  the 
frog  and  the  quarters,  is  admirably  contrived  both  to  admit  of,  and  to  limit  to  its  pro- 
per extent,  the  expansion  of  the  foot.  When  the  foot  is  placed  on  the  ground,  and  the 
weight  of  the  animal  is  thrown  on  the  leaves  of  which  mention  has  just  been  madcf 


298  THE   FOOT. 

these  arches  will  shorten  and  -widen,  in  order  to  admit  of  the  expansion  of  the  quar- 
ters  the  bow  returning  to  its  natural  curve,  and  powerfully  assisting  the  foot  in 

reo-aining  its  usual  form.  It  can  also  be  conceived  that  these  bars  must  form  a  power- 
ful protection  against  the  contraction,  or  wiring  in,  of  the  quarters.  A  moment's 
inspection  of  the  cut  (g,  p.  295)  will  show  that,  if  the  bars  are  taken  awaj-,  there  will 
be  nothing  to  resist  the  contraction  or  falling  in  of  the  quarters,  when  the  foot  is 
exposed  to  any  disease,  or  bad  management,  that  would  induce  it  to  contract.  One 
moment's  observation  of  them  will  also  render  evident  the  security  which  they  afford 
to  the  frog  (/),  and  the  effectual  protection  which  they  give  to  the  lateral  portions  of 
the  foot. 

Then  appears  the  necessity  of  passing  lightly  over  them,  and  leaving  prominent, 
when  the  foot  is  pared  for  shoeing,  that  which  so  many  smiths  cut  perfectly  away. 
They  imagine  that  it  gives  a  more  open  appearance  to  the  foot  of  the  horse.  Horses 
shod  for  the  purpose  of  sale,  have  usually  the  bars  removed  with  this  view;  and  the 
smiths  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  metropolis  and  large  towns,  shoeing  for  dealers, 
too  often  habitually  pursue,  with  regard  to  all  their  customers,  the  injurious  practice 
of  removing  the  bars.  The  horny  frog,  deprived  of  its  guard,  will  speedily  contract, 
and  become  elevated  and  thrushy  ;  and  the  whole  of  the  heel,  having  lost  the  power 
of  resilience  or  reaction  which  the  curve  between  the  bar  c  and  the  crust  d  gave  it 
(vide  p.  295,  cut),  will  speedily  fall  in. 

THE  HORNY  LAMINA. 

The  inside  of  the  crust. is  covered  by  thin  homy  leaves  (c,  p.  295),  extending  al 
round  it,  and  reaching  from  the  coronary  ring  to  the  toe.  They  are  about  500  in  num- 
ber, broadest  at  their  base,  and  terminating  in  the  most  delicate  expansion  of  horn. 
They  not  a  little  resemble  the  inner  surface  of  a  mushroom.  In  front,  they  run  in  a 
direction  from  the  coronet  to  the  toe,  and  towards  the  quarters  they  are  more  slanting 
from  behind  forwards.  They  correspond,  as  will  be  presently  shown,  with  similar 
cartilaginous  and  fleshy  leaves  on  the  surface  of  the  cofiin-bone,  and  form  a  beautiful 
elastic  body,  by  which  the  whole  w^eight  of  the  horse  is  supported. 

THE  SOLE 

Is  under,  and  occupies  the  greater  portion  of  the  concave  and  elastic  surface  of  the 
foot  (see  h,  p.  295),  extending  from  the  crust  to  the  bars  and  frog.  It  is  not  so  thick 
as  the  crust,  because,  notwithstanding  its  situation,  it  does  not  support  so  much 
weight  as  the  crust;  and  because  it  was  intended  to  expand,  in  order  to  prevent  con- 
cussion, when,  by  the  descent  of  the  bone  of  the  foot,  the  weight  was  thrown  upon  it. 
It  is  not  so  brittle  as  the  crust,  and  it  is  more  elastic  than  it.  It  is  thickest  at  the  toe 
(see  /,  p.  272),  because  the  first  and  principal  stress  is  thrown  on  that  part.  The 
coffin-bone,  /,  is  driven  forward  and  downward  in  that  direction.  It  is  likeAvise 
thicker  where  it  unites  with  the  crust  than  it  is  towards  the  centre,  for  a  similar  and 
evident  reason,  because  there  the  weight  is  first  and  principally  thrown. 

In  a  state  of  nature  it  is,  to  a  certain  degree,  hollow.  The  reason  of  this  is  plain. 
It  is  intended  to  descend  or  yield  w-ith  the  w^eight  of  the  horse,  and  by  that  gradual 
descent  or  yielding,  most  materially  lessen  the  shock  which  would  result  from  the 
sudden  action  of  the  weight  of  the  animal  in  rapid  and  violent  exercise  ;  and  this 
descent  can  only  be  o-iven  by  a  hollow  sole.  A  flat  sole,  already  pressing  upon  the 
ground,  could  not  be  brought  lower ;  nor  could  the  functions  of  the  frog  be  then  dis- 
charged ;  nor  would  the  foot  have  so  secure  a  hold.  Then  if  the  sole  is  naturally 
hollow,  and  hollow  because  it  must  descend,  the  smith  should  not  interfere  with  this 
important  action.  When  the  foot  will  bear  it,  he  must  pare  out  sufficient  of  the  horn 
to  preserve  the  proper  concavity  ;  also  a  small  portion  at  the  toe  and  near  the  crust,  and 
cutting  deeper  towards  the  centre.  He  must  put  on  a  shoe  which  shall  not  prevent 
the  descent  of  the  sole,  and  which  not  only  shall  not  press  upon  it,  but  shall  leavt 
sufficient  room  between  it  and  the  sole  to  admit  of  this  descent.  If  the  sole  is  pressei 
upon  by  the  coffin-bone  during  the  lengthening  of  the  elastic  laminse.  and  the  shot 
will  not  permit  its  descent,  the  sensible  part  between  the  coffin-bone  and  the  horn  wil 
necessarily  be  bruised,  and  inflammation  and  lameness  will  ensue.  It  is  from  this 
cause,  that  if  a  stone  insinuates  itself  between  the  shoe  and  the  sole,  it  produces  so 
much  lameness.  Of  the  too  great  concavity  of  the  sole,  or  the  want  of  concavity  in 
it,  we  shall  treat  when  we  arrive  at  diseases  of  the  foot. 


THE   FROG.  299 


THE  FROG. 


In  the  space  between  the  bars,  and  accurately  filling  it,  is  the  frog.  It  is  a  trian- 
gular portion  of  horn,  projecting  from  the  sole,  almost  on  a  level  with  the  crust  and 
covering  and  defending  a  soft  and  elastic  substance  called  the  sensible  frog.  It  is 
wide  at  the  heels,  and  there  extending  beyond  a  portion  of  the  crust ;  narrowing 
rapidly  when  it  begins  to  be  confined  between  the  bars,  and  terminating  in  a  point  at 
somewhat  more  than  half  the  distance  from  the  heel  to  the  toe.  It  consists  of  two 
rounded  or  projecting  surfaces,  with  a  fissure  or  cleft  between  them,  reaching  half- 
way down  the  frog,  and  the  two  portions  again  uniting  to  form  the  point  or  toe  of  the 
frog. 

"Fhe  frog  is  firmly  united  to  the  sole,  but  it  is  perfectly  distinct  from  it.  It  is  of  a 
different  nature,  being  softer,  and  far  more  elastic  ;  and  it  is  secreted  from  a  ditferent 
surface,  for  it  is  thrown  out  from  the  substance  which  it  covers.  It  very  much 
resembles  a  wedge,  with  the  sharp  point  forwards ;  and  it  is  placed  towards  the  back 

Sart  of  the  foot.  The  foot  is  seldom  put  flush  and  flat  upon  the  ground,  but  in  a 
irection  downwards,  yet  somewhat  forwards ;  then  the  frog  evidently  gives  safety  to 
the  tread  of  the  animal,  for  it  occasionally  ploughs  itself  into  the  ground,  and  pre- 
vents the  horse  from  slipping.  This  is  of  considerable  consequence,  when  some  of 
the  paces  of  the  horse  are  recollected,  in  which  his  heels  evidently  come  first  to  the 
ground,  and  in  which  the  danger  from  slipping  would  be  very  great.  Reference  needs 
only  be  made  to  the  gallop,  as  illustrative  of  this. 

The  frog  being  placed  at.  and  filling  the  hinder  part  of  the  foot,  discharges  a  por- 
tion of  the  duty  sustained  by  the  crust;  for  it  supports  the  weight  cf  the  animal.  It 
assists,  likewise,  and  that  to  a  material  degree,  in  the  expansion  of  the  foot.  It  is 
formed  internally  of  two  prominences  on  the  sides  (see  a,  p.  •395),  and  a  cleft  in  the 
centre,  presenting  two  concavities  with  a  sharp  projection  in  the  middle,  and  a  gradu- 
ally rounded  one  on  each  side.  It  is  also  composed  of  a  substance  peculiarly  flexible 
and  elastic.  What  can  be  so  well  adapted  for  the  expansion  of  the  foot,  when  a  por- 
tion of  the  weight  of  the  body  is  thrown  on  it  ?  How  easily  will  these  irregular  sur- 
faces 3'ield  and  spread  out,  and  how  readily  return  again  to  their  natural  state  !  In 
this  view,  therefore,  the  horny  frog  is  a  powerful  agent  in  opening  the  foot ";  and  the 
diminution  of  the  substance  of  the  frog,  and  its  elevation  above  the  ground,  are  both 
the  cause  and  the  consequence  of  contraction  —  the  cause,  as  being  able  no  longer 
powerfully  to  act  in  expanding  the  heels ;  and  the  consequence,  as  obeying  a  law  of 
nature,  by  which  that  which  no  longer  discharges  its  natural  function  is  gradually 
removed.  It  is,  however,  the  cover  and  defence  of  the  internal  and  sensible  frog, 
which  will  be  presently  treated  of;  enough,  however,  has  been  said  to  show  the 
absurdity  of  the  common  practice  of  unsparingly  cutting  it  away.  In  order  1o  dis- 
charge, in  any  degree,  some  of  the  offices  which  we  have  assigned  to  it,  and  fully  to 
discharge  even  one  of  them,  it  must  come  in  occasional  contact  with  the  ground.  In 
the  unshod  horse,  it  is  constantly  so  :  but  the  additional  su])port  given  by  the  shoes, 
and  more  especially  the  hard  roads  over  which  the  horse  is  now  compelled  to  travel, 
render  this  complete  exposure  of  the  frog  to  the  ground  not  only  unnecessary,  but 
injurious.  Being  of  so  much  softer  consistence  than  the  rest  of  the  foot,  it  would  be 
speedily  worn  away :  occasional  pressure,  however,  or  contact  with  the  ground,  it 
must  have. 

The  rough  and  detached  parts  should  be  cut  off  at  each  shoeing,  and  the  substance 
of  the  frog  itself,  so  as  to  bring  it  just  above  or  within  the  level  of  the  shoe.  It  will 
then,  in  tlie  descent  of  the  sole,  when  the  weight  of  the  horse  is  thrown  upon  it  in 
the  putting  down  of  the  foot,  descend  likewise,  and  pressing  upon  the  ground,  do  its 
duty;  while  it  will  be  defended  from  the  wear,  and  bruise,  and  injur)'  that  it  would 
receive  if  it  came  upon  the  ground  with  the  first  and  full  shock  of  the  weight.  This 
will  be  the  proper  guide  to  the  smith  in  shoeing,  and  to  the  proprietor  in  the  direc- 
tion which  he  gives.  The  latter  should  often  look  to  this,  for  it  is  a  point  of  very 
great  moment.  A  few  smiths  carry  the  notion  of  fmg  pressure  to  an  absurd  extent 
and  leave  the  frog  bej'ond  the  level  of  the  sole. — a  practice  which  is  dangerous  in 
the  horse  of  slow  draught,  and  destructive  to  the  hackney  or  the  hunter;  but  the 
majority  of  them  err  in  a  contrary  way,  and,  cutting  off  too  much  of  the  frog,  lift  it 
above  the  ground,  and  destroy  its  principal  use.  It  should  be  left  just  above,  or  within 
ihe  level  n*  the  shoe 


300  THE   FOOT. 

THE  COFFIN-BONE. 

The  interior  part  of  the  foot  must  now  be  considered.  The  lower  pastern,  a  smalj 
portion  of  which  (see  d,  nage  272)  is  contained  in  the  horny  box,  has  been  already 
described,  p.  27G. — Beneath  it,  and  altogether  inclosed  in  the  lioof,  is  the  coffin-bone, 
or  proper  bone  of  the  foot,  (see  /,  page  272,  and  d,  fig.  1,  page  27G).  It  is  fitted  to, 
ind  fills  the  fore  part  of  the  hoof,  occupying  about  half  of  it.  It  is  of  a  light  and 
spongy  structure  (see  d,  fig.  1,  page  276),  and  filled  with  numerous  minute  foramina. 
Through  these  pass  the  blood-vessels  and  nerves  of  the  foot,  which  are  necessarily 
numerous,  considering  the  important  and  various  secretions  there  carrying  on,  and 
the  circulation  through  the  foot  which  could  not  possibly  be  kept  up  if  these  ves- 
sels did  not  run  through  the  substance  of  the  bone.  Considering  the  manner  in 
which  this  bone  is  inclosed  in  the  horny  box,  and  yet  the  important  surfaces  around 
and  below  it  that  are  to  be  nourished  with  blood,  the  circulation  which  is  thus  carried 
on  within  the  very  body  of  the  bone  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  provisions  of  nature 
that  is  to  be  found  in  the  whole  frame.  No  inconvenience  can  arise  from  occasional 
or  constant  pressure,  but  the  bone  allows  free  passage  to  the  blood,  and  protects  it 
from  every  possible  obstruction. 

The  fore  part  of  the  coffin-bone  is  not  only  thus  perforated,  but  it  is  curiously  rough- 
ened for  the  attachment  of  the  numerous  minute  laminae  about  to  be  described.  On 
its  upper  surface  it  presents  a  concavity  for  the  head  of  the  lower  pastern,  p.  276. 
In  front,  immediately  above  d,  is  a  striking  prominence,  into  which  is  inserted  the 
extensor  tendon  of  the  foot.  At  the  back,  e,  p.  272,  it  is  sloped  for  articulation  with 
the  navicular  bone,  and  more  underneath,  is  a  depression  for  the  reception  of  the  per- 
forating flexor  tendon,  m,  continued  down  the  leg,  passing  over  the  navicular  bone  \t 
n,  and  at  length  inserted  into  this  bone.  On  either  side,  as  seen  p.  27G,  are  projec- 
tions called  the  wings,  or  heels  of  the  coffin-bone,  and  at  the  bottom  it  is  hollowed  to 
answer  to  the  convexity  of  the  internal  part  of  the  sole. 

That  which  deserves  most  attention  in  the  coffin-bone  is  the  production  of  the  nu- 
merous laminae  round  its  front  and  sides.  They  are  prolongations  of  the  thick  and 
elastic  membrane  covering  it,  and  consist  of  cartilaginous,  fleshy  plates,  proceeding 
from  it,  running  down  the  coffin-bone,  and  corresponding  with  and  received  between 
the  horny  leaves  that  line  the  inside  of  the  hoof-bone  —  each  horny  plate  being  re- 
ceived between  two  sensitive  plates,  and  vice  versa.  These  laminaj  are  exceedingly 
sensitive  and  vascular,  and  elastic,  and,  as  first  simply  and  beautifully  explained  by 
Mr.  Percivall,  their  elasticity  is  not  inherent  in  the  lamina?,  but  in  the  substance 
which  connects  these  lamina;  with  the  coffin-bone,  and  which,  while  it  contains  highly 
elastic  properties,  aflfords  a  convenient  bed  for  the  numerous  vessels  that  secrete  the 
lamina;.  While  the  animal  is  at  rest,  the  whole  weight  of  the  horse  is  supported  by 
them,  and  not  by  the  sole.  This  extraordinary  fact  has  been  put  to  the  test  of  expe- 
riment. The  sole,  bars,  and  frog  were  removed  from  the  foot  of  a  horse,  and  yet  as 
he  stood,  the  coffin-bone  did  not  protrude,  or  in  the  slightest  degree  descend ;  but 
when  the  rapidity  with  which  the  foot  descends  is  added  to  the  weight  of  the  horse, 
these  little  leaves,  horny  and  fleshy,  gradually  lengthen,  and  suffer  the  bones  to  press 
upon  the  sole.  The  sole  then  descends,  and  in  descending,  expands;  and  so,  by  an 
admirable  mechanism,  the  violent  shock  which  would  be  produced  by  the  pressure 
of  such  a  weight  as  that  of  the  horse,  and  the  velocity  with  which  it  descends,  is 
lessened  or  destroyed,  and  the  complicated  apparatus  of  the  foot  remains  uninjured. 
When  the  foot  is  ag-ain  lifted,  and  the  weight  which  pressed  upon  it  is  removed, 
the  principle  of  elasticity  is  called  into  exercise,  and  by  it  the  sole  resumes  its  con- 
cavity, and  the  horny  frog  its  folded  state  ; — the  quarters  return  to  their  former  situ- 
ation,— the  leaves  regain  their  former  length,  and  everything  is  prepared  for  a  repeti- 
tion of  action. 

THE  SENSIBLE  SOLE. 

Between  the  coffin-bone  and  the  horny  sole  is  situated  the  sensible  sole,  p.  272, 
formed  above  of  a  substance  of  a  ligamentous  or  tendinous  nature,  and  below  of  a 
cuticular  or  skin-like  substance,  plentifully  supplied  with  blood-vessels.  It  was 
placed  between  the  coffin-bone  and  the  sole,  by  its  yielding  structure  to  assist  in  pre- 
venting concussion,  and  also  to  form  a  supply  of  horn  for  the  sole.  It  extends  be- 
yond the  coffm-bonc,  but  not  at  all  under  the  frog.     Leaving  a  space  for  the  frog,  it 


THE  SENSIBLE  FROG— THE  NAVICULAR  BONE,  &,c.  301 

proceeds  over  the  bars,  and  there  is  covered  by  some  laminae,  to  unite  with  those 
that  have  been  described,  page  295,  as  found  in  the  bars.  It  is  here  likewise  thicker, 
and  more  elastic,  and  by  its  elasticity  is  evidently  assisting  in  obviating  concussion. 
It  is  supplied  with  nervous  fibres,  and  is  highly  sensible,  as  the  slightest  experience 
in  horses  will  evince.  The  lameness  which  ensues  from  the  pressure  of  a  stone  or 
of  the  shoe  on  the  sole  is  caused  by  inflammation  of  the  sensible  sole.  Corns  result 
from  bruise  and  inflammation  of  the  sensible  sole,  between  the  crust  and  the  bar. 

THE  SENSIBLE  FROG. 

The  coffin-bone  does  not  occupy  more  than  one-half  of  the  hoof.  The  posterior 
part  is  filled  by  a  soft  mass,  partly  ligamenfous,  and  partly  tendinous  (o,  p.  •212).  Its 
shape  below  corresponds  with  the  cavities  of  the  horny  frog ;  in  front  it  is  attached 
to  the  inferior  part  of  the  coffin-bone ;  and  farther  back,  it  adheres  to  the  lower  part 
of  the  cartilages  of  the  heels,  where  they  begin  to  form  the  rounded  protuberances 
that  constitute  the  heel  of  the  foot.  It  occupies  the  whole  of  the  back  part  of  the 
foot  above  the  horny  frog  and  between  the  cartilages.  Running  immediately  above 
the  frog,  and  along  the  greater  part  of  it,  we  find  the  perforans  flexor  tendon,  which 
passes  over  the  navicular  bone,  e,  p.  272,  and  is  inserted  into  the  heel  of  the  coflin- 
bone. 

THE  NAVICULAR  BONE 

Is  placed  behind  and  beneath  the  lower  pastern-bone,  and  behind  and  above  the  heel 
of  the  coffin-bone,  e,  p.  272,  so  that  it  forms  a  joint  with  both  bones,  and  answers  a 
very  important  office  in  strengthening  the  union  between  these  parts,  in  receiving  a 
portion  of  the  weight  which  is  thrown  on  the  lower  pastern  and  in  enabling  the  flexor 
tendon  to  act  with  more  advantage.  Supposing  that  this  tendon  were  inserted  into 
the  coffin-bone  without  the  intervention  of  the  navicular  bone,  it  would  act  at  great 
mechanical  disadvantage  in  bending  the  pastern,  for  it  is  inserted  near  the  end  of  the 
coffin-bone,  and  the  weight,  concentrated  about  the  middle  of  the  bone,  is  far  off,  and 
requires  a  great  power  to  raise  it;  but  when  the  navicular  bone  is  interpos'.J,  the 
centre  of  motion  becomes  the  posterior  edge  of  that  bone,  where  it  is  in  contact  with 
the  tendon,  and  then  it  will  be  seen  that  the  distance  of  the  power  from  the  centre  of 
motion  is  nearly  or  quite  the  same  as  the  weight,  and  very  great  expenditure  of  mus- 
cular power  will  be  saved.  In  the  one  case,  the  power  must  be  at  least  double  the 
weight,  in  the  other  ihey  will  be  nearly  equal ;  and  also  the  angle  at  which  the  tendon 
is  inserted,  is  considerably  more  advantageous.  Perhaps  this  is  the  principal  use  of 
the  navicular  bone;  yet  at  the  same  time  we  are  aware  of  the  benefit  which  accrues 
(see  page  272)  from  a  portion  of  the  weight  being  taken  from  the  coffin-bone,  and 
thrown  on  the  navicular  bone,  and  from  it  on  the  tendon,  and  the  tendon  resting  on 
the  elastic  frog  underneath.  The  navicular  bone  is  sometimes,  but  inaccurately,  said 
to  descend  with  the  motion  of  the  foot.  It  does  not  do  that.  It  cannot ;  for  it  is 
connected  both  with  the  pastern  and  coffin-bones  by  inelastic  ligaments.  When,  how- 
ever, the  horny  bulb,  with  its  tuft  of  hair,  at  the  back  of  an  oblique  fetlock,  descends 
in  the  rapid  gallop,  and  almost  touches  the  ground,  the  navicular  bone,  being,  as  it 
were,  a  part  of  the  pastern,  must  descend  with  it.  With  this  exception,  both  in  the 
extending  and  the  bending  of  the  pastern,  the  navicular  bone  turns  or  rolls  upon  the 
other  bones  rather  than  descends  or  ascends,  and  with  this  remarkable  advantage, 
that  when  the  pastern  is  extended  (see  page  272),  the  navicular  bone  is  placed  in  that 
situation  which  enables  the  flexor  tendon  to  act  with  greatest  advantage  in  again 
bending  the  foot. 

THE  CARTILAGES  OF  THE  FOOT. 

There  is  a  groove  extending  along  the  upper  part  of  the  coffin-bone  and  on  either 
side,  except  at  the  protuberance  which  receives  the  extensor  tendon  e,  page  272,  occu- 
pied by  cartilage,  which,  like  the  crust,  is  convex  outwards  and  concave  inwards.  It 
extends  to  the  very  posterior  part  of  the  foot,  rising  about  the  quarters  half  an  inch  or 
more  above  the  hoof,  and  diminishing  in  height  forward  and  backward.  These  car- 
tilaores  occupy  a  greater  portion  of  the  foot  than  does  the  coffin-bone,  as  will  be  seen 
in  the  lowest  cut,  page  276,  where  they  are  represented  as  extending  far  behind  the 
coffin-bone.  They  are  held  in  their  situation  not  merely  by  this  groove,  but  by  other 
26 


302  THEDISEASESOFTHEFOOT. 

connexions  with  the  coffin-bone,  the  navicular  bone,  and  the  flexor  tendon,  and  are 
thus  perfectly  secured. 

Below  are  other  cartilages  connected  with  the  under  edges  of  the  former,  and  on 
either  side  of  the  frog. 

Between  these  cartilages  is  the  sensible  frog,  filling  up  the  whole  of  the  space,  and 
answering  several  important  purposes,  being  an  elastic  bed  on  which  the  navicular 
hone  and  the  tendon  (see  page  272)  can  play  with  security,  and  without  concussion 
or  shock,  by  which  all  concussion  communicated  to  the  cartilages  of  the  foot  are 
destroyed — by  which  these  cartilages  are  kept  asunder,  and  the  expansion  of  the  upper 
jart  of  the  foot  preserved.  As  the  descent  of  the  sole  increases  the  width  of  the  lower 
part  of  the  foot,  so  the  elevation  of  the  frog,  a  portion  of  it  being  pressed  upward  and 
outward  by  the  action  of  the  navicular  bone  and  tendon,  causes  the  expansion  of  its 
upper  part.  Precisely  as  the  strong  muscle  peculiar  to  quadrupeds  at  the  back  of  the 
eye  (see  page  86),  being  forcibly  contracted,  presses  upon  the  fatty  matter  in  which 
the  eye  is  embedded,  which  may  be  displaced,  but  cannot  be  squeezed  into  less  com- 
pass, and  which,  being  forced  towards  the  inner  corner  of  the  eye,  drives  before  it  that 
important  and  beautiful  mechanism  the  haw,  so  the  elastic  and  yielding  substance  the 
frocT,  being  pressed  upon  by  the  navicular  bone  and  the  tendon,  and  the  pastern,  and 
refusing  to  be  condensed  into  less  compass,  forces  itself  out  on  either  side  of  them, 
and  expands  the  lateral  cartilages,  which  again,  by  their  inherent  elasticity,  recur  to 
their  former  situation,  when  the  frog  no  longer  presses  them  outward.  It  appears, 
that  by  a  different  mechanism,  but  both  equally  admirable,  and  referable  to  the  same 
principle,  viz. :  that  of  elasticity,  the  expansion  of  the  upper  and  lower  portions  of 
the  hoof  are  effected,  the  one  by  the  descent  of  the  sole,  the  other  by  the  compression 
and  rising  of  the  frog. 

It  is  this  expansion  upward,  which  contributes  principally  to  the  preservation  of 
the  usefulness  of  the  horse,  when  our  destructive  methods  of  shoeing  are  so  calculated 
to  destroy  tlie  expansion  beneath.  In  draught-horses,  from  the  long-continued  as  well 
as  violent  pressure  on  the  frog,  and  from  the  frog  on  the  cartilage,  inflammation  is 
occasionally  produced,  which  terminates  in  the  cartilages  being  changed  into  bony 
matter. 


CHAPTER    XV. 
THE     DISEASES    OF    THE    FOOT. 

Of  these  there  is  a  long  list.  That  w  ill  not  be  wondered  at  by  those  who  have 
duly  considered  the  complicated  structure  of  the  foot,  the  duty  it  has  to  perform,  and 
the  injuries  to  which  it  is  exposed.  It  will  be  proper  to  commence  with  that  which 
is  the  cause  of  many  other  diseases  of  the  foot,  and  connected  w-ith  almost  all. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  FOOT,  OR  ACUTE  FOUNDER. 

The  sensible  lamina;,  or  fleshy  plates  on  the  front  and  sides  of  the  coffin-bone,  being 
replete  with  blood-vessels,  are,  like  every  other  vascular  part,  liable  to  inflammation, 
from  its  usual  causes,  and  particularly  from  the  violence  with  which,  in  rapid  and 
long-continued  action,  these  parts  are  strained  and  bruised.  When  in  a  severely  con- 
test'ed  race  they  have  been  stretched  to  their  utmost,  while,  at  the  fullest  stride  of  the 
horse,  his  weight  has  been  thrown  on  them  with  destructive  force  ;  or,  when  the  feet 
have  been  battered  and  bruised  in  a  hard  day's  journey,  it  will  be  no  wonder  if  inflam- 
mation of  the  over-worked  parts  should  ensue,  and  the  occurrence  of  it  may  probably 
be  produced  and  the  disease  aggravated  by  the  too  prevalent  absurd  mode  of  treating 
the  animal.  If  a  horse  that  has  been  ridden  or  driven  hard  is  suffered  to  stand  in  the 
cold,  or  if  his  feet  are  washed  and  not  speedily  dried,  he  is  very  likely  to  have  "  fevei 
in  the  feet."  There  is  no  more  fruitful  source  of  inflammation  in  the  human  being,  or 
the  brute,  than  these  sudden  changes  of  temperature.  This  has  been  explained  as  it 
regards  grease,  but  it  bears  more  immediately  on  the  point  now  under  consideration. 
The  danger  is  not  confined  to  change  from  heat  to  cold.  Sudden  transition  from_  cold 
o  heat  is  as  injurious,  and  therefore  it  is  that  so  many  horses,  after  having  been  ridden 


INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  FOOT,  OR  ACUTE  FOUNDER.         303 

lai  in  frost  and  snow,  and  placed  immediately  in  a  hot  stable,  and  littered  up  to  the 
ijiees,  are  attacked  by  this  complaint.  The  feet  and  the  lungs  are  the  org-ans  oftenest 
attacked,  because  they  have  previouslj'  suffered  most  by  our  mismanagement,  and  are 
most  disposed  to  take  on  disease,  and  that  which  would  cause  slight  inflammation  of 
other  parts,  or  trifling  general  derangement,  will  produce  all  its  mischief  on  thes-j 
organs;  therefore  it  is  that  horses,  the  cnist  or  lamina;  of  whose  feet  are  warped  or 
iibiiqueiy  placed,  are  most  subject  to  it. 

Sometimes  there  is  a  sudden  change  of  inflammation  from  one  organ  to  another. 
A.  horse  may  have  laboured  for  several  days  under  evident  inflammation  of  the  lungs; 
all  at  once  that  will  subside,  and  the  disease  will  appear  in  the  feet,  or  inflammation 
of  the  feet  may  follow  similar  affections  in  the  bowels  or  the  eyes.  In  cases  of 
severe  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  it  may  not  be  bad  practice  to  remove  the  shoes  and 
poultice  the  feet. 

To  the  attentive  observer  the  symptoms  are  clearly  marked,  and  yet  there  is  no 
disease  so  often  overlooked  by  the  groom  and  the  carter,  and  even  by  the  veterinary 
surgeon.  The  disease  may  assume  an  acute  or  chronic  form.  The  earliest  symp- 
toms of  fever  in  the  feet  are  fidgetiness,  frequent  shifting  of  the  fore-legs,  but  no 
pawing,  much  less  any  attempts  to  reach  the  belly  with  the  hind-feet.  The  pulse  is 
quickened,  the  flanks  heaving,  the  nostrils  red,  and  the  horse,  by  his  anxious  coun- 
tenance, and  possibly  moaning,  indicating  great  pain.  Presently  he  looks  about  his 
litter,  as  if  preparing  to  lie  down,  but  he  does  not  do  so  immediately  ;  he  continues  to 
shift  his  weight  from  foot  to  foot ;  he  is  afraid  to  draw  his  feet  sufficiently  under  him 
for  the  purpose  of  lying  down :  but  at  length  he  drops.  The  circumstance  of  his 
lying  down  at  an  early  period  of  the  disease  will  sufficiently  distinguish  inflamma- 
tion of  the  feet  from  that  of  the  lungs,  in  which  the  horse  obstinatelj"  persists  in 
standing  until  he  drops  from  mere  exhaustion.  His  quietness  when  down  will  dis- 
tinguish it  from  colic  or  inflammation  of  the  bowels,  in  both  of  which  the  horse  is  up 
and  down,  and  frequently  rolling  and  kicking  when  down.  "When  the  grievance  is 
in  the  feet,  the  horse  experiences  so  much  relief,  from  getting  rid  of  the  weight  pain- 
fully distending  the  inflamed  and  highly  sensible  lamina;,  that  he  is  glad  to  lie  as 
long  as  he  can.  He  will  likewise,  as  clearly  as  in  inflammation  of  the  lungs  or 
bowels,  point  out  the  seat  of  disease  by  looking  at  the  part.  His  muzzle  will  often 
rest  on  the  feet  or  the  affected  foot.  He  musl.  be  inattentive  who  is  not  aware  of 
what  all  this  indicates. 

If  the  feet  are  now  examined,  they  will  be  found  evidently  hot.  The  patient  will 
express  pain  if  they  are  slightly  rapped  with  a  hammer,  and  the  arterj-  at  the  pastern 
will  throb  violently.  No  great  time  will  now  pass,  if  the  disease  is  suffered  to  pur- 
sue its  course,  before  he  will  be  perfectly  unable  to  rise  ;  or,  if  he  is  forced  to  get  up, 
and  one  foot  is  lifted,  he  will  stand  with  difficulty  on  the  other,  or  perhaps  drop  at 
once  from  intensity  of  pain. 

The  treatment  will  resemble  that  of  other  inflammations,  with  such  differences  as 
the  situation  of  the  disease  may  suggest.  Bleeding  is  indispensable;  and  that  to  its 
fullest  extent.  If  the  disease  is  confined  to  the  fore-feet,  four  quarts  of  blood  should 
be  taken  as  soon  as  possible  from  the  toe  of  each  at  the  situation  pointed  out,  fig.  z, 
p.  2T-2,  and  in  the  manner  already  described ;  care  being  taken  to  open  the  artery  as 
well  as  the  vein.  The  feet  may  likewise  be  put  into  warm  water,  to  quicken  the 
flow  of  the  blood,  and  increase  the  quantitj^  abstracted.  Poultices  of  linseed  meal, 
made  very  soft,  should  cover  the  whole  of  the  foot  and  pastern,  and  be  frequently 
renewed,  which  will  promote  evaporation  from  the  neighbouring  parts,  and  possibly 
through  the  pores  of  the  hoof,  and,  by  softening  and  rendering  supple  the  hoof,  will 
relieve  its  painful  pressure  on  the  swelled  and  tender  parts  beneath.  More  fully  to 
accomplish  this  last  purpose,  the  shoe  should  be  removed,  the  sole  pared  as  thin  as 
possible,  and  the  crust,  and  particularly  the  quarters,  well  rasped.  All  this  must  be 
done  gently,  and  with  a  great  deal  of  patience,  for  the  poor  animal  can  scarcely  bear 
his  feet  to  be  meddled  with.  There  used  to  be  occasional  doubt  as  to  the  adminis- 
tration of  physic,  from  fear  of  metastasis  of  inflammation  which  has  sometimes 
occurred,  and  been  generally  fatal.  \Vhen,  however,  there  is  so  much  danger 
of  losing  the  patient  from  the  original  attack,  we  must  run  the  risk  of  the  other. 
Sedative  and  cooling  medicines  should  be  diligently  administered,  consisting  of  digi- 
talis, nitre,  and  emetic  tartar. 

If  no  amendment  is  observed,  three  quarts  of  blood  should  be  taken  from  each  foot 


a04  DISEASES    OF    THE    FOOT. 

on  the  folj-^wing  day.  In  extreme  cases,  a  third  bleeding  of  two  quarts  may  be  jus- 
tifiable, and,  instead  of  the  poultice,  cloths  kept  wet  with  water  in  which  nitre  has 
been  dissolved  iinmcdialely  befare,  and  in  the  proportion  of  an  ounce  of  nitre  to  a 
pound  of  water,  may  be  wrapped  round  the  feet.  About  the  third  day  a  blister  may 
be  tried,  taking  in  the  whole  of  the  pastern  and  the  coronet ;  but  a  cradle  must  pre- 
viously be  put  on  the  neck  of  the  horse,  and  the  feet  must  be  covered  after  the  blis- 
ter, or  they  will  probably  be  sadly  blemished.  The  horse  should  be  kept  on  mash 
diet,  unless  green  meat  can  be  procured  for  him;  and  even  that  should  not  be  given 
too  liberally,  nor  should  he,  in  the  slightest  degree,  be  coaxed  to  eat.  When  he 
appears  to  be  recovering,  his  getting  on  his  feet  should  not  be  hurried.  It  should  be 
left  perfectly  to  his  own  discretion ;  nor  should  even  walking  exercise  be  permitted 
until  he  stands  firm  on  his  feet.  When  that  is  the  case,  and  the  season  will  permit, 
two  months'  run  at  grass  will  be  very  serviceable. 

It  is  not  always,  however,  or  often,  that  inflammation  of  the  feet  is  thus  easily 
subdued  ;  and,  if  it  is  subdued,  it  sometimes  leaves  after  it  some  fearful  consequences. 
The  loss  of  the  hoof  is  not  an  unficquent  one.  About  six  or  seven  days  from  the 
first  attack,  a  slight  separation  will  begin  to  appear  between  the  coronet  and  the  hoof. 
This  should  be  carefully  attended  to,  for  the  separated  horn  will  never  again  unite 
with  the  parts  beneath,  but  the  disunion  will  extend,  and  the  hoof  will  be  lost.  It  is 
true  that  a  new  hoof  will  be  formed,  but  it  will  be  smaller  in  size  and  wetiker  than 
the  first,  and  will  rarely  stand  hard  work.  When  this  separation  is  observed,  it 
will  be  a  matter  of  calculation  with  the  proprietor  of  the  horse  whether  he  will  suffer 
the  medical  treatment  to  proceed. 

CHRONIC  LAMINITIS. 

This  is  a  species  of  founder,  insidious  in  its  attack,  and  destructive  to  the  horse. 
It  is  a  milder  form  of  the  preceding  disease.  There  is  lameness,  but  it  is  not  so 
severe  as  in  the  former  case.  The  horse  stands  as  usual.  The  crust  is  warm,  and 
that  warmth  is  constant,  but  it  is  not  often  probably  greater  than  in  a  state  of  health. 
The  surest  symptom  is  the  action  of  the  animal.  It  is  diametrically  opposite  to  that 
in  the  navicular  disease.  The  horse  throws  as  much  of  his  weight  as  he  can,  on  the 
posterior  parts  of  his  feet. 

The  treatment  should  be  similar  to  that  recommended  for  the  acute  disease — blood- 
letting, cataplasms,  fomentations,  and  blisters,  and  the  last  much  sooner  and  much 
more  frequently  than  in  the  former  disease. 

PUMICED  FEET. 

The  sensible  and  horny  little  plates  which  were  elongated  and  partially  separated 
during  the  intensity  of  the  inflammation  of  founder,  will  not  always  perfectly  unite 
again,  or  will  have  lost  much  of  their  elasticity,  and  the  coffin-bone,  no  longer  fully 
supported  by  them,  presses  upon  the  sole,  and  the  sole  becomes  flattened,  or  convex, 
from  this  unnatural  weight,  and  the  horse  acquires  a  pumiced  foot.  This  will  also 
happen  when  the  animal  is  used  too  soon  after  an  attack  of  inflammation  of  the  feet, 
and  before  the  laminae  have  regained  sufficient  strength  to  support  the  weight  of  the 
horse,  or  to  contract  again  by  their  elasti'c  power  when  they  have  yielded  to  the 
weight.  When  the  coffin-bone  is  thus  thrown  on  the  sole,  and  renders  it  pumiced, 
the  crust  at  the  front  of  the  hoof  will  "/«//  in,"  leaving  a  kind  of  hollow  about  the 
middle  of  it. 

Pumiced  feet,  especially  in  horses  with  large,  wide  feet,  are  frequently  produced 
without  this  acute  inflammation.  Undue  work,  and  especially  much  battering  of  the 
feet  on  the  pavement,  will  extend  and  sprain  these  laminae  so  much,  that  they  will 
not  have  the  power  to  contract,  and  thus  the  coffin-bone  will  be  thrown  backward  on 
the  sole.  A  very  important  law  of  nature  will  unfortunately  soon  be  active  here. 
When  pressure  is  applied  to  any  part,  the  absorbents  become  busy  in  removing  it; 
so,  when  the  coffin-bone  begins  to  press  upon  the  sole,  the  sole  becomes  thin  from  the 
increased  wear  and  tear  to  which  it  is  subjected  by  contact  with  the  ground,  and  also 
because  these  absorbents  are  rapidly  taking  it  away. 

This  is  one  of  the  diseases  of  the  feet  for  which  there  is  no  cure.  No  skill  is 
competent  to  efl^ect  a  reunion  between  the  separated  fleshy  and  horny  lamina»,  or  to 
restore  to  them  the  strength  and  elasticity  of  which  they  have  been  deprived,  or  to 
take  up  that  hard,  horny  substance  which  speedily  fills  the  space  between  the  crust 


CONTRACTION.  305 

and  the  receding  coffin-bone.  Some  efforts  have  been  made  to  palliate  the  disease, 
but  the}'  have  been  only  to  a  slight  degree  successful.  If  horses,  on  the  first  ap- 
pearance of  flat  feet,  were  turned  out  in  a  dry  place,  or  put  into  a  box  for  two  or 
three  months,  sufficient  stress  would  not  be  thrown  on  the  lamince  to  increase  the 
evil,  and  time  might  be  given  for  the  growth  of  horn  enough  in  the  sole  to  support 
the  cothn-bone ;  yet  it  is  much  to  be  doubted  whether  these  horses  would  ever  be 
useful,  even  for  ordinary  purposes.  The  slowest  work  required  of  them  would  drive 
the  coffin-bone  on  tlie  sole,  and  the  projection  would  gradually  reappear,  for  no  power 
and  no  length  of  time  can  again  unite  the  separated  leaves  of  the  coffin-bone  and  the 
hoof.  All  that  can  be  done  in  the  way  of  palliation  is  by  shoeing.  Nothing  must 
press  on  the  projecting  and  pumiced  part.  If  the  projection  is  not  considerable,  a 
thick  bar  shoe  is  the  best  thing  that  can  be  applied;  but  should  the  &ole  have  much 
descended,  a  shoe  with  a  very  wide  web,  bevelled  off  so  as  not  to  press  on  the  part, 
may  be  used.  These  means  of  relief,  however,  are  only  temporary,  the  disease  will 
proceed ;  and,  at  no  great  distance  of  time,  the  horse  will  be  useless. 

The  occasional  removal  of  the  shoe,  and  compelling  the  horse  to  stand  for  a  while 
on  the  crust  and  lamina?,  has  been  resorted  to.  The  bar  shoe  and  the  leathern  sole, 
and  occasional  dressing  with  tar  ointment  have  had  their  advocates,  and  it  is  suffi 
ciently  plain  that  the  pumiced  foot  should  have  plenty  of  cover. 

A  somewhat  similar  affection,  known  by  the  name  of  a  "  Seedy  Toe,"  is  thus  de* 
scribed  by  Mr.  W.  C.  Spooner: — "  It  can  scarcely  be  called  a  disease,  but  it  is  rathei 
a  natural  defect,  wluch  may  be  considerably  increased  by  labour  and  bad  shoeing. 
It  arises  from  too  great  drj-ness  of  the  horn,  which  renders  it  brittle,  and  causes  its 
fibres  to  separate.  There  is  a  want  of  that  tough,  elastic  material  which  connects 
the  longitudinal  fibres  together,  and  produces  that  strong  bond  of  union  between  them 
and  the  horny  laminae  and  the  sole.  There  is  a  hollow  space  within  the  foot,  which 
sometimes  extends  upward  and  around,  so  as  to  admit  a  large  probe.  Neither  the 
bone  nor  the  laminae,  however,  are  exposed,  but  are  still  protected  by  the  internal  por- 
tion of  the  crust.  The  only  thing  to  be  done  is  to  anoint  the  toot  occasionally,  par- 
ticularly the  affected  part,  with  tar  and  grease.  A  blister  may  also  be  applied  to  ex- 
cite the  developement  of  a  new  growth  of  horn,  that  which  is  become  dry  and  brittle 
being  occasionally  cut  away."* 

CONTRACTION. 

The  cut,  page  295,  will  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  young  healthy  foot,  approaching 
nearly  to  a  circle,  and  of  which  the  quarters  form  the  widest  part,  and  the  inner  quar- 
ter (tills  is  the  near  foot)  rather  wider  than  the  outer.  This  shape  is  not  long  pre* 
served  in  many  horses,  but  the  foot  increases  in  lengfth,  and  narrows  in  the  quarters, 
and  particularly  at  the  heel,  and  the  frog  is  diminished  in  width,  and  the  sole  be- 
comes \nore  concave,  and  the  heels  higher,  and  lameness,  or  at  least  a  shortened  and 
feeling  action,  ensues. 

It  must  be  premised  that  there  is  a  great  deal  more  horror  of  contracted  heels  than 
there  is  occasion  for.  ]Many  persons  reject  a  horse  at  once  if  the  quarters  are  wiring 
in ,-  but  the  fact  is,  that  although  this  is  an  unnatural  form  of  the  hoof,  it  is  slow  of 
growth,  and  nature  kindly  makes  that  provision  for  the  slowly  altered  form  of  the 
hoof  which  she  does  in  similar  cases — she  accommodates  the  parts  to  the  change  of 
form.  As  the  hoof  draws  in,  the  parts  beneath,  and  particularly  the  coffin-bone,  and 
especially  the  heels  of  that  bone,  diminish ;  or,  after  all,  it  is  more  a  change  of  form 
than  of  capacity.  As  the  foot  lengthens  in  proportion  as  it  narrows,  so  does  the  cof- 
fin-bone, and  it  is  as  perfectly  adjusted  as  before  to  the  box  in  which  it  is  placed, 
ts  lamina;  are  in  as  intimate  and  perfect  union  with  those  of  the  crust  as  before 
the  hoof  had  begun  to  change.  On  this  account  it  is  that  many  horses,  with  very 
contracted  feet,  are  perfectly  sound,  and  no  horse  should  be  rejected  merely  be- 
cause he  has  contraction.  He  should  undoubtedly  be  examined  more  carefully,  and 
with  considerable  suspicion ;  but  if  he  has  good  action,  and  is  otheiwise  unexcep- 
tionable, there  is  no  reason  that  the  purchase  should  not  be  made.  A  horse  with 
contracted  feet,  if  he  goes  sound,  is  better  than  another  with  open  but  weak  heels. 

The  opinion  is  perfectly  erroneous  that  contraction  is  the  necessary  conseqvience 
of  shoeing.      There  can  be  no  doubt  that  an  inflexible  iron  ring  being  nailed  to 

*  Spooner  on  the  Foot  of  the  Horse. 
26*  2o 


306  THE    FOOT. 

the  foot  prevents,  to  a  very  considerable  degree,  the  descent  of  the  sole  and  the 
expansion  of  the  heels  below ;  and  it  is  likew  ise  probable,  that  when  the  expansion 
of  the  heels  is  prevented  they  often  begin  to  contract.  But  here  again  nature,  cut 
off  from  01.3  resource,  finds  others.  If  one  of  the  jugular  veins  is  lost,  the  blood 
pursues  its  course  by  other  channels,  and  the  horse  does  not  appear  to  suffer  in  the 
sliii-htest  decree.  Thus  also  if  the  expansion  of  the  heels  below  is  diminished, 
that  of  the  cartilages  above  is  made  more  use  of.  If  the  cofhn-bone  has  not  so  much 
descent  downward,  it  probably  acquires  one  backward,  and  the  functions  of  the  foot 
are  usefully  if  not  perfectly  performed.  The  plain  proof  of  this  is,  that  although 
tliere  are  many  horses  that  are  injured  or  ruined  by  bad  shoeing,  there  are  others, 
and  they  are  a  numerous  class,  who  suffer  not  at  all  from  good  shoeing,  and  scarcely 
even  from  bad.  Except  it  be  from  accident,  how  seldom  is  the  fanner's  horse  lame ! 
and  it  might  even  be  farther  asked,  how  seldom  is  his  foot  much  contracted  !  Some 
gentlemen  who  are  careful  of  their  horses  have  driven  them  twenty  years,  and 
principally  over  the  rough  pavement  of  towns,  without  a  day's  lameness.  Shoe- 
ing may  be  a  necessary  evil,  but  it  is  not  the  evil  which  some  speculative  persons 
have  supposed  it  to  be ;  and  the  undoubted  fact  is,  that  when  the  horse  is  put  to  real 
hard  work,  and  when  the  injury  produced  by  shoeing  in  destroying  the  expansibility 
of  the  foot  would  most  of  all  show  itself,  the  foot  lasts  a  great  deal  longer  than  the 
leg ;  nay,  horsemen  tell  us  that  one  pair  of  good  feet  is  worth  two  pairs  of  legs. 

^Having  thus  premised  that  contraction  is  not  inevitably  accompanied  by  lameness, 
and  thatthoeing,  with  all  its  evils,  does  not  necessarily  injure  the  foot,  those  cases 
of  contraction,  too  numerous,  which  are  the  consequence  of  our  stable  management, 
and  which  do  cripple  and  ruin  the  horse,  may  be  considered.  There  is  nothing  in  the 
appearance  of  the  feet  which  would  enable  us  to  decide  when  contraction  is  or  is  not 
destructive  to  the  usefulness  of  the  animal ;  his  manner  of  going,  and  his  capability 
for  work,  must  be  our  guides.  Lameness  usually  accompanies  the  beginning  of  con- 
traction ;  it  is  the  invariable  attendant  on  rapid  contraction,  but  it  does  not  always 
exist  when  the  wiring  in  is  slow  or  of  long  standing. 

A  very  excellent  w'riter,  particularly  when  treating  of  the  foot  of  the  horse,  Mr. 
Blaine,  has  given  us  a  long  and  correct  list  of  the  causes  of  injurious  contraction,  and 
most  of  them  are,  fortunately,  under  the  control  of  the  owner  of  the  animal.  He 
places  at  the  head  of  them,  neglect  of  paring.  The  hoof  is  continually  growing,  the 
crust  is  lengthening,  and  the  sole  is  thickening.  This  is  a  provision  for  the  wear 
and  tear  of  the  foot  in  an  unshod  state ;  but  when  it  is  protected  by  a  shoe,  and  none 
of  the  horn  can  be  worn  away  by  coming  in  contact  with  the  ground,  and  the  growth 
of  horn  continues,  the  hoof  grows  high,  and  the  sole  gets  thick,  and,  in  consequence 
of  this,  the  descent  of  the  sole  and  the  expansion  of  the  heels  are  prevented,  and  con- 
traction is  the  result.  The  smith  might  lessen,  if  not  prevent  the  evil,  by  carefully 
thinning  the  sole  and  lowering  the  heels  at  each  shoeing;  but  the  first  of  these  is  a 
matter  of  considerable  labour,  and  the  second  could  not  be  done  effectually  without 
being  accompanied  by  the  first,  and  therefore  they  are  both  neglected.  The  prejudice 
of  rnany  owners  of  horses  assists  in  increasing  the  evil ;  they  imagine  that  a  great 
deal  of  mischief  is  done  by  cutting  away  the  foot.  Mischief  may  be  the  result  of 
injudicious  cutting,  when  the  bars  are  destroyed  and  the  frog  is  elevated  from  the 
ground;  but  more  evil  results  from  the  unyielding  thickness  of  horn  impairing  the 
elastic  and  expansive  principle  of  the  foot.  If  gentlemen  would  accasionally  stand 
by,  and  see  that  the  sole  is  properly  thinned,  and  the  heels  lowered,  they  would  be 
amply  repaid  in  the  comfort  and  usefulness  of  the  horse. 

Ill-judged  economy  is  another  source  of  this  disease.  If  the  shoes  of  one  smith  will, 
with  ordinary  work,  last  a  little  more  than  three  weeks,  while  another  contrives  to 
make  his  last  six  weeks,  he  is  supposed  to  be  the  better  workman  and  the  more 
honest  man,  and  he  gets  the  greater  part  of  the  custom.  His  shoe  is  suffered  to 
remain  on  during  the  whole  time,  to  the  manifest  injury  of  the  feet,  and  that  injury  is 
materially  increased  by  the  greater  thickness  and  weight  of  these  shoes,  and  the 
tightness  with  which  they  are  fastened  on,  the  nails  being  necessarily  placed  nearer 
to  the  quarters,  and  possibly  an  additional  nail  or  two  used  in  the  fastening,  and  these 
also  applied  at  the  quarters.  There  is  no  rule  which  admits  of  so  little  exception,  as 
that,  once  in  about  every  three  weeks,  the  growth  of  horn  which  the  natural  wear  of 
the  foot  cannot  get  rid  of,  should  be  pared  away — the  toe  should  be  shortened  in  most 
feet the  sole  should  be  thinned,  and  the  heels  lowered.    Every  one  who  has  carefully 


CO^TRACTION.  307 

observed  the  shape  of  the  horse's  foot,  must  have  seen  that  in  proportion  to  'ts  height 
or  neglected  growth,  it  contracts  and  closes  round  the  coronet.  A  low-heeled  horso 
might  have  other  serious  defects,  of  which  it  will  be  our  duty  to  speak  but  he  has 
seldom  a  contracted  foot. 

Another  source  of  contraction  is  the  want  of  natural  moisture.  The  unshod  colt  has 
seldom  contracted  feet,  nor  does  the  horse  at  grass  acquire  them,  because  the  hoof  is 
kept  cool  and  damp  by  occasional  rain,  and  by  the  regular  dew.  It  is  thus  rendered 
supple,  and  its  elasticity  is  preserved,  and  the  expansive  power  of  the  foot  is  uninjured. 
The  hoof  of  tlie  stabled  horse  sometimes  has  not  one  drop  of  moisture  on  it  for  several 
days.  The  effect  of  this,  in  the  contraction  of  the  horn,  is  sufficiently  evident.  Hence 
the  propriety  of  stopping  the  feet  where  there  is  the  least  tendency  to  contraction. 
The  intelligent  and  careful  groom  will  not  omit  it  a  single  night.  Cow-dunsf,  with  a 
small  portion  of  clay  to  give  it  consistence,  is  a  common  and  very  good  stopping.  A 
better  one  is  a  piece  of  thick  felt  cut  to  the  shape  of  the  sole  and  soaked  in  water. 
The  common  stopping  of  tar  and  grease  is  peculiarly  objectionable,  for  it  closes  the 
pores  of  the  feet,  and  ultimately  increases  the  dryness  and  brittleness  which  it  was 
designed  to  remedy. 

The  usual  management  of  the  farmer's  horse  that  is  often  turned  out  after  his  daily 
task  is  exacted,  or  whose  work  is  generally  performed  where  the  feet  are  exposed  to 
moisture,  is  an  excellent  preventive  against  contraction. 

Some  persons  have  complained  much  of  the  influence  of  litter.  If  the  horse  stands 
many  hours  in  the  day  with  his  feet  embedded  in  straw,  it  is  supposed  that  the  hoof 
must  be  unnaturally  heated ;  and  it  is  said  that  the  horn  will  contract  under  the 
influence  of  heat.  It  is  seldom,  however,  that  the  foot  is  so  surrounded  by  the  litter 
that  its  heat  will  be  sufficiently  increased  to  produce  this  effect.  It  will  be  difficult 
to  produce  the  case  in  which  contraction,  or  thrush,  or  tenderness,  has  been  produced 
by  the  horse  standing  on  dry  litter.  There  are  thousands  of  horses  that  stand  upon 
straw  twenty  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four,  without  receiving  the  slightest  injury  from 
it.  The  author  of  this  work  is  not  one  of  those  who  would,  during  the  day,  remove 
all  litter  from  under  the  horse.  It  gives  a  naked  and  uncomfortable  appearance  to  the 
stable.  There  is  a  considerable  ditference  in  our  own  feelings  whether  we  stand  for 
an  hour  or  two  on  the  hard  stones,  or  a  soft  carpet,  and  especially  w-hether  we  beat 
our  feet  upon  the  one  or  the  other.  Humanity  and  a  proper  care  of  the  foot  of  the 
horse  should  induce  the  owner  to  keep  some  litter  under  the  animal  during  the  day ; 
but  his  feet  need  not  sink  so  deeply  in  it  that  their  temperature  becomes  much  affected. 
If  the  straw  is  suffered  to  remain  until  it  is  wet,  hot,  and  rotten,  the  effluvia  proceeding 
from  it  may  produce  cough,  or  inflammation  of  the  eyes,  or  thrushes  in  the  feet;  but 
a  light  bed  of  straw,  with  tolerable  attention  to  cleanliness,  can  never  do  harm. 
"  There  are  horses,"  says  Professor  Stewart,  "  that,  in  the  habit  of  pawing  and 
stamping,  slip  about  and  sometimes  lame  themselves  on  the  bare  stones;  many  dis- 
posed to  lie  down  during  the  day,  will  not,  or  ought  not,  to  do  it,  with  a  slight  portion 
of  litter  under  them.  It  is  a  frequent  observation  with  regard  to  road  horses,  and 
many  others,  that  the  more  a  horse  lies  the  better  he  works.  Lame  or  tender-footed 
horses  cannot  lie  too  much,  and  a  great  deal  of  standing  ruins  the  best  legs  and  feet. 
Some  horses,  indeed,  do  not  need  this  day-bedding,  but  many  are  the  better  for  it, 
and  none  are  the  worse."* 

Thrushes  are  much  oftener  the  consequence  than  the  cause  of  contraction.  The 
homy  frog,  yielding  to  the  pressure  of  the  contracted  quarters,  is  diminished  in  size, 
and  the  lower  portion  of  the  fleshy  frog  becomes  imprisoned,  irritated,  and  inflamed, 
and  pus  or  matter  is  discharged  at  the  cleft ;  yet  there  are  many  heels  in  the  last 
stage  of  contraction  that  are  not  thrushy.  On  the  other  hand,  thrush  never  long 
existed,  accompanied  by  much  discharge,  without  producing  a  disposition  to  con- 
traction ;  therefore,  thrush  may  be  considered  as  both  the  cause  and  consequence  of 
contraction. 

The  removal  of  the  bars  takes  away  a  main  impediment  to  contraction.  Their  use 
in  assisting  the  expansion  of  the  foot  has  been  already  stated,  and  should  a  disposition 
t<~  -contraction  be  produced  by  any  other  cause,  the  cutting  away  of  the  bars  would 
hasten  and  aggravate  the  evil ;  but  the  loss  of  the  bar  would  not  of  itself  produce 


'  Stewart's  Stable  CEconomy,  p.  139. 


808  DISEASES    OF   THE   FOOT. 

The  contraction,  however,  that  is  connected  with  permanent  laraeness,  althoug1\ 
increased  by  the  circumstances  which  we  have  mentioned,  usually  derives  its  origin 
from  a  different  source,  and  from  one  that  acts  violently  and  suddenly.  Inflammation 
of  the  little  plates  covering  the  coffin-bone  is  the  most  usual  cause ;  and  a  degree  of 
inflammation  not  sufficiently  intense  to  be  characterised  as  acute  founder,  but  quickly 
leading  to  sad  results,  may  and  does  spring  from  causes  almost  unsuspected.  There 
is  one  fact  to  which  we  have  alluded,  and  that  cannot  be  doubted,  that  contraction  is 
exceedingly  rare  in  the  agricultural  horse,  but  frequently  occurs  in  the  stable  of  the 
gentleman  and  the  coach-proprietor.  It  is  rare  where  the  horse  is  seemingly  neglected 
and  badly  shod ;  and  frequent  where  every  care  is  taken  of  the  animal,  and  the  shoes 
are  unexceptionable  and  skilfully  applied.  Something  may  depend  upon  the  breed. 
Blood  horses  are  particularly  liable  to  contraction.  Not  only  is  the  foot  naturally 
small,  but  it  is  disposed  to  become  narrower  at  the  heels.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
broad,  flat  foot  of  the  cart-horse  is  subject  to  diseases  enough,  but  contraction  is  sel- 
dom one  of  the  number.*  In  horses  of  equal  blood,  not  a  little  seems  to  depend  up®n 
the  colour,  and  the  dark  chestnut  is  proverbially  prone  to  contraction. 

Whatever  is  the  cause  of  that  rapid  contraction  or  narrowing  of  the  heels  which  is 
accompanied  by  severe  lameness,  the  sy^mptoms  may  be  easily  distinguished.  While 
standing  in  the  stable  the  horse  will  point  with,  or  place  forward,  the  contracted  foot, 
or,  if  both  feet  are  affected,  he  will  alternately  place  one  before  the  other.  When  he 
is  taken  out  of  the  stable,  he  will  not,  perhaps,  exhibit  the  decided  lameness  which 
characterises  sprain  of  the  flexor  tendon,  or  some  diseases  of  the  foot ;  but  his  step 
will  be  peculiarly  short  and  quick,  and  the  feet  will  be  placed  gently  and  tenderly  on 
the  ground,  or  scarcely  lifted  from  it  in  the  walk  or  the  trot.  It  would  seem  as  if  the 
slightest  irregularity  of  surface  would  throw  the  animal  down,  and  so  it  threatens  to 
do,  for  he  is  constantly  tripping  and  stumbling.  If  the  fore-feet  are  carefully  observed, 
one  or  both  of  them  will  be  narrowed  across  the  quarters  and  towards  the  heels.  In  a 
few  cases  the  whole  of  the  foot  appears  to  be  contracted  and  shrunk  ;  but  in  the  majo- 
rity of  instances,  while  the  heels  are  narrower,  the  foot  is  longer.  The  contraction 
appears  sometimes  in  both  heels :  at  other  times  in  the  inner  heel  only ;  or,  if  both  are 
affected,  the  inner  one  is  wired  in  the  most,  either  from  the  coronet  to  the  base  of  the 
foot,  or  only  or  principally  at  the  coronet  —  oftener  near  the  base  of  the  foot  —  but  in 
most  cases  the  hollow  being  greatest  about  mid-way  between  the  coronet  and  the  bet 
tom  of  the  foot.  This  irregularity  of  contraction,  and  uncertainty  as  to  the  place  of 
it,  prove  that  it  is  some  internal  disorganization,  the  seat  of  which  varies  with  the 
portion  of  the  attachment  between  the  hoof  and  the  foot  that  was  principally  strained 
or  injured.  In  every  recent  lase  the  contracted  part  will  be  hotter  than  the  rest  of 
the  foot,  and  the  sole  will,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  be  unnaturally  concave. 

Of  the  treatment  of  contraction  attended  with  lameness  little  can  be  said  that  will 
be  satisfactory.  Numberless  have  been  the  mechanical  contrivances  to  oppose  the 
progress  of  contraction,  or  to  force  back  the  foot  to  its  original  shape,  and  many  of 
them  have  enjoyed  considerable  but  short-lived  reputation.  A  clip  was  placed  at  the 
inside  of  each  heel,  which,  resting  on  the  bars,  was  intended  to  afford  an  insur- 
mountable obstacle  to  the  further  wiring  in  of  the  foot,  while  the  heels  of  the  shoe 
were  bevelled  outward  in  order  to  give  the  foot  a  tendency  to  expand.  The  foot, 
however,  continued  to  contract,  until  the  clip  was  embedded  in  the  horn,  and  worse 
lameness  was  produced, 

A  shoe  jointed  at  the  toe,  and  with  a  screw  adapted  to  the  heels,  was  contrived,  by 
which,  when  softened  by  poulticing,  or  immersion  in  warm  water,  the  quarters  were 
to  be  irresistibly  widened.  They  were  widened  by  the  daily  and  cautious  use  of  the 
screw  until  the  foot  seemed  to  assume  its  natural  form,  and  the  inventor  began  to 
exult  in  having  discovered  a  cure  for  contraction :  but,  no  sooner  was  the  common 

*  A  valued  correspondent  suggests,  that  the  difference  between  these  two  kinds  of  horses 
may  perhaps  throw  some  light  on  the  subject.  The  long-continued  and  heavy  pressure  on 
the  frog  in  the  cart-horse  produces  ossification  of  the  cartilages,  from  which  the  blood-horse 
is  free.  In  the  quickness  of  the  action  of  the  blood-horse,  the  expansion  of  the  frog  is  not 
sufficiently  continued  to  produce  this  effect ;  but  the  concussion  is  severe,  and  the  frog  and  the 
shorter  lamina  towards  the  heel  are  the  first  to  suffer,  and  contraclion  ensues.  We  do  not  find 
coniraciion  in  the  hind  feet,  where  there  is  "little  contraction,  nor  ossification,  because  the 
pressure  is  chiefly  on  the  toe.  Quick  draught-horses  have  it  both  ways,  but  chiefly  in  con- 
traction. 

The  readef  will  form  his  own  opinion  on  this  subject. 


NAVICULAR-JOINT   DISEaSL.  309 

sftoe  again  applied,  and  the  horse  had  returned  to  his  work,  than  the  heels  hegan  to 
narrow,  and  the  foot  became  as  contracted  as  ever.  Common  sense  would  have 
foretold  that  such  must  have  been  the  result  of  this  expansive  process;  for  the  heels 
could  have  been  onlj'  thus  forced  asunder  at  the  expense  of  partial  or  total  separation 
from  the  interior  portions  of  the  foot  with  which  they  were  in  contact. 

The  contracted  heel  can  rarely  or  never  permanently  expand,  for  this  plain  reason, 
that  although  we  may  have  power  over  the  crust,  we  cannot  renew  the  laminae,  or 
restore  the  portion  of  the  frog  that  has  been  absorbed. 

If  the  action  of  the  horse  is  not  materially  impaired,  it  is  better  to  let  the  contrac- 
tion alone,  be  it  as  great  as  it  will.  If  the  contraction  has  evidently  produced  consi- 
derable lameness,  the  owner  of  the  horse  will  have  to  calculate  between  his  value  if 
cured,  the  expense  of  the  cure,  and  the  probability  of  failure. 

The  tnedical  treatment  should  alone  be  undertaken  by  a  skilful  veterinary  surgeon, 
and  it  will  principally  consist  in  abating  any  inflammation  that  i;.ay  exist,  by  local 
bleeding  and  physic,  paring  the  sole  to  the  utmost  extent  that  it  will  bear;  rasping 
the  quarters  as  deeply  as  can  be,  without  their  being  too  much  weakened,  or  the 
coronary  ring  (see  6,  p.  27'2)  injured;  rasping  deeply  likewise  at  the  toe,  and  perhaps 
scoring  at  the  toe.  The  horse  is  afterwards  made  to  stand  during  the  day  in  wet 
clay,  placed  in  one  of  the  stalls.  He  is  at  night  moved  into  another  stall,  and  his 
feet  bound  up  thickly  in  wet  cloths  ;  or  he  is  turned  out  into  wet  pasturage,  with  tips, 
or,  if  possible,  without  them,  and  his  feet  are  frequently  pared  out,  and  the  quarters 
lightly  rasped.  In  five  or  six  months  the  horn  will  generally  have  grown  down, 
when  hp  may  be  taken  up,  and  shod  with  shoes  unattached  by  nails  on  the  inner  side 
of  the  foot,  and  put  to  gentle  work.  The  foot  will  be  found  very  considerably  enlarged, 
and  the  owner  will,  perhaps,  think  that  the  cure  is  accomplished.  The  horse  may, 
possibly,  for  a  time  stand  very  gentle  work,  and  the  inner  side  of  the  foot  being  left 
at  liberty,  its  natural  expansive  process  may  be  resumed  :  the  internal  part  of  thefoot, 
however,  has  not  been  healthily  filled  up  with  the  expansion  of  the  crust.  If  that 
expansion  has  been  effected  forward  on  the  quarters,  the  crust  will  no  longer  be  in 
contact  with  the  lengthened  and  narrowed  heels  of  the  coffin-bone.  There  will  not  be 
the  natural  adhesion  and  strength,  and  a  very  slight  cause,  or  even  the  very  habit  of 
contraction,  will,  in  spite  of  all  care  and  the  freedom  of  the  inner  quarter,  in  very 
many  instances,  cause  the  foot  to  wire  in  again  as  badly  as  before. 

THE  NAVICULAR-JOINT  DISEASE. 

Many  horses  with  well-formed  and  open  feet  become  sadly  and  permanently  lame, 
and  veterinary  surgeons  have  been  puzzled  to  discover  the  cause.  The  farrier  has  had 
his  convenient  explanation  "the  shoulder;"  but  the  scientific  practitioner  may  not 
have  been  able  to  discover  an  ostensible  cause  of  lameness  in  the  whole  limb.  There 
is  no  one  accustomed  to  horses  who  does  not  recollect  an  instance  of  this. 

By  reference  to  the  cut,  e,  page  272,  it  will  be  seen  that,  behind  and  beneath  the 
lower  pastern-bone,  and  behind  and  above  the  heel  of  the  coffin-bone,  is  a  small  bone 
called  the  navicular  or  shuttle  bone.  It  is  so  placed  as  to  strengthen  the  union  between 
the  lower  pastern  and  the  coffin-bone,  and  to  enable  the  flexor  tendon,  which  passes 
over  it  in  order  to  be  inserted  into  the  bottom  of  the  coffin-bone,  to  act  with  more 
advantage.  It  forms  a  kind  of  joint  with  that  tendon.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  weight 
thrown  on  the  navicular-bone,  and  from  the  navicular-bone  on  the  tendon ;  and  there 
is  a  great  deal  of  m.otion  or  play  between  them  in  tlie  bending  and  extension  of  the 
pasterns.  It  is  very  easy  to  conceive  that,  from  sudden  concussion,  or  from  rapid  and 
overstrained  motion,  and  that,  perhaps,  after  the  animal  has  been  sometime  at  rest, 
and  the  parts  have  not  adapted  themselves  for  motion,  there  may  be  too  much  play 
between  the  bone  and  the  tendon — the  delicate  membrane  which  covers  the  bone,  or 
the  cartilage  of  the  bone,  may  be  bruised,  and  inflamed,  and  destroyed ;  that  all  the 
painful  effects  of  an  inflamed  and  opened  joint  may  ensue,  and  the  horse  be  irreco- 
verably lame.  Numerous  dissections  have  shown  that  this  joint,  formed  bvthe  tendon 
and  the  bone,  has  been  the  frequent,  and  the  almost  invariable,  seat  of  these  obscure 
amenesses.  The  membrane  covering  the  cartilage  of  the  bone  has  been  found  in  an 
ulcerated  state ;  the  cartilage  has  been  ulcerated  and  eaten  away ;  the  bone  has  become 
carious  or  decaj'ed,  and  bony  adhesions  have  taken  place  between  the  navicular  and 
the  pastern  and  the  coffin-bones,  and  this  part  of  the  foot  has  often  become  completely 
disorganised  and  useless.     This  joint  is  probably  the  seat  of  lameness,  not  only  in 


31C  DISEASES    OF   THE  FOOT. 

well-formed  and  perfect  feet,  but  in  those  which  become  lame  afler  contraction ;  for 
in  proportion  as  the  inner  frog  is  compressed  by  the  contraction  of  the  heels,  and  is 
absorbed  by  that  pressure,  and  the  sole  is  become  concave,  and  the  horny  frog,  and 
the  coflin-bone  too,  thereby  elevated,  there  will  be  less  room  for  the  action  of  this 
joint,  and  more  danger  of  the  tendon  and  the  delicate  membrane  of  the  navicular-bone 
being  crushed  between  that  bone  and  the  horny  frog. 

Stable  management  has  little  to  do  with  the  production  of  this  disease,  any  farther 
than  if  a  horse  stands  idle  in  the  stable  several  days,  and  the  structure  of  the  foot,  and 
all  the  apparatus  connected  with  motion,  become  unused  to  exertion,  and  indisposed 
for  it,  and  he  is  then  suddenly  and  violently  exercised,  this  membrane  is  very  liable 
to  be  bruised  and  injured.  This,  amongst  other  evils,  will  be  lessened  by  a  loose 
box,  in  which  a  horse  will  always  take  some  exercise.* 

The  cure  of  navicular  disease  is  difficult  and  uncertain.  The  first  and  all-important 
point  is  the  removal  of  the  inflammation  in  this  very  susceptible  membrane.  Local 
bleeding,  poulticing,  and  physic  will  be  our  principal  resources.  If  there  is  contrac- 
tion, this  must,  if  possible,  be  removed  by  the  means  already  pointed  out.  If  there  is 
no  contraction,  it  will  nevertheless  be  prudent  to  get  rid  of  all  surrounding  pressure, 
and  to  unfetter,  as  much  as  possible,  the  inside  heel  of  the  coffin-bone,  by  paring  the 
sole  and  rasping  the  quarters,  and  using  the  shoe  without  nails  on  the  inner  quarter, 
and  applying  cold  poultices  to  the  coronet  and  the  whole  of  the  foot.  This  is  a  case, 
however,  which  must  be  turned  over  to  the  veterinary  surgeon,  for  he  alone,  from  his 
knowledge  of  the  anatomy  of  the  foot,  and  the  precise  seat  of  the  disease,  is  competent 
to  treat  it.  If  attacked  on  its  earliest  appearance,  and  before  ulceration  of  the  mem- 
brane of  the  joint  has  taken  place,  it  may  be  radically  cured  :  but  ulceration  of  the 
membrane  will  be  with  difficulty  healed,  and  caries  of  the  bone  will  for  ever  remain. 

Blistering  the  coronet  will  often  assist  in  promoting  a  cure  by  diverting  the  inflam- 
mation to  another  part,  and  it  will  materially  quicken  the  growth  of  the  horn.  A  seton 
passed  through  the  frog  by  a  skilful  operator,  and  approaching  as  nearly  as  possible 
to  the  seat  of  disease,  has  been  serviceable. 

In  cases  of  old  contraction,  attended  by  a  short  and  feeling  step,  neurotomy,  or  the 
excision  of  a  portion  of  the  nerve  (for  an  explanation  of  the  nature  and  effects  of 
which  see  page  113),  may  be  resorted  to  with  decided  advantage.  Not  only  will  the 
lameness  be  removed,  but,  by  the  foot  being  again  brought  fully  and  firmly  upon  the 
ground,  the  inner  side  of  the  shoe  being  unfettered  by  nails,  a  portion  of  the  contrac- 
tion may  be  removed  by  the  sole  being  allowed  to  descend  and  the  foot  to  expand  at 
each  contact  with  the  ground. 

Even  when  the  navicular-joint  is  particularly  suspected,  if  there  is  no  apparent 
inflammation  (and  that  would  be  readily  detected  by  the  heat  of  the  foot),  neurotomy 
may  be  practised  with  the  hope  of  alleviating  the  sufferings  of  the  animal,  and  thus 

*  To  Mr.  James  Turner  the  veterinary  profession  is  indebted  for  a  knowledge  of  the  seat 
and  cause  of  this  lameness.  In  the  year  1816,  he  first  alluded  to  it,  and  the  truth  and  import- 
ance of  his  discovery  is  now  universally  allowed. 

According  to  Mr.  Turner, 'contraction  of  the  hoof  is  more  or  less  apparent  in  the  majority 
of  horses  that  have  been  accustomed  to  be  shod.  This  is  often  long  before  they  have 
attained  the  highest  value  for  work,  and  not  unfrequently  before  they  are  five  years  old.  Thi* 
contraction  is  not,  however,  necessarily  connected  with  lameness — a  large  proportion  of  horses, 
in  the  very  midst  of  labour,  are  perfectly  free  from  lameness. 

The  next  deviation  from  nature  is  the  passive  state  to  which  the  foot  is  submitted  at 
least  twenty-two  or  twenty-three  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four,  and  sometimes  for  several 
consecutive  days.  Let  this  be  compared  with  the  few  hours  during  which  the  feet  of  a  horse 
at  pasture  are  in  a  quiescent  state,  and  there  will  be  no  cause  of  surprise  in  the  change  of  form 
and  position,  and  character,  and  the  state  of  contraction — which  takes  place  in  the  foot  deprived 
of  its  natural  pressure  and  motion. 

The  first  consequence  of  contraction  is  the  gradual  displacement  of  the  navicular  and  coffin- 
bones.  They  ascend  within  the  hoof  An  unnatural  arch  is  formed  by  the  ascent  of  the  frog, 
and  the  dehcate  synovial  membrane  lining  the  joint  is  crushed  and  bruised  by  the  very  material 
which  nature  has  bestowed  as  a  defence.  This  bruise  of  the  synovial  membrane  lining  the 
joint  is  the  veritable  source  of  this  complaint,  the  actual  cause  of  the  whole  not  consisting  in 
the  wear  and  tear  of  the  part,  but  having  its  origin  in  rest.  It  is  engendered  in  the  stable,  bui 
it  becomes  permanently  established  by  sudden  violence  out  of  it.  General  contraction  of  the 
foot  of  the  horse  may  take  place  to  a  great  extent  with  comparative  impunity,  but  it  is  a  pat 
tial  contraction  or  pressure  which  is  the  root  of  the  evil. — Turner  on  the  Navicular  Diseast 
Veterinarian,  vol.  ii,  p.  53. 


SAND-CRACK.  11] 

removing  a  portion  of  the  lameness ;  but  if  the  lameness  is  extreme,  either  with  or 
without  contraction,  and  especially  if  there  is  heat  about  the  foot,  the  operation  is  dan- 
gerous. There  is,  probably,  ulceration  of  the  membrane — possibly,  decay  of  the  bone; 
and  the  additional  friction  to  which  the  parts  would  be  subjected,  by  tlie  freer  action 
of  the  horse,  the  sense  of  pain  being  removed,  would  cause  that  ulceration  or  decay  to 
proceed  more  rapidly  until  the  foot  would  be  completely  disorganised,  or  the  tendon 
would  be  gradually  worn  through  by  rubbing  against  the  roughened  surface  of  the 
bone. 

SAND-CRACK. 

This,  as  its  name  imports,  is  a  crack  or  division  of  the  hoof  from  above  downward, 
and  into  which  sajid  and  dirt  are  too  apt  to  insinuate  themselves.  It  is  so  called, 
because  it  most  frequently  occurs  in  sandy  districts,  the  heat  of  the  sand  applied  to 
the  feet  giving  them  a  disposition  to  crack.  It  occurs  both  in  the  fore  and  tlie  hind 
feet.  In  the  fore  feet  it  is  usually  found  in  the  inner  quarter  (see  g,  page  278),  but 
occasionally  in  the  outer  quarter,  because  there  is  the  principal  stress  or  effort  towards 
expansion  in  the  foot,  and  the  inner  quarter  is  weaker  than  the  outer.  In  the  hind 
feet  the  crack  is  almost  invariably  found  in  the  front,  because  in  the  digging  of  the 
toe  into  the  ground  in  the  act  of  drawing,  the  principal  stress  is  in  front. 

This  is  a  most  serious  defect.  It  indicates  a  brittleness  of  the  crust,  sometimes 
natural,  but  oftener  the  consequence  of  mismanagement  or  disease,  which,  in  spite  of 
every  means  adopted,  will  probably  be  the  source  of  future  annoyance.  On  a  hoof 
that  has  once  been  thus  divided,  no  dependence  can  be  placed,  unless,  by  great  care, 
the  natural  suppleness  of  the  horn  has  been  restored  and  is  retained. 

Sand-crack  may  happen  in  an  instant,  from  a  false  step  or  over-exertion,  and  there- 
tore  a  horse,  although  he  may  spring  a  sand-crack  within  an  hour  after  the  purchase, 
cannot  be  returned  on  that  account. 

It  is  always  necessary  to  examine  the  inner  quarter  of  the  foot  at  the  time  of  pur- 
chase ;  for  it  has  more  than  once  occurred  that,  by  low  dealers,  and  particularly  at 
fairs,  a  sand-crack  has  been  neatly  covered  with  pitch,  and  then,  the  whole  of  the 
hoof  having  been  oiled,  the  injury  was  so  adroitly  concealed,  that  an  incautious  per- 
son might  be  easily  deceived. 

The  crack  sometimes  does  not  penetrate  through  the  horn.  It  then  causes  no  lame- 
ness;  nevertheless,  it  must  not  be  neglected.  It  shows  that  there  is  brittleness, 
which  should  induce  the  purchaser  to  pause ;  and,  if  proper  means  are  not  taken,  it 
will  srenerally  soon  penetrate  to  the  quick.  It  should  be  pared  or  rasped  fairly  out; 
and  if  the  paring  or  rasping  has  been  deep,  the  foot  should  be  strengthened  by  a  coat- 
ing of  pitch,  with  coarse  tape  bound  over  it,  and  a  second  coating  of  pitch  covering 
this.  Every  crack  should  be  pared  or  rasped,  to  ascertain  its  depth.  If  it  penetrates 
through  the  crust,  even  although  no  lameness  exists,  a  firing-iron,  red-hot,  should  be 
passed  somewhat  deeply  above  and  below  it,  in  order  to  prevent  its  lengthening — the 
edges  should  be  thinned,  to  remove  any  painful  or  injurious  pressure,  and  the  foot 
should  be  bound  up  in  the  manner  directed,  care  being  taken  that  the  shoe  does  not 
press  upon  the  crust  immediately  under  the  sand-crack. 

If  the  crack  has  penetrated  through  the  crust,  and  lameness  has  ensued,  the  case  is 
more  serious.  It  must  be  carefully  examined,  in  order  to  ascertain  that  no  dirt  or 
sand  has  got  into  it;  the  edges  must  be  more  considerably  thinned,  and  if  any  fungus 
is  beginning  to  protrude  through  the  crack,  and  is  imprisoned  there,  it  must  be 
destroyed  by  the  application  of  the  butyr  (chloride)  of  antimony.  This  is  preferable 
to  the  cautery,  because  the  edges  of  the  horn  will  not  be  thickened  or  roughened,  and 
thus  become  a  source  of  after-irritation.  The  iron  must  then  be  run  deeply  across, 
above,  and  below  the  crack,  as  in  the  other  case  ;  a  pledget  of  dry  tow  being  placed 
in  the  crack,  in  and  over  it,  and  the  whole  bound  down  as  tightly  as  possible.  On 
the  third  day  the  part  should  be  examined,  and  the  caustic  again  applied,  if  necessary  : 
but  if  the  crack  is  dry,  and  defended  by  a  hard  horny  crust,  the  sooner  the  pitch  plaster 
is  put  on  the  better. 

The  most  senous  case  is,  when,  from  tread  or  neglect,  the  coronet  is  divided.  The 
growth  of  horn  proceeds  from  the  coronary  ligament,  and  unless  this  ligament  is 
sound,  the  horn  ■^nll  grow  down  disunited.  The  method  to  be  here  adopted,  is  to  ran 
the  back  of  the  firing-iron  over  the  coronet  where  it  is  divided.  Some  inflammation 
will  ensue ;  and  when  the  scab  produced  by  the  cautery  peels  off,  as  it  will  in  a  few 


312  DISEASES    OF  THE   FOOT. 

days,  the  division  will  be  obliterated,  and  sound  and  united  horn  will  grow  down. 
When  there  is  suflicient  horn  above  the  crack,  a  horizontal  line  should  be  drawn  with 
a  firing-iron  between  the  sound  horn  and  the  crack.  The  connexion  between  the  sound 
part  and  the  crack  will  thus  be  prevented,  and  the  new  horn  will  gradually  and  safely 
descend,  but  the  horse  should  not  be  used  until  sufficient  horn  has  grown  down  fairly 
to  isolate  the  crack.  In  this  case,  as  in  almost  every  one  of  sand-crack,  tiie  horse 
.should  be  kept  as  quiet  as  possible.  It  is  not  in  the  power  of  the  surgeon  to  effect  a 
perfect  cure,  if  the  owner  will  continue  to  use  the  animal.  When  the  horn  is  divided 
at  the  coronet,  it  will  be  five  or  six  months  before  it  will  grow  fairly  down,  and  not 
before  that,  should  the  animal  be  used  even  for  ordinary  work.  When,  however,  the 
horn  is  grown  an.  inch  from  the  coronet,  the  horse  may  be  turned  out — the  foot  being 
well  defended  by  the  pitch  plaster,  and  that  renewed  as  often  as  it  becomes  loose — a 
bar-shoe  being  worn,  chambered  so  as  not  to  jiress  upon  the  hoof  immediately  under 
the  crack,  and  that  shoe  being  taken  off,  the  sole  pared  out,  and  any  bulbous  projec- 
tion of  new  horn  being  removed  once  in  every  three  weeks. 

To  remedy  the  undue  brittleness  of  the  hoof,  there  is  no  better  application  than  that 
recommended  in  page  303,  the  sole  being  covered  at  the  same  time  with  the  common 
cow-dung,  or  felt  stopping. 

TREAD  AND  OVER-REACH. 

Under  these  terms  are  comprised  bruises  and  wounds  of  the  coronet,  inflicted  by  the 
other  feet. 

A  TREAD  is  said  to  have  taken  place,  when  the  inside  of  the  coronet  of  one  hind 
(c-Ql  is  struck  by  the  calkin  of  the  shoe  of  the  other,  and  a  bruised  or  contused  wound 
is  inflicted.  The  coronary  ring  is  highly  vascular  externally,  and  within  it  is  cartila- 
ginous ;  the  blow,  therefore,  often  produces  much  pain  and  hemorrhage,  and  contusion 
and  destruction  of  the  parts.  The  wound  may  appear  to  be  simple,  but  it  is  often  of 
a  sadly  complicated  nature,  and  much  time  and  care  will  need  to  be  expended  in 
repairing  the  mischief.  Mr.  Percivall  very  accurately  states  that  "  the  wound  has, 
in  the  first  place,  to  cast  off  a  slough,  consisting  of  the  bruised,  separated,  and 
deadened  parts;  then  the  chasm  thereby  exposed  has  to  granulate;  and  finally,  the 
sore  has  to  cicatrize,  and  form  new  horn."* 

A  tread,  or  wound  of  the  coronet,  must  never  be  neglected,  lest  gravel  should 
insinuate  itself  into  the  wound,  and  form  deep  ulcerations,  called  sinuses  or  pipes,  and 
which  constitute  quittor.  Although  some  mildly  stimulating  escharotic  may  be  occa- 
sionally required,  the  caustic,  too  frequently  used  by  farriers,  should  be  carefully 
avoided,  not  only  lest  quittor  should  be  formed,  but  lest  the  coronary  ligament  should 
be  so  injured  as  to  be  afterwards  incapable  of  secretirtg  perfect  horn.  When  pro- 
perly treated,  a  tread  is  seldom  productive  of  much  injury.  If  the  dirt  is  w'ell  washed 
out  of  it,  and  a  pledget  of  tow,  dipped  in  Friar's  balsam,  bound  over  the  wound,  it 
will,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  speedily  heal.  Should  the  bruise  be  extensive,  or  the 
wound  deep,  a  poultice  may  be  applied  for  one  or  two  days,  and  then  the  Friar's  bal- 
sam, or  digestive  ointment.  Sometimes  a  soft  tumour  will  form  on  the  part,  which 
will  be  quickly  brought  to  suppuration  by  a  poultice;  and  when  the  matter  has  run 
out,  the  ulcer  will  heal  by  the  application  of  the  Friar's  balsam,  or  a  weak  solution 
of  blue  vitriol.  •» 

An  OVER-REACH  is  a  tread  upon  the  heel  of  the  coronet  of  the  fore  foot  by  the  shoe 
of  the  corresponding  hind  foot,  and  either  inflicted  by  the  toe,  or  by  the  inner  edge  of 
the  inside  of  the  shoe.  The  preventive  treatment  is  the  bevelling,  or  rounding  ofT,  of 
the  inside  edge  or  rim  of  the  hind  shoes.  The  cure  is,  the  cutting  away  of  the  loose 
parts,  the  application  of  Friar's  balsam,  and  protection  from  the  dirt. 

There  is  a  singular  species  of  over-reaching,  termed  forging  or  clicking.  The 
horse,  in  the  act  of  trotting,  strikes  the  toes  of  the  hind  shoes  against  the  fore  ones. 
This  noise  of  the  clicking  is  unpleasant,  and  the  trick  or  habit  is  not  altogether  free 
from  danger.  It  is  most  frequent  in  young  horses,  and  is  attributable  to  too  great 
activity,  or  length  of  stride  in  the  hind  legs.  The  rider  may  do  something  by  keep- 
ing the  head  of  the  horse  well  up ;  but  the  smith  may  effect  more  by  making  the  hind 
Bhoes  of  clicking  horses  short  in  the  toe,  and  having  the  web  broad.     W'hen  they  are 


*  Percivall's  Hippopathology,  vol.  i.  p.  243. 


FALSE   QUARTER.  — QUITTOR.  313 

too  long,  thpy  are  apt  to  be  torn  off — when  too  narrow,  the  hind  foot  ui.iy  bruise  the 
sole  of  the  fore  one,  or  may  be  locked  fast  between  the  branches  of  the  fore  shoe.* 

FALSE  QUARTER. 

If  the  coronary  ligament,  by  which  the  horn  of  the  crust  is  secreted,  is  divided  by 
some  cut  or  bruise,  or  eaten  through  by  any  caustic,  there  will  occasionally  be  a  divi- 
sion in  the  horn  as  it  gTows  down,  either  in  the  form  of  a  permanent  sand-crack,  or 
one  portion  of  the  horn  overlapping  tiie  other.  It  occcasionally  follows  neglected 
sand-crack,  or  it  may  be  the  consequence  of  quittor.  This  is  exteriorly  an  evident 
fissure  in  the  horn,  and  extending  from  the  coronet  to  the  sole,  but  not  always  pene- 
trating to  the  laminae.  It  is  a  very  serious  defect,  and  exceedingly  difficult  to  remedy; 
for  occasionally,  if  the  horse  is  over-weighted  or  hurried  on  his  journey,  the  fissure 
will  open  and  bleed,  and  very  serious  inconvenience  and  lameness  may  ensue.  Grit 
and  dirt  may  insinuate  itself  into  the  aperture,  and  penetrate  to  the  sensible  laminae. 
Inflammation  will  almost  of  necessity  be  produced ;  and  much  mischief  will  be 
effected.  While  the  energies  of  the  animal  are  not  severely  taxed,  he  may  not  expe- 
rience much  inconvenience  or  pain ;  but  the  slightest  exertion  will  cause  the  fissure 
to  expand,  and  painful  lameness  to  follow. 

Tills  is  not  only  a  very  serious  defect,  but  one  exceedingly  difficult  to  remedy. 
The  coronary  ligament  must  be  restored  to  its  perfect  state,  or  at  least  to  the  dis- 
charge of  its  perfect  function.  Much  danger  would  attend  the  application  of  the 
caustic  in  order  to  eflect  this.  A  blister  is  rarely  sufficiently  active  :  but  the  applica- 
tion, not  too  severely,  of  a  heated  flat  or  rounded  iron  to  the  coronet  at  the  injured  part 
affords  the  best  chance  of  success  —  the  edges  of  the  horn  on  either  side  of  the  crack 
being  thinned,  the  hoof  supported  —  and  the  separated  parts  held  together  by  a  firm 
encasement  of  pitch,  as  described  when  speaking  of  the  treatment  of  sand-crack. 
The  coronet  must  be  examined  at  least  once  in  every  fortnight,  in  order  to  ascertain 
whether  the  desired  union  has  taken  place  ;  and,  as  a  palliative  during  the  treatment 
of  the  case,  or  if  the  treatment  should  be  unsuccessful,  a  bar-shoe  may  be  used,  and 
care  taken  that  there  be  no  bearing  at  or  immediately  under  the  separation  of  the  horn. 
This  will  be  best  effected,  when  the  crust  is  thick  and  the  quarters  strong,  by  paring 
off  a  little  of  the  bottom  of  the  crust  at  the  part,  so  that  it  will  not  touch  the  shoe ; 
but  if  the  foot  is  weak,  an  indentation  or  hollow  should  be  made  in  the  shoe.  Strain 
or  concussion  on  the  immediate  part  will  thus  be  avoided,  and,  in  sudden  or  violent 
exertion,  the  crack  will  not  be  so  likely  to  extend  upward  to  the  coronet,  when  whole 
and  sound  horn  has  begun  to  be  formed  there. | 

In  some  cases  false  quarter  assumes  a  less  serious  character.  The  horn  grows 
down  whole,  but  the  ligament  is  unable  to  secrete  that  which  is  perfectly  healthy, 
and,  therefore,  a  narrow  strip  of  horn  of  a  different  and  lighter  colour  is  produced. 
This  is  sometimes  the  best  result  that  can  be  procured  when  the  surgeon  has  been 
able  to  obliterate  the  absolute  crack  or  separation.  It  is,  however,  to  be  regarded  as 
a  defect,  not  sufficient  to  condemn  the  horse,  but  indicating  that  he  has  had  sand- 
crack,  and  that  a  disposition  to  sand-crack  may  possibly  remain.  There  will  also,  in 
the  generality  of  cases,  be  some  degree  of  tenderness  in  that  quarter,  which  may  pro- 
duce slight  lameness  when  unusual  exertion  is  required  from  the  horse,  or  the  shoe  is 
suffered  long  to  press  on  the  part. 

QUITTOR. 

This  has  been  described  as  being  the  result  of  neglected  or  bad  tread  or  over-reach  ; 
but  it  may  be  the  consequence  of  any  wound  in  the  foot,  and  in  any  part  of  the  foot.  In 
the  natural  process  of  ulceration,  matter  is  thrown  out  from  the  wound.  It  precedes  the 
actual  healing  of  the  part.  The  matter  which  is  secreted  in  wounds  of  the  foot  is 
usually  pent  up  there,  and,  increasing  in  quantity,  and  urging  its  way  in  every  direc- 

*  Stewart's  Stable  (Economy,  p.  393. 

t  James  Clark,  whose  works  have  not  been  valued  as  they  deserve,  expresses  in  a  few 
wordsthe  real  state  of  the  case,  and  the  course  that  should  be  pursued  : — 

"  We  may  so  far  palliate  the  complaint  as  to  render  the  horse  something  useful  by  using  a 
shoe  of  such  a  construction  as  will  support  the  limb  without  resting  or  pressing  too  much 
upon  the  weakened  quarter."  A  proper  stopping  should  also  cover  the  sole,  on  whicn  some 
coarse  tow  may  be  placed,  and  a  piece  of  leather  over  that;  the  whole  being  confined  by  a 
broad  web-shoe. 

27  2p 


314  DISEASES   OF   THE   FOOT. 

tion,  it  forces  the  little  fleshy  plates  of  the  coffin-bone,  from  the  homy  ones  of  the 
crust,  or  ihe  horny  sole  from  the  fleshy  sole,  or  even  eats  deeply  into  the  internal 
parts  of  the  foot.  These  pipes  or  sinuses  run  in  every  direction,  and  constitute  the 
essence  of  quiitor. 

If  it  arises  from  a  wound  at  the  bottom  of  the  foot,  the  purulent  matter  which  is 
rapidly  formed  is  pent  up  there,  and  the  nail  of  the  shoe  or  the  stub  remains  in  the 
wound,  or  the  small  aperture  which  was  made  is  immediately  closed  again.  This 
matter,  however,  continues  to  be  secreted,  and  separates  the  horny  sole  from  the 
fleshy  one  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  at  length  forces  its  way  upwards,  and  appears 
at  the  coronet,  and  usually  at  the  quarter,  and  there  slowly  oozes  out,  while  the  aper- 
ture and  the  quantity  discharged  are  so  small  that  the  inexperienced  person  would 
have  no  suspicion  of  the  extent  of  the  mischief  within,  and  the  difficulty  of  repairing 
it.  The  opening  may  scarcely  admit  a  probe  into  it,  yet  over  the  greater  part  of  the 
quarter  and  the  sole  the  horn  may  have  separated  from  the  foot,  and  the  matter  may 
have  penetrated  under  the  cartilages  and  ligaments,  and  into  the  coffin  joint.  Not 
only  so,  but  two  mischievous  results  may  have  been  produced, — the  pressure  of  the 
matter  wherever  it  has  gone  has  formed  ulcerations  that  are  indisposed  to  heal,  and 
that  require  the  application  of  strong  and  painful  stimulants  to  induce  them  to  heal ; 
and,  worse  than  this,  the  horn,  once  separated  from  the  sensible  parts  beneath,  will 
never  again  unite  with  them.     Quittor  may  occur  in  both  the  fore  and  the  hind  feet. 

It  will  be  sufficiently  plain  that  the  aid  of  a  skilful  practitioner  is  here  requisite, 
and  also  the  full  exercise  of  patience  in  the  proprietor  of  the  horse.  It  may  be  neces- 
sary to  remove  much  of  the  horny  sole,  which  will  be  speedily  reproduced  when  the 
fleshy  surface  beneath  can  be  brought  to  a  healthy  condition ;  but  if  much  of  the  horn 
at  the  quarters  must  be  taken  away,  five  or  six  months  may  probably  elapse  before  it 
will  be  sufficiently  grown  down  again  to  render  the  horse  useful. 

Measures  of  considerable  severity  are  indispensable.  The  application  of  some 
caustic  will  alone  produce  a  healthy  action  on  the  ulcerated  surfaces ;  but  on  the 
ground  of  interest  and  of  humanity  we  protest  against  that  brutal  practice,  or  at  leasi 
the  extent  to  which  it  is  carried,  and  is  pursued  by  many  ignorant  smiths,  of  coring 
out,  or  deeply  destroying  the  healthy  as  well  as  the  diseased  parts — and  parts  which 
no  process  will  again  restore.  The  unhealthy  surface  must  be  removed  ;  but  the  car 
tilages  and  ligaments,  and  even  portions  of  the  bone,  need  not  to  be  sacrificed. 

The  experienced  veterinary  surgeon  will  alone  be  able  to  counsel  the  proprietor  of 
the  horse  when,  in  cases  of  confirmed  quittor,  there  is  reasonable  hope  of  permaneni 
cure.  A  knowledge  of  the  anatomy  of  the  foot  is  necessary  to  enable  him  to  decide 
what  parts,  indispensable  to  the  action  of  the  animal,  may  have  been  irreparably 
injured  or  destroyed,  or  to  save  these  parts  from  the  destructive  effect  of  torturing 
caustics.  When  any  portion  of  the  bone  can  be  felt  by  the  probe,  the  chances  of 
success  are  diminished,  and  the 'owner  and  the  operator  should  pause.  When  the 
joints  are  exposed,  the  case  is  hopeless,  although,  in  a  great  many  instances,  the 
bones  and  the  joints  are  exposed  by  the  remedy  and  not  by  the  disease.  One  hint 
may  not  be  necessary  to  the  practitioner,  but  it  may  guide  the  determination  and 
hopes  of  the  owner;  if,  when  a  probe  is  introduced  into  the  fistulous  orifice  on  the 
coronet,  the  direction  of  the  sinuses  or  pipes  is  backward,  there  is  much  probaliility 
that  a  perfect  cure  may  be  effected  ;  but  if  the  direction  of  the  sinuses  is  forward,  the 
cure  is  at  best  doubtful.  In  the  first  instance,  there  is  neither  bone  nor  joint  to  be 
injured  ;  in  the  other,  the  more  important  parts  of  the  foot  are  in  danger,  and  the  prin- 
cipal action  and  concussion  are  found. 

Neglected  bruises  of  the  sole  sometimes  lay  the  foundation  for  quittor.  When  the 
foot  is  flat,  it  is  very  liable  to  be  bruised  if  the  horse  is  ridden  fast  over  a  rough  and 
stony  road ;  or,  a  small  stone,  insinuating  itself  between  the  shoe  and  the  sole,  oi 
confined  by  the  curvature  of  the  shoe,  will  frequently  lame  the  horse.  The  heat  ana 
tenderness  of  the  part,  the  occasional  redness  of  the  horn,  and  the  absence  of  punc 
ture,  will  clearly  mark  the  bruise.  The  sole  must  then  be  thinned,  and  particularly 
over  the  bruised  part,  and,  in  neglected  cases,  it  must  be  pared  even  to  the  quick,  ir 
order  to  ascertain  whether  the  inflammation  has  run  on  to  suppuration.  Bleeding  at 
the  toe  will  be  clearly  indicated  ;  and  poultices,  and  such  other  means  as  have  either 
been  described  under  "Inflammation  of  the  Feet,"  or  will  be  pointed  out  under  the 
next  head.  The  principal  causes  of  bruises  of  the  foot  are  leaving  the  sole  too  nmch 
exposed  by  means  of  a  narrow-webbed  shoe,  or  the  smith  paring  out  the  sole  too 


PRICK    OR   WOUND   IN    THE   SOLE    OR    CRUST.         315 

closel}%  or  the  pressure  of  the  shoe  on  the  sole,  or  the  introduction  of  gravel  or  stones 
between  the  shoe  and  the  sole. 

The  author  subjoins  the  mode  of  cure  in  this  disease,  as  it  has  been  practised  by 
two  veterinary  surgeons.  They  are  both  excellent,  and,  so  far  as  can  well  be  the 
case,  satisfactory^ 

Mr.  Percivall  says : — "  The  ordinary  mode  of  cure  consists  in  the  introduction  of 

caustic  into  the  sinus;  and  so  long-  as  the  cartilage  preserves  its  integrity by  which 

I  mean,  is  free  from  caries — this  is  perhaps  the  most  prompt  and  etfectual  mode  of 
proceeding.  The  farrier's  practice  is  to  mix  about  half  a  drachm  of  corrosive  sub- 
limate in  powder  with  twice  or  thrice  the  quantity  of  flour,  and  make  them  into  a 
paste  with  water.  This  he  takes  up  by  little  at  a  time  with  the  point  of  his  probe, 
and  works  it  about  into  the  sinus  until  the  paste  appears  rising  in  the  orifice  above 
After  this  is  done  he  commonly  has  the  horse  walked  about  for  an  hour  or  two,  or 
even  sent  to  slow  work  again,  which  produces  a  still  more  effectual  solution  of  the 
caustic,  at  the  same  time  that  it  tends  greatly  to  its  uniform  and  thorough  diffusion 
into  every  recess  and  winding  of  the  sinus.  The  consequence  of  this  sharp  caustic 
dressing  is  a  general  slough  from  the  sinus.  Every  part  of  its  interior  surface  is 
destroyed,  and  the  dead  particles  become  agglutinated,  and  cast  off  along  with  the 
discharges  in  the  form  of  a  dark,  firm  curdled  mass,  which  the  farrier  calls  the 
core ;  and  so  it  commonly  proves,  for  granulations  follow  close  behind  it,  and  fill  up 
the  sinus."* 

The  other  mode  of  treatment  is  that  of  Mr.  Newport,  a  surgeon  of  long  standing : 
— "  After  the  shoe  has  been  removed,  thin  the  sole  until  it  will  yield  to  the  pressure 
of- the  thumb ;  then  cut  the  under  parts  of  the  wall  in  an  oblique  direction  from  the 
heel  to  the  anterior  part,  immediately  under  the  seat  of  complaint,  and  only  as  far  as 
it  extends,  and  rasp  the  side  of  the  wall  thin  enough  to  give  way  to  the  pressure  of 
the  over-distended  parts,  and  put  on  a  bar  shoe  rather  elevated  from  the  frog.  As- 
certain with  a  probe  the  direction  of  the  sinuses,  and  introduce  into  them  a  saturated 
solution  of  sulphate  of  zinc,  by  means  of  a  small  syringe.  Place  over  this  dressing 
the  common  cataplasm,  or  the  turpentine  ointment,  and  renew  the  application  every 
twenty-four  hours.  I  have  frequently  found  three  or  four  such  applications  complete 
a  cure.  I  should  recommend  that  when  the  probe  is  introduced,  in  order  to  ascer- 
tain the  progress  of  cure,  that  it  be  gently  and  carefully  used,  otherwise  it  may  break 
down  the  new-formed  lymph.  I  have  found  the  solution  very  valuable,  where  the 
synovial  fluid  has  escaped,  but  not  to  be  used  if  the  inflammation  of  the  parts  is 
great."t 

PRICK  OR  WOUND  IN  THE  SOLE  OR  CRUST. 

This  is  the  most  frequent  cause  of  quitter.  It  is  evident  that  the  sole  is  very  liable 
to  be  wounded  by  nails,  pieces  of  glass,  or  even  sharp  flints.  Every  part  of  the 
foot  is  subject  to  injuries  of  this  description.  The  usual  place  at  which  these  wounds 
are  found  is  in  the  hollow  between  the  bars  and  the  frog,  or  in  the  frog  itself.  In 
the  fore  feet  the  injury  will  be  generally  recognized  on  the  inner  quarter,  and  on  the 
hind  feet  near  the  toe.  In  fact  these  are  the  thinnest  parts  of  the  fore  and  hind  feet. 
Much  more  frequently  the  laminae  are  wounded  by  the  nail  in  shoeing ;  or  if  the  nail 
does  not  penetrate  through  the  internal  surface  of  the  crust,  it  is  driven  so  close  to  it 
that  it  presses  upon  the  fleshy  parts  beneath,  and  causes  irritation  and  inflammation, 
and  at  length  ulceration.  When  a  horse  becomes  suddenly  lame,  after  the  legs  have 
been  tarefuUy  examined,  and  no  cause  of  lameness  appears  in  them,  the  shoe  should 
be  taken  off.  In  many  cases  the  offending  substance  will  be  immediately  detected, 
or  the  additional  heat  felt  in  some  part  of  the  foot  will  point  out  the  seat  of  injury; 
or,  if  the  crust  is  rapped  with  the  hammer  all  round,  the  flinching  of  the  horse  will 
discover  it ;  or  pressure  with  the  pincers  will  render  it  evident. 

When  the  shoe  is  removed  for  this  examination  the  smith  should  never  be  permit- 
ted to  wrench  it  off,  but  each  nail  should  be  drawn  separately,  and  examined  as  it  is 
drawn,  when  some  moisture  appearing  upon  it  will  not  unfrequently  reveal  the  spot 
at  which  matter  has  been  thrown  out. 

Sudden  lameness  occurring  within  two  or  three  days  after  the  horse  has  oecn  shod 


*  Percivall's  Hippopathology,  vol.  i.  p.  248. 
t  Thp  Vetennarian  vol.  i.  p.  329 


316  DISEASES    OF   THE    FOOT. 

will  lead  to  the  suspicion  that  the  smith  has  been  in  fault;  yet  no  one  who  considers 
the  thinness  of  the  crust,  and  the  difficulty  of  shoeing  many  feet,  will  blame  him  for 
sometimes  pricking  the  animal.  His  fault  w  ill  consist  in  concealing  or  denying  that 
of  which  he  will  almost  always  be  aware  at  the  time  of  shoeing,  from  the  flinching- 
of  the  horse,  or  the  dead  sound,  or  the  peculiar  resistance  that  may  be  noticed  in  the 
drivino-  of  the  nail.  We  would  plead  the  cause  of  the  honest  portion  of  an  humble 
class  of  men,  who  discharge  this  mechanical  part  of  their  business  with  a  skill  and 
good  fortune  scarcely  credible;  but  we  resign  those  to  the  reproaches  and  the  punish- 
uient  of  the  owner  of  the  horse  who  too  often,  and  with  bad  policy,  deny  that  which 
accident,  or  possibly  momentary  carelessness,  might  have  occasioned,  and  the  neglect 
of  which  is  fraught  with  danger,  although  the  mischief  resulting  from  it  might  at  the 
time  have  been  easily  remedied. 

When  the  seat  of  mischief  is  ascertained,  the  sole  should  be  thinned  round  it,  ana 
at  the  nail-hole,  or  the  puncture,  it  should  be  pared  to  the  quick.  The  escape  of 
some  matter  will  now  probably  tell  the  nature  of  the  injury,  and  remove  its  conse 
quences.  If  it  be  puncture  of  the  sole  effected  by  some  nail,  or  any  similar  body, 
picked  up  on  the  road,  all  that  will  be  necessary  is  a  little  to  enlarge  the  opening 
and  then  to  place  on  it  a  pledget  of  tow  dipped  in  Friar's  balsam,  and  over  that  a 
little  common  stopping.  If  there  is  much  heat  and  lameness,  a  poultice  should  be 
applied. 

The  part  of  the  sole  that  is  wounded  and  the  depth  of  the  wound  should  be  taken 
into  consideration.  It  will  be  seen,  by  reference  to  the  cut  in  page  272,  that  a  deep 
puncture  towards  the  back  part  of  the  sole,  and  penetrating  even  into  the  sensible  frog, 
may  not  be  productive  of  serious  consequence.  There  is  no  great  motion  in  the  part, 
and  there  are  no  tendons  or  bones  in  danger.  A  puncture  near  the  toe  may  not  be 
followed  by  much  injury.  There  is  little  motion  in  that  part  of  the  foot,  and  the 
internal  sole  covering  the  coffin-bone  will  soon  heal.  A  puncture,  however,  about  the 
centre  of  the  sole  may  wound  the  flexor  tendon  where  it  is  inserted  into  the  coffin-bone, 
or  may  even  penetrate  the  joint  which  unites  the  navicular-bone  with  the  coffin-bone, 
or  pierce  through  the  tendon  into  the  joint  which  it  forms  with  the  navicular-bone, 
and  a  degree  of  inflammation  may  ensue,  that,  if  neglected,  may  be  fatal.  Many 
horses  have  been  lost  by  the  smallest  puncture  of  the  sole  in  these  dangerous  points. 
All  the  anatomical  skill  of  the  veterinarian  should  be  called  into  requisition,  when  he 
is  examining  the  most  trifling  wound  of  the  foot. 

If  the  foot  has  been  wounded  by  the  wrong  direction  of  a  nail  in  shoeing,  and  the 
sole  is  well-pared  out  over  the  part  on  the  first  appearance  of  lameness,  little  more 
will  be  necessary  to  be  done.  The  opening  should  be  somewhat  enlarged,  the  Friar's 
balsam  applied,  and  the  shoe  tacked  on,  with  or  without  a  poultice,  according  to  the 
degree  of  lameness  or  heat,  and  on  the  following  day  all  will  often  be  well.  It  may, 
however,  be  prudent  to  keep  the  foot  stopped  for  a  few  days.  If  the  accident  has 
been  neglected,  and  matter  begins  to  be  formed,  and  to  be  pent  up,  and  to  press  ori  the 
neighbouring  parts,  and  the  horse  evidently  suffers  extn  nie  pain,  and  is  sometimes 
scarcely  able  to  put  his  foot  to  the  ground,  and  much  matter  is  poured  out  when  the 
opening  is  enlarged,  further  precautions  must  be  adopted.  The  fact  must  be  recol- 
lected that  the  living  and  dead  horn  will  never  unite,  and  every  portion  of  the  horny 
sole  that  has  separated  from  the  fleshy  sole  above  must  be  removed.  The  separation 
must  be  followed  as  far  as  it  reaches.  Much  of  the  success  of  the  treatment  depends 
on  this.  No  small  strip  or  edge  of  separated  horn  must  be  suffered  to  press  upon  any 
part  of  the  wound.  Tlie  exposed  fleshy  sole  must  then  be  touched,  but  not  too 
severely,  with  the  butyr  (chloride)  of  antimony,  some  soft  and  dry  tow  being  spread 
on  the  part,  the  foot  stopped,  and  a  poultice  placed  over  all  if  the  inflammation  seems 
to  require  it.  On  the  following  day  a  thin  pellicle  of  horn  will  frequently  be  found 
over  a  part  or  the  whole  of  the  wound.  This  should  be,  yet  very  lightly,  again 
touched  with  the  caustic ;  but  if  there  is  an  appearance  of  fungus  sprouting  from  the 
exposed  surface,  the  application  of  the  butyr  must  be  more  severe,  the  tow  being 
again  placed  over  it,  so  as  to  afford  considerable  yet  uniform  pressure.  Many  days  do 
not  often  elapse  before  the  new  horn  covers  the  whole  of  the  wound.  In  these  exten- 
sive openings  the  Friar's  balsam  will  not  always  be  successful,  but  the  cure  must  br. 
effected  by  the  judicious  and  never-too-severe  use  of  the  caustic.  Bleeding  at  the 
toe,  and  physic,  will  be  resorted  to  as  useful  auxilaries  when  much  inflarnmatior 


CORNS.  317 

In  searching  the  foot  in  order  to  ascertain  the  existence  of  prick,  there  is  often 
something  very  censurable  in  the  carelessness  with  which  the  horn  is  cut  away 
between  the  bottom  of  the  crust  and  the  sole,  so  as  to  leave  little  or  no  hold  for  the 
nails,  although  some  months  must  elapse  before  the  horn  will  grow  down  sufficiently 
far  for  the  shoe  to  be  securely  fastened. 

When  a  free  opening  has  been  made  below,  and  matter  has  not  broken  out  at  the 
coronet,  it  will  rarely  be  necessary  to  remove  any  portion  of  the  horn  at  the  quarters, 
although  we  may  be  able  to  ascertain  by  the  use  of  the  probe  that  the  separation  of 
fhe  crust  extends  for  a  considerable  space  above  the  sole. 

CORNS. 

In  the  angle  between  the  bars  (c,  p.  297)  and  the  quarters,  the  horn  of  the  sole  has 
sometimes  a  red  appearance,  and  is  more  spongy  and  softer  than  at  any  other  part. 
The  horse  flinches  when  this  portion  of  the  horn  is  pressed  upon,  and  occasional  or 
permanent  lameness  is  produced.  This  disease  of  the  foot  is  termed  corns  :  bearing 
this  resemblance  to  the  corn  of  the  human  being,  that  it  is  produced  by  pressure,  and 
IS  a  cause  of  lameness.  When  corns  are  neglected,  so  much  inflammation  is  pro- 
duced in  that  part  of  the  sensible  sole,  that  suppuration  follows,  and  to  that,  quittor 
succeeds,  and  the  matter  either  undermines  the  horny  sole,  or  is  discharged  at  the 
coronet. 

The  pressure  hereby  produced  manifests  itself  in  various  ways.  When  the  foot 
becomes  contracted,  the  part  of  the  sole  inclosed  between  the  external  crust  that  is 
wirinCT  in,  and  the  bars  that  are  opposing  that  contraction  (see  cut,  p.  297),  is  placed 
in  a  kind  of  vice,  and  becomes  inflamed  ;  hence  it  is  rare  to  see  a  contracted  foot  with- 
out corns.  When  the  shoe  is  suffered  to  remain  on  too  long,  it  becomes  embedded  in 
the  heel  of  the  foot :  the  external  crust  grows  down  on  the  outside  of  it,  and  the  bear- 
ing is  thrown  on  this  angular  portion  of  the  sole.  No  part  of  the  sole  can  bear  con- 
tinued pressure,  and  inflammation  and  corns  are  the  result.  From  the  length  of  wear 
the  shoe  sometimes  becomes  loosened  at  the  heels,  and  gravel  insinuates  itself 
between  the  shoe  and  the  crust,  and  accumulates  in  this  angle,  and  sometimes  seriously 
v^ounds  it. 

The  bars  are  too  frequently  cut  away,  and  then  the  heel  of  the  shoe  must  be  bevelled 
inward,  in  order  to  answer  to  this  absurd  and  injurious  shaping  of  the  foot.  By  this 
slanting  direction  of  the  heel  of  the  shoe  inward,  an  unnatural  disposition  to  contrac- 
tion is  given,  and  the  sole  must  sutfer  in  two  ways, — in  being  pressed  upon  by  the 
shoe,  and  squeezed  between  the  outer  crust  and  the  external  portion  of  the  bar.  The 
shoe  is  often  made  unnecessarily  narrow  at  the  heels,  by  which  this  angle,  seemingly 
less  disposed  to  bear  pressure  than  any  other  part  of  the  foot,  is  exposed  to  accidental 
bruises.  If,  in  the  paring  out  of  the  foot,  the  smith  should  leave  the  bars  prominent, 
he  too  Irequently  neglects  to  pare  away  the  horn  in  the  angle  between  the  bars  and 
the  external  crust ;  or  if  he  cuts  away  the  bars,  he  scarcely  touches  the  horn  at  this 
point ;  and  thus,  before  the  horse  has  been  shod  a  fortnight,  the  shoe  rests  on  this 
angle,  and  produces  corns.  The  use  of  a  shoe  for  the  fore  feet,  thickened  at  the  heels 
is,  and  especially  in  weak  feet,  a  source  of  corns,  from  the  undue  bearing  there  is  on 
the  heels,  and  the  concussion  to  which  they  are  subject. 

The  unshod  colt  rarely  has  corns.  The  heels  have  their  natural  power  of  expan- 
sion, and  the  sensible  sole  at  this  part  can  scarcely  be  imprisoned,  while  the  projec- 
tion of  the  heel  of  the  crust  and  the  bar  is  a  sufficient  defence  from  external  injury. 
Corns  seem  to  he  the  almost  inevitable  consequence  of  shoeing,  which,  by  limiting-, 
or  in  a  manner  destroying,  the  expansibility  of  the  foot,  must,  when  the  sole  attempts 
to  descend,  or  the  coffin-bone  has  a  backward  and  downward  direction  (see  cut,  p. 
272),  imprison  and  injure  this  portion  of  the  sole.  This  evil  consequence  is  increased 
when  the  shoe  is  badly  formed,  or  kept  on  too  long,  nr  when  the  paring  is  omitted  or 
injudiciously  extended  to  the  bars.  By  this  unnatural  pressure  of  the' sole,  blood  is 
thrown  out,  and  enters  into  the  pores  of  the  soft  and  diseased  horn  which  is  then 
secreted  ;  therefore  the  existence  and  the  extent  of  the  corn  is  judged  of  by  the  colour 
and  softness  of  the  horn  at  this  place. 

Corns  are  most  frequent  and  serious  in  horses  with  thin  horn  and  flat  soles,  and  low 

weak  heels.     They  do  not  often  occur  in  the  outside  heel.     It  is  of  a  stronger  con- 

strui-'tion  than  the  inside  one.     The  method  adopted  by  shoeing-smiths  to  ascertain 

the  existence  of  corn  by  the  pain  evinced  when  they  pinch  the  bar  and  crust  with 

27* 


318  DISEASES    OF   THE   FOOT. 

their  irons,  is  very  fallacious.  If  the  horn  is  naturally  thin,  the  horse  will  shrink 
under  no  great  pressure  although  he  has  no  corn,  and  occasionally  the  bars  are  so 
strong  as  not  to  uive  way  under  any  pressure. 

The  cure  of  old  corns  is  difficult;  for  as  all  shoeing  has  some  tendency  to  produce 
pressure  here,  the  habit  of  throwing  out  this  diseased  horn  is  difficult  to  get  rid  of 
when  once  contracted ;  recent  corns,  however,  will  yield  to  good  shoeing. 

'i'he  first  thing  to  be  done  is  well  to  pare  out  the  angle  between  the  crust  and  the 
i)ars.  Two  objects  are  answered  by  this :  the  extent  of  the  disease  will  be  ascertained, 
and  one  cause  of  it  removed.  A  very  small  drawing-knife  must  be  used  for  this  pur- 
pose. The  corn  must  be  pared  out  to  the  very  bottom,  taking  care  not  to  wound  the 
sole.  It  may  then  be  discovered  whether  there  is  any  effusion  of  blood  or  matter 
underneath.  If  this  is  suspected,  an  opening  nmst  be  made  through  the  horn,  the 
matter  evacuated,  the  separated  horn  taken  away,  the  course  and  extent  of  the  sinuses 
explored,  and  the  treatment  recommended  for  quitter  adopted.  Should  there  be  no 
collection  of  fluid,  the  butyr  of  antimony  should  be  applied  over  the  whole  extent  of 
the  corn,  after  the  horn  has  been  thinned  as  closely  as  possible.  The  object  of  this 
is  to  stimulate  the  sole  to  throw  out  more  healthy  horn.  In  bad  cases  a  bar-shoe  may 
be  put  on,  so  chambered,  that  there  shall  be  no  pressure  on  the  diseased  part.  This 
may  be  worn  for  one  or  two  shoeings,  but  not  constantly,  for  there  are  few  frogs  that 
would  bear  the  constant  pressure  of  the  bar-shoe ;  and  the  want  of  pressure  on  the 
heel,  generally  occasioned  by  their  use,  would  produce  a  softened  and  bulbous  state 
of  the  heels,  that  would  of  itself  be  an  inevitable  source  of  lameness. 

Mr.  Turner  is  in  the  habit  of  using  a  shoe  that  promises  to  lessen  to  a  very  material 
degree  the  sufferings  of  the  horse.  The  ground  surface  of  the  shoe  is  so  bevelled  off, 
that  it  does  not  come  into  contact  with  the  ground,  and  thus  much  concussion  is  saved 
to  the  horse.  A  slight  space,  however,  should  be  left  between  the  heel  of  the  foot, 
and  that  of  the  shoe;  and  which  cannot  be  better  occupied  than  by  the  leather  sole, 
preventing  the  insinuation  of  foreign  bodies,  and  yet  preserving  the  heel  from  corn 
cussion. 

In  unusually  troublesome  cases  of  corns,  recourse  should  be  had  to  the  bar-shoe. 

Mr.  Spooner,  of  Southampton,  very  properly  states,  that  the  corns  occasionally 
fester,  and  the  purulent  matter  which  is  secreted,  having  no  dependent  orifice,  ascends, 
torturing  the  animal  to  a  dreadful  extent,  and  breaks  out  at  the  coronet.  These  cases 
are  very  troublesome.  Sinuses  are  formed,  and  the  evil  may  end  in  quittor.  A  large 
and  free  dependent  orifice  must  then  be  made,  and  a  poultice  applied  ;  to  which  should 
succeed  a  solution  of  sulphate  of  zinc,  with  the  application  of  the  compound  tar 
ointment. 

The  cause  of  corn  is  a  most  important  subject  of  inquiry,  and  which  a  careful 
examination  of  the  foot  and  the  shoe  will  easily  discover.  The  cause  being  ascer- 
tained, the  effect  may,  to  a  great  extent,  be  afterwards  removed.  Turning  out  to 
grass,  after  the  horn  is  a  little  grown,  first  with  a  bar-shoe,  and  afterwards  with  the 
shoe  fettered  on  one  side,  or  with  tips,  will  often  be  serviceable.  A  horse  that  has 
once  had  corns  to  any  considerable  extent  should,  at  every  shoeing,  have  the  seat  of 
corn  well  pared  out,  and  the  butyr  of  antimony  applied.  The  seated  shoe  (hereafter 
to  be  described)  should  be  used,  with  a  web  sufficiently  thick  to  cover  the  place  of 
corn,  and  extending  as  far  back  as  it  can  be  made  to  do  without  injury  to  the  frog. 

Low  weak  heels  should  be  rarely  touched  with  the  knife,  or  anything  more  be  done 
to  them  than  lightly  to  rasp  them,  in  order  to  give  them  a  level  surface.  The  inner 
heel  should  be  particularly  spared.  Corns  are  seldom  found  in  the  hind  feet,  because 
the  heels  are  stronger,  and  the  feet  are  not  exposed  to  so  much  concussion ;  and  when 
they  are  found  there,  they  are  rarely  or  never  productive  of  lameness.  There  is  nothing 
perhaps  in  which  the  improvement  in  the  veterinary  art  has  relieved  the  horse  from  so 
much  suffering  as  shoeing.  Where  corns  now  exist  of  any  consequence,  they  are  a 
disgrace  to  the  smith,  the  groom,  and  even  to  the  owner. 

THRUSH. 

This  is  a  discharge  of  offensive  matter  from  the  cleft  of  the  frog.  It  is  inflamma- 
tion of  the  lower  surface  of  the  sensible  frog,  and  during  which  pus  is  secreted  toge- 
ther with,  or  instead  of  horn.  When  the  frog  is  in  its  sound  state,  the  cleft  sinks  but 
a  little  way  into  it;  but  when  it  becomes  contracted  or  otherwise  diseased,  it  extendfl 
in  length,  and  penetrates  even  to  the  sensible  horn  within,  and  through  this  vjinatn 


THRUSH.  319 

rally  deepened  fissure  the  thrushy  discharge  proceeds.  A  plethoric  state  of  the  oodv 
may  be  a  predisposing  cause  of  thrush,  but  the  immediate  and  grand  cause  is  mois- 
ture. This  should  never  be  forgotten,  for  it  will  lead  a  great  way  towards  tht  Proper 
treatment  of  the  disease.  If  the  feet  are  haljitually  covered  with  any  moist  applica- 
tion— his  standing  so  much  on  his  own  dung  is  a  fair  example — thrush  will  inevitably 
appear.  It  is  caused  by  anything  that  interferes  with  the  healthy  structure  and  action 
of  the  frog.  We  find  it  in  the  hinder  feet  oftener  and  worse  than  in  the  fore,  because 
in  our  st  ible  management  the  hinder  feet  are  too  much  exposed  to  the  pernicious 
effects  of  the  dung  and  the  urine,  moistening,  or  as  it  were  macerating,  and  at  the 
same  time  irritating  them.  The  distance  of  the  hind  feet  from  the  centre'of  circulation 
would  also,  as  in  the  case  of  grease,  more  expose  them  to  accumulations  of  fluid  and 
discharges  of  this  kind.  In  tiie  fore  feet  thrushes  are  usually  connected  with  contrac- 
tion. We  have  stated  that  they  are  both  the  cause  and  the  effect  of  contraction.  The 
pressure  on  the  frog  from  the  wiring  in  of  the  heels  will  produce  pain  and  inflamma- 
tion; and  the  inflammation,  by  the  increased  heat  and  suspended  function  of  the  part, 
will  dispose  to  contraction.  Horses  of  all  ages,  and  in  almost  all  situations,  are  sub- 
ject to  thrush.     The  unshod  colt  is  frequently  thus  diseased. 

Thrushes  are  not  always  accompanied  by  lameness.  In  a  great  many  cases  the 
appearance  of  the  foot  is  scarcely,  or  not  at  all  altered,  and  the  disease  can  only  be 
detected  by  close  examination,  or  the  peculiar  smell  of  the  discharge.  The  froo-  may 
not  appear  to  be  rendered  in  the  slightest  degree  tender  by  it,  and  therefore  the^horse 
may  not  be  considered  by  many  as  unsound.  Every  disease,  liowever,  should  be  con- 
sidered as  legal  unsoundness,  and  especially  a  disease  which,  although  not  attended 
with  present  detriment,  must  not  be  neglected,  for  it  will  eventually  injure  and  lame 
the  horse.  All  other  things  being  right,  a  horse  should  not  be  rejected  because  he 
has  a  slight  thrush,  for  if  the  shape  of  the  hoof  is  not  altered,  experience  tells  us  that 
the  thrush  is  easily  removed ;  but  if  this  is  not  soon  done,  the  shape  of  the  foot  and 
the  action  of  the  horse  will  be  altered,  and  manifest  unsoundness  will  result. 

The  progress  of  a  neglected  thrush,  although  sometimes  slow,  is  sure.  The  fro» 
hegins  to  contract  in  size — it  becomes  rough,  ragged,  brittle,  tender — the  discharo-e  is 
more  copious  and  more  offensive — the  horn  gradually  disappears — a  mass  of  hardened 
mucus  usurps  its  place — this  easily  peels  off,  and  the  sensible  frog  remains  exposed 
— the  horse  cannot  bear  it  to  be  touched — fungous  granulations  spring  from  it — they 
spread  around — the  sole  becomes  under-run,  and  canker  steals  over  the  greater  part 
of  the  foot. 

There  are  few  errors  more  common  or  more  dangerous  than  this,  that  the  existence 
of  thrush  is  a  matter  of  little  consequence,  or  even,  as  some  suppose,  a  benefit  to  the 
horse — a  discharge  for  superabundant  humours — and  that  it  should  not  he  dried  up  too 
quickly,  and  in  some  cases  not  dried  up  at  all.  If  a  young  colt,  fat  and  full  of  blood, 
has  a  bad  thrush,  with  much  discharge,  it  will  be  prudent  to  accompany  the  attempt 
at  cure  by  a  dose  of  physic  or  a  course  of  diuretics.  A  few  diuretics  may  not  be  inju- 
rious wh.en  we  are  endeavouring  to  dry  up  thrush  in  older  horses :  but  the  disease  can 
scarcely  be  attacked  too  soon,  or  subdued  too  rapidly,  and  especially  when  it  steals 
on  so  insidiously,  and  has  such  fatal  consequences  in  its  train.  If  the  heels  once 
begin  to  contract  through  the  baneful  effect  of  thrush,  it  will,  with  difficulty,  or  not 
at  all,  be  afterwards  removed. 

There  are  many  recipes  to  stop  a  running  thrush.  Almost  every  application  of 
an  astringent,  but  not  of  too  caustic  nature,  will  have  the  effect.  The  common 
^gyptiacum  (vinegar  boiled  with  honey  and  verdigrease)  is  a  good  liniment;  but 
the  most  effectual  and  the  safest — drying  up  the  discharge  speedily,  but  not  suddenly 
--is  a  paste  composed  of  blue  vitriol,  tar,  and  lard,  in  proportions  according  to  the 
virulence  of  the  canker.  A  pledget  of  tow,  covered  with  it,  should  be  introduced  as 
deeply  as  possible,  yet  without  force,  mto  the  cleft  of  the  frog  every  night,  and 
removed  in  the  morning  before  the  horse  goes  to  work.  Attention  should  at  the  same 
time,  as  in  other  dise:ises  of  the  foot,  be  paid  to  the  apparent  cause  of  the  complaint, 
and  that  cause  should  be  carefully  obviated  or  removed.  Before  the  application  of 
the  paste,  the  frog  should  be  examined,  and  every  loose  part  of  the  horn  or  hardened 
discharge  removed  ;  and  if  much  of  the  frog  is  then  exposed,  a  larger  and  wider  piece 
of  tow,  covered  with  the  paste,  may  be  placed  over  it,  in  addition  to  the  pledget  intro- 
duced into  the  cleft  of  the  frog.  It  will  be  necessary  to  preserve  the  frog  moist  while 
iie  cure  is  in  progress,  and  this  may  be  done  by  filling  the  feet  with  tow,  covered  by 


320  DISEASES    OF   THE   FOOT. 

common  stopping,  or  using  the  felt  pad,  likewise  covered  with  it.  Turjiino-  ouV 
would  be  prejudicial  rather  than  of  benefit  to  thrushy  feet,  except  the  dressing  is  con- 
tinued, and  the  feet  defended  from  moisture. 

CANKER 

Is  a  separation  of  the  horn  from  the  sensible  part  of  the  foot,  and  the  sprouting  of 
fungous  matter  instead  of  it,  occupying  a  portion  or  even  the  whole  of  the  sole  and 
frog.  It  is  the  occasional  consequence  of  bruise,  puncture,  corn,  quittor,  and  thrush, 
and  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  cure.  It  is  more  frequently  the  consequei;ce  of 
neglected  thrush  than  of  any  other  disease  of  the  foot,  or  rather  it  is  thrush  involving 
the  frog,  the  bars,  and  the  sole,  and  making  the  foot  in  one  mass  of  rank  putre- 
faction. 

It  is  oftenest  found  in,  and  is  almost  peculiar  to,  the  hea^^y  breed  of  cart  horses,  and 
partly  resulting  from  constitutional  predisposition.  Horses  with  white  legs  and  thick 
skins,  and  much  hair  upon  their  legs  —  the  very  character  of  many  dray  horses  —  are 
subject  to  canker,  especially  if  they  have  had  an  attack  of  grease,  or  their  heels  are 
habitually  thick  and  greasy.  The  disposition  to  canker  is  certainly  hereditary.  The 
dray  horse  has  likewise  this  advantage,  that  in  order  to  give  him  fuot-hold,  it  is  some- 
times necessary  to  raise  the  heels  of  the  hinder  feet  so  high,  that  all  pressure  on  the 
frog  is  taken  away  ;  its  functions  are  destroyed,  and  it  is  rendered  liable  to  disease. 
Canker,  however,  arises  mostly  from  the  peculiar  injury  to  which  the  feet  of  these 
horses  are  subject  from  tlie  enormous  shoes  with  which  they  are  covered  —  the  bulk 
of  the  nails  with  which  these  shoes  are  fastened  to  the  foot,  the  strain  of  the  foot  in 
the  violent,  although  short  exertion  of  moving  heavy  w-eights ;  but,  most  of  all, 
neglect  of  the  feet,  and  the  filthiness  of  the  stable  in  these  establishments. 

Although  canker  is  a  disease  most  difficult  to  remove,  it  is  easily  prevented. 
A^ttention  to  the  punctures  to  which  these  heavy  horses,  with  their  clubbed  feet  and 
brittle  hoofs,  are  more  than  any  others  subject  in  shoeing,  and  to  the  bruises  and 
treads  on  the  coronet,  to  which,  from  their  awkwardness  and  weight,  they  are  so 
liable,  and  the  greasy  heels  which  a  very  slight  degree  of  negligence  will  produce  in 
them,  and  the  stopping  of  the  thrushes,  which  are  so  apt  in  them  to  run  on  to  the 
separation  of  the  horn  from  the  sensible  frog,  will  most  materially  lessen  the  number 
of  cankered  feet.  Where  this  disease  often  occurs,  the  owner  of  the  team  may  be 
well  assured  that  there  is  gross  mismanagement  either  in  himself  or  his  horse-keeper, 
or  the  smith,  or  the  surgeon,  and  it  will  rarely  be  a  difficult  matter  to  detect  the  pre- 
cise nature  of  that  mismanagement. 

The  cure  of  canker  is  the  business  of  the  veterinary  surgeon,  and  a  most  painful 
and  tedious  business  it  is.  The  principles  on  which  he  proceeds  are,  first  of  all,  to 
remove  the  extraneous  fungous  growth  ;  and  for  this  purpose  he  will  need  the  aid  of 
the  knife  and  the  caustic,  or  the  cautery,  for  he  should  cut  away  every  portion  of  horn 
which  is  in  the  slightest  degree  separated  from  the  sensible  parts  beneath.  He  will 
have  to  discourage  the  growth  of  fresh  fungus,  and  to  bring  the  foot  into  that  state  in 
which  it  will  again  secrete  healthy  horn.  Here  he  will  remember  that  he  has  to  do 
with  the  surface  of  the  foot;  that  this  is  a  disease  of  the  surface  only,  and  that  there 
will  be  no  necessity  for  those  deeply-corroding  and  torturing  caustics  which  penetrate 
to  the  very  bone.  A  slight  and  daily  application  of  the  chloride  of  antimony,  and 
that  not  where  the  new  horn  is  forming,  but  on  the  surface  which  continues  to  be  dis- 
eased, and  accompanied  by  as  firm  but  equal  pressure  as  can  he  made  —  the  careful 
avoidance  of  the  slightest  degree  of  moisture  —  the  horse  being  exercised  or  worked 
in  the  mill,  or  wherever  the  foot  will  not  be  exposed  to  wet,  and  that  exercise  adopted 
as  early  as  possible,  and  even  from  the  neginning,  if  the  malady  is  confined  to  the  sole 
and  frog  —  these  means  will  succeed,  if  the  disease  is  capable  of  cure.  Humanity, 
perhaps,  will  dictate  that,  considering  the  long  process  of  cure  in  a  cankered  foot,  and 
the  daily  torture  of  the  caustic,  and  the  suffering  which  would  otherwise  result  from 
so  large  or  exposed  a  surface,  the  nerves  of  the  leg  should  be  divided,  in  order  to  take 
away  the  sense  of  pain  ;  but  then,  especial  care  must  be  taken  that  the  horse  is  placed 
in  such  a  situation,  and  exposed  to  such  work,  that,  being  insensible  to  pain,  he  may 
not  injuriously  batter  and  bruise  the  diseased  parts. 

Medicine  is  not  of  much  avail  in  the  cure  of  canker.  It  is  a  mere  local  disease; 
or  the  only  cause  of  fear  is,  that  so  great  a  determination  of  blood  to  the  extremities 
having  existed  during  the  long  progress  of  cure,  it  may  in  some  degree  continue,  and 


OSSIFICATION    OF   THE   CARTILAGES,   &c.  321 

produce  injury  in  another  form.  Grease  has  occasionally  followed  canker.  They  have 
been  known  to  alternate.  It  may,  therefore,  be  prudent,  when  the  cure  of  a  cankered 
foot  is  nearly  effected,  to  subject  the  horse  to  a  course  of  alteratives  or  diuretics. 

OSSIFICATION  OF  THE  CARTILAGES 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  side  cartilages  of  the  foot,  occupying  (see  cut,  page 
27G)  a  considerable  portion  of  the  external  side  and  back  part  of  the  foot.  They  are 
designed  to  preserve  the  expansion  of  the  upper  part  of  the  foot,  and  especially  when 
that  of  the  lower  part  is  limited  or  destroyed  by  careless  shoeing.  These  cartilages 
are  subject  to  inflammation,  and  the  result  of  that  inflammation  is,  that  the  cartilages 
are  absorbed,  and  bone  substituted  in  their  stead.  This  ossification  of  the  cartilages 
frequently  accompanies  ringbone,  but  it  may  exist  without  any  affection  of  the  pastern 
joint.  It  is  oftenest  found  in  horses  of  heavy  draught.  It  arises  not  so  much  from 
concussion,  as  from  sprain,  for  the  pace  of  the  horse  is  slow.  The  cause,  indeed,  is 
not  well  understood ;  but  of  the  effect,  there  are  too  numerous  instances.  Very  few 
heavy  draught-horses  arrive  at  old  age  without  this  change  of  structure ;  and  particu- 
larly if  they  are  much  employed  in  the  paved  streets.  The  change  commences  some- 
times at  ttie  anterior  part  of  the  cartilage,  but  much  oftener  at  the  posterior  and  inferior 
part.  ••  From  the  combined  operation  of  great  weight  and  high  action,  the  feet,  and 
particularly  the  heels,  come  with  great  force  on  the  ground.  The  cartilages,  being 
embedded  in  the  heels  of  the  feet,  are,  therefore,  the  parts  that  receive  the  greatest 
degree  of  concussion,  the  consequence  of  which  is,  that  subacute  inflammation  is  set 
up,  and  the  secreting  vessels  deposit  ossific  instead  of  cartilaginous  matter,  in  the 
room  of  that  which  is  absorbed  in  the  usual  process  of  nature."* 

No  evident  inflammation  of  the  foot,  or  great,  or  perhaps  even  perceptible  lame- 
ness, accompanies  this  change  ;  a  mere  slight  degree  of  stiffness  may  have  been  ob- 
served, which,  in  a  horse  of  more  rapid  pace,  would  have  been  lameness.  Even 
when  the  change  is  completed,  there  is  not  in  many  cases  an_vthing  more  than  a  slight 
increase  of  stiffness,  little  or  not  at  all  interfering  with  the  usefulness  of  the  horse. 
When  this  altered  structure  appears  in  the  lighter  horse,  the  lameness  is  more  deci- 
ded, and  means  should  be  taken  to  arrest  the  progress  of  the  change.  These  are 
blisters  or  firing;  but,  after  the  parts  have  become  bony,  no  operation  will  restore  the 
cartilage.  Some  benefit,  however,  will  be  derived  from  the  use  of  leather  soles. 
.\dvantage  has  resulted  from  bar-shoes  in  conjunction  with  leather. 

Connected  with  ringbone  the  lameness  may  be  very  great.  This  has  been  spokep 
of  in  page  277. 

WEAKNESS  OF  THE  FOOT. 

This  is  more  accurately  a  bad  formation,  than  a  disease ;  often,  indeed,  the  result 
of  disease,  but  in  many  instances  the  natural  construction  of  the  foot.  The  term 
weak  foot  is  familiar  to  every  horseman,  and  the  consequence  is  too  severely  felt  by 
all  who  have  to  do  with  horses.  In  the  slanting  of  the  crust  from  the  coronet  to  the 
toe,  a  less  angle  is  almost  invariably  formed,  amounting  probably  to  not  more  than 
forty  instead  of  forty-five  degrees;  and,  after  the  horse  has  been  worked  for  one  or 
two  years  the  line  is  not  straight,  but  a  little  indented  or  hollow,  midway  between 
the  coronet  and  the  toe.  This  has  been  described  as  the  accompaniment  of  pumiced 
feet,  but  it  is  often  seen  in  weak  feet,  that,  although  they  might  become  pumiced  by 
severity  of  work,  do  not  otherwise  have  the  sole  convex.  The  crust  is  not  only  less 
oblique  than  it  ought  to  be,  but  it  has  not  the  smooth,  even  appearance  of  the  good 
"oot.  The  surface  is  sometimes  irregularly  roughened,  but  it  is  much  oftener  rough- 
ned  in  circles  or  rings.  The  form  of  the  crust  likewise  presents  too  much  the 
appearance  of  a  cone;  the  bottom  of  the  foot  is  unnaturally  wide  in  proportion  to 
the  coronet ;  and  the  whole  of  the  foot  is  generally,  but  not  always,  larger  than  it 
should  be. 

When  the  foot  is  lifted,  it  will  often  present  a  round  and  circular  appearance,  with 
a  fullness  of  frog,  that  would  mislead  the  inexperienced,  and  indeed  be  considered 
as  almost  the  perfection  of  structure;  but,  being  examined  more  closely,  manv  glar- 
ing defects  will  be  seen.  The  sole  is  flat,  and  "the  smith  finds  that  it  will  bear  little 
(II  no  paring.     The  bars  are  small  in  size.     They  are  not  cut  away  by  the  smith,  but 

•  W.  C.  Soooner  on  the  Foot  of  the  Horse,  page  249. 
2(j 


322  FRACTURES. 

they  can  be  scarcely  said  to  have  any  existence.  The  heels  are  low,  so  low  that  the 
Tery  coronet  seems  almost  to  touc^  the  ground  ;  and  the  crust,  if  examined,  appeaiH 
scarcely  thick  enough  to  hold  the  nails. 

Horses  with  these  feet  can  never  stand  much  work.  They  will  be  subject  to  corns, 
to  bruises  of  the  sole,  to  convexity  of  the  sole,  to  punctures  in  nailing,  to  breaking 
away  of  the  crust,  to  inflammation  of  the  foot,  and  to  sprain  and  injury  of  the  pastern, 
dnd  the  fetlock,  and  the  flexor  tendon. 

These  feet  admit  of  little  improvement.  Shoeing  as  seldom  as  may  be,  and  with 
a  liglit  yet  wide  concave  web ;  little  or  no  paring  at  the  time  of  shoeing,  and  as  little 
violent  work  as  possible,  and  especially  on  rough  roads,  may  protract  for  a  long  pe- 
riod the  evil  day,  but  he  who  buys  a  horse  with  these  feet  will  sooner  or  later  have 
cause  to  repent  his  bargain. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 
FRACTURES. 

Accidents  of  this  description  are  not  of  frequent  occurrence,  but  when  they  do 
happen  it  is  not  always  that  the  mischief  can  be  repaired :  occasionally,  however, 
and  much  more  frequently  than  is  generally  imagined,  the  life  of  a  valuable  animal 
might  be  saved  if  the  owner,  or  the  veterinary  surgeon,  would  take  a  little  trouble, 
and  the  patient  is  fairly  tractable,  and  that,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  he  will  soon 
become.  The  number  of  valuable  animals  is  far  too  great  that  are  destroyed  under 
a  confused  notion  of  the  difficulties  of  controlling  the  patient,  or  the  incurable  char- 
acter of  the  accident.  Messrs.  Blaine  and  Peicivall  have  given  a  valuable  record 
of  the  usual  cases  and  treatment  of  fracture  which  occur  in  the  practice  of  the  Eng- 
lish veterinary  surgeon,  and  the  splendid  work  of  Hurtrel  d'Arboval  contains  a  re- 
cord of  all  that  has  been  attempted  or  effected  on  the  Continent.  The  author  of  this 
volume  must  confine  himself  to  a  rapid  survey  of  that  which  they  have  described, 
adding  a  few  cases  that  have  been  brought  under  his  own  observation,  or  communi- 
cated to  him  by  others. 

With  the  exception  of  accidents  that  occur  in  casting  the  animal  for  certain  opera- 
tions, and  his  struggles  during  the  operation,  the  causes  of  Fracture  are  usually 
blows,  kicks,  or  falls,  and  the  lesion  may  be  considered  as  simple,  confined  to  one 
bone,  and  not  protruding  through  the  skin — or  compound,  the  bone  or  bones  protrud 
ing  through  the  skin — or  complicated,  where  the  bone  is  broken  or  splintered  in  more 
than  one  direction.  The  duty  of  the  vet*inary  surgeon  resolves  itself  into  the  re- 
placing of  the  displaced  bones  in  their  natural  position,  the  keeping  of  them  in  that 
position,  the  healing  of  the  integument,  and  the  taking  of  such  measures  as  will  pre- 
vent any  untoward  circumstances  from  afterwards  occurring. 

In  the  greater  number  of  cases  of  fracture,  it  will  be  necessary  to  place  the  horse 
under  considerable  restraint,  or  even  to  suspend  or  sling  him. 

The  cut  in  the  next  page  contains  a  view  of  the  suspensory  apparatus  used  by 
Mr.  Percivall.  A  broad  piece  of  sail-cloth,  furnished  with  two  brecchings,  and  two 
breast-girths,  is  placed  under  the  animal's  belly,  and,  by  means  of  ropes  and  pulleys 
attached  to  a  cross  beam  above,  he  is  elevated  or  lowered  as  circumstances  may  re- 
quire. It  will  seldom  be  necessary  to  lift  the  patient  quite  off  the  ground,  and  the 
horse  will  be  quietest,  and  most  at  his  ease,  when  his  feet  are  suffered  just  to  touch 
it.  The  head  is  confined  by  two  collar  ropes,  and  the  head-stall  well  padded.  Many 
horses  may  plunge  about  and  be  difficult  to  manage  at  first,  but  generally  speaking, 
it  is  not  long  ere  they  become  perfectly  passive. 

The  use  of  the  different  bucldes  and  straps  which  are  attached  to  the  sail-cloth  will 
be  evident  on  inspection.  If  the  horse  exhibits  more  than  usual  uneasiness,  other 
ropes  may  be  attached  to  the  corners  of  the  sail-cloth.  This  will  afford  considerable 
relief  %•>  the  patient,  as  well  as  add  to  the  security  of  the  bandages. 


FRACTURES. 


In  many  cases  the  fracture,  although  a  simple  one,  may  he  visihle  on  the  slightest 
inspection  ;  in  others,  there  may  be  merely  a  suspicion  of  its  existence.  Here  Avill 
be  exhibited  the  skill  and  t"he  humanity  of  the  educated  surgeun,  or  the  recklessness 
and  brutality  of  the  empiric.  The  former  will  carefully  place  his  patient  in  the  posi- 
tion at  once  the  least  jjainful  to  the  sufferer,  and  the  most  commodious  for  himself. 
He  will  proceed  with  gentleness,  patience,  and  management — no  rough  handling  or 
motion  of  the  parts,  inflicting  torture  on  the  animal,  and  adding  to  the  injury  already 
received.  It  is  interesting  to  observe  how  soon  the  horse  comprehends  all  this,  and 
submits  to  the  necessary  inspection ;  and  how  complete  and  satisfactory  the  exami- 
nation terminates  under  the  superintendence  of  the  humane  and  cautious  practitioner, 
while  the  brute  in  human  shape  fails  in  comprehending  the  real  state  of  the  case. 

Heat,  swelling,  tenderness,  fearfulness  of  the  slightest  motion,  crepitus,  and  espe- 
cially change  of  the  natural  position  of  the  limb,  are  the  most  frequent  indications  of 
fracture.  » 

The  probabilit}'-  of  reunion  of  the  parts  depends  upon  the  depth  of  the  wound  con- 
nected with  the  fracture — the  contusion  of  the  soft  parts  in  the  immediate  neighbour- 
hood of  it — the  blood-vessels,  arterial  or  venous,  that  have  been  wounded — the  pro- 
pinquity of  some  large  joint  to  which  the  inflammation  may  be  communicated  — 
dislocation  of  the  extremities  of  the  fractured  joint — injuries  of  the  periosteum  —  the 
existence  of  sinuses,  caries,  or  necrosis,  or  the  fracture  being  compound,  or  broken 
into  numerous  spiculae  or  splinters. 

In  a  horse  that  is  full  of  flesh,  the  cure  of  fracture  is  difficult;  likewise  in  an  old 
or  worn-out  horse — or  when  the  part  is  inaccessible  to  the  hand  or  to  instruments — or 
when  separation  has  taken  place  between  the  parts  that  were  beginning  to  unite — or 
where  the  surrounding  tissues  have  been  or  are  losing  their  vitality  —  or  when  the 
patient  is  already  afflicted  with  any  old  or  permanent  disease. 

It  may  be  useful  briefly  to  review  the  various  seats  of  fracture. 

Fracture  of  the  skull. — The  skull  of  the  horse  is  so  securely  defended  by  the 
yielding  resistance  of  the  temporal  muscle,  that  fracture  rarely  occurs  except  at  the 
occipital  ridge;  and  should  a  depression  of  bone  be  there  effected,  it  will  produce 
complete  coma,  and  bid  defiance  to  all  surgical  skill.  Fracture  of  the  skull  is  gene- 
rally accompanied  by  stupidity,  convulsive  motions  of  the  head  or  limbs,  laborious 
breathing,  and  a  staggering  walk.     The  eyes  are  almost  or  quite  closed,  the  head  is 


^4  FRACTURES. 

carried  low,  and  the  lower  lip  hangs  down.  Blows  on  the  cranium,  wliicli  the  bm- 
tality  of  man  too  often  inflicts,  as  well  as  many  accidents,  are  very  serious  matters, 
and  require  considerable  attention,  for,  although  it  may  have  been  ascertained  that  the 
cranium  is  uninjured,  there  may  be  considerable  concussion  of  the  brain. 

It  having  been  known  that  a  horse  had  received  a  violent  blow  on  the  head,  the 
strictest  examination  of  the  part  should  take  place.  An  artillery  horse  broke  loose 
from  his  groom,  and,  after  galloping  about,  dashed  into  his  own  stall  with  such  force 
as  sadly  to  cut  his  face  under  the  forelock.  The  farrier  on  duty  sewed  up  the  wound, 
proper  dressings  were  applied,  and  in  a  little  more  than  a  fortnight  the  wound  was 
healed  and  the  horse  dismissed,  apparently  well.  Four  days  afterwards  the  patient 
moved  stiffly ;  the  jaws  could  not  be  separated  more  than  a  couple  of  inches,  and  there 
was  evident  locked  jaw.  The  horse  was  cast,  and  the  place  where  the  wound  had 
been  was  most  carefully  examined.  On  cutting  to  the  bottom  of  it,  a  fracture  was 
discovered,  and  a  piece  of  bone  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long  was  found  on  the  centre 
of  the  parietal  suture.  This  was  removed — the  wound  was  properly  dressed,  and  a 
strong  aloetic  drink  was  given  with  great  difficulty.  The  aloetic  drink  was  repeated 
—  the  bowels  became  loosened  —  the  tetanic  symptoms  diminished,  and  in  less  than 
three  weeks  the  horse  was  perfectly  cured.* 

This  is  a  very  interesting  case.  There  was  some  carelessness  in  intrusting  the 
treatment  of  the  wound  to  the  farrier :  but  the  surgeon  afterwards  repaired  the  error 
as  well  as  he  could,  and  no  one  was  better  pleased  than  he  was  at  the  result.  A 
violent  blow  being  received  on  the  forehead,  the  part  should  always  be  most  carefully 
examined. 

Hurtrel  D'Arboval  relates  three  cases  of  fracture  of  the  skull.  One  occurred  in  a 
mare  that  ran  violently  against  a  carriage.  The  skull  was  depressed,  and  a  portion 
of  bone  was  removed,  but  it  was  four  months  ere  complete  re-union  of  the  edges  was 
effected.  Another  horse  received  a  violent  kick  on  the  forehead.  The  union  of  the 
depressed  bones  was  effected  after  the  external  wound  was  healed,  but  there  was 
always  a  depression,  an  inch  in  length.  An  aged  mare  met  with  the  same  accident 
A  depression  here  remained  as  large  as  a  finger. 

Fracture  of  the  arch  of  the  orbit  of  the  eye. — A  very  interesting  account  of 
this,  followed  by  perfect  cure,  is  related  at  p.  136. 

Fracture  of  the  nasal  bones. — This  will  sometimes  occur  from  falling,  or  be 
produced  by  a  kick  from  another  horse,  or  the  brutality  of  the  attendant  or  the  rider 
We  have  seen  a  passionate  man  strike  a  horse  about  the  head  with  a  heavy  hunting 
■whip.  The  danger  of  punishment  of  this  kind  is  obvious;  and  so  would  be  the  pro 
priety  of  using  the  whip  for  another  purpose.  A  fracture  of  this  kind  is  generally 
accompanied  by  a  laceration  of  the  membrane  of  the  nose,  and  considerable  hai-mor 
rhage,  which,  however,  may  generally  be  arrested  by  the  application  of  cold  water 
The  fractured  portion  of  bone  is  usually  depressed,  and,  the  space  for  breathing  bcinp 
diminished,  difficulty  of  respiration  occurs.  The  author  had  a  case  of  fracture  of  both 
nasal  bones.  He  was  enabled  to  elevate  the  depressed  parts,  but  the  inflammation 
and  swelling  were  so  great,  that  the  animal  was  threatened  with  suffocation.  The 
operation  of  tracheotomy  was  resorted  to,  and  the  animal  did  well. 

If  there  is  fracture  of  the  nasal  bones,  with  depression,  and  only  a  little  way  from 
the  central  arch  and  the  section  between  the  nostrils,  a  slightly  curved  steel  rod  may 
be  cautiously  introduced  into  the  passage,  and  the  depressed  portions  carefully  raised 
If  this  cannot  be  effected,  the  trephine  must  be  applied  a  little  above  or  below  the 
fracture,  and  the  elevator,  or  steel  rod,  be  introduced  through  the  aperture.  If  the 
fracture  is  in  any  other  part  of  the  bone,  it  will  be  impossible  to  reach  it  with  the 
elevator,  for  the  turbinated  bones  are  in  the  way.  The  trephine  must  then  be  resorted 
to  in  the  first  instance.  The  wound,  if  there  is  any,  must  be  covered,  and  a  compresa 
kept  on  it. 

A  writer  in  a  French  journal,  relates  a  case  in  which  a  horse  was  violently  kicked, 
and  there  was  a  contused  wound,  with  depression  of  bone.  The  trephine  w^as  applied. 
Fifteen  splinters  were  extracted,  and  the  case  terminated  well.  It,  nevertheless,  too 
often  happens  that,  in  these  injuries  of  the  nasal  membrane,  the  inflammation  wi.. 
obstinately  continue,  in  despite  of  all  that  the  surgeon  can  do,  and  the  natural  tormina 

*  Veterinarian,  vol.  vii.,  p.  142. 


FRACTURES.  325 

tion  of  every  injury  of  the  membrane  of  the  nose,  and,  in  fact,  of  every  chronic  ais- 
ease  of  the  frame,  will  appear — glanders. 

If,  however,  glanders  do  not  appear,  some  portion  of  bone  may  remain  depressed, 
or  the  membrane  may  be  thickened  by  inHamination.  The  nasal  passage  will  then 
be  obstructed,  and  a  difficulty  of  breathing,  resembling  roaring,  will  ensue. 

Tn.E  SUPERIOR  MAXILLARY,  OR  UPPER  JAW-BONE,  will  Occasionally  be  fractured.  Mr. 
Cartwright  had  a  case  in  which  it  was  fractured  by  a  kick  at  the  situation  where  it 
unites  with  tiie  lachrymal  and  malar  bones.  He  applied  the  trephine,  and  removed 
many  small  pieces  of  bone.  The  wound  was  then  covered  by  adhesive  plaster,  and 
in  a  m-onth  the  parts  were  healed. 

^Ir.  Clayworth  speaks  of  a  mare  who,  being  ridden  almost  at  speed,  fell  and  frac- 
tured the  upper  jaw,  three  inches  above  the  corner  incisors.  The  front  teeth  and  jaw 
were  turned  like  a  hook,  completely  within  the  lower  ones.  She  was  cast,  a  hailing 
iron  put  into  her  mouth,  and  the  surgeon,  exerting  considerable  force,  pulled  the  teeth 
outward  into  their  former  and  proper  situation.  She  was  then  tied  up,  so  that  she 
could  not  rub  her  muzzle  against  anything,  and  was  well  fed  with  bean-meal,  and 
linseed  tea.  Much  inflammation  ensued,  but  it  gradually  subsided,  and,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  the  sixth  week,  the  mouth  was  quite  healed,  and  scarcely  a  vestige  of  the  frac- 
ture remained. 

A  very  extraordinary  and  almost  incredible  account  of  a  fracture  of  the  superior 
maxillary  bone  is  given  in  the  records  of  the  Royal  and  Central  Society  of  Agricul- 
ture in  France.  A  horse  was  kicked  by  a  companion.  There  was  fracture  of  the 
upper  part  of  the  superior  maxillary,  and  zygomatic  bones,  and  the  eye  was  almost 
forced  out  of  the  socket.  Few  men  would  have  dared  to  undertake  a  fracture  like 
this,  but  M.  Revel  shrank  not  from  his  duty.  He  removed  several  small  splinters  of 
bone — replaced  the  larger  bones — returned  the  eye  to  its  socket — confined  the  parts  by 
means  of  sufficient  sutures — slung  the  horse,  and  rendered  it  impossible  for  the  animal 
to  rub  his  head  against  anything.     In  six  weeks,  the  cure  was  complete. 

The  MAXILLARY  BONE,  OR  LOWER  JAW%  is  more  subject  to  fracture,  and  particularly 
in  its  branches  between  the  tushes  and  the  lower  teeth,  and  at  the  symphysis  between 
the  two  branches  of  the  jaw.  Its  position,  its  length,  and  the  small  quantity  of  muscle 
that  covers  it,  especially  anteriorly,  are  among  the  ca>ises  of  its  fracture,  and  the  same 
circumstances  combine  to  render  a  reunion  of  the  divided  parts  more  easy  to  be 
accomplished.  Mr.  Blaine  relates  that,  in  a  fracture  of  the  lower  jaw,  he  succeeded 
by  making  a  strong  leather  frame  that  exactly  encased  the  whole  jaw.  The  author 
of  this  volume  has  effected  the  same  object  by  similar  means. 

ISI.  H.  Boulay  attended  a  horse,  fracture  of  whose  lower  maxillary  had  taken  place 
at  the  neck  of  that  bone,  between  the  tushes  and  the  corner  incisor  teeth.  The  whole 
of  the  interior  part  of  the  maxillary  bone  in  which  the  incisor  teeth  were  planted,  was 
completely  detached  from  the  other  portion  of  the  bone,  and  the  parts  were  merely 
held  together  by  the  membrane  of  the  mouth. 

The  horse  was  cast  —  the  corner  tooth  on  the  left  side  extracted  —  the  wound  tho- 
roughly cleansed  —  the  fractured  bones  brought  into  contact — some  holes  were  drilled 
between  the  tushes  and  the  second  incisor  teeth,  above  and  below,  through  which 
some  pieces  of  brass  wire  were  passed,  and  thus  the  jaws  were  apparently  fixed 
immovably  together.  The  neck  of  the  maxillary  bone  was  surrounded  by  a  suffi- 
cient compress  of  tow,  and  a  ligature  tied  around  it,  with  its  bearing  place  on  the 
tushes,  and  all  motion  thus  prevented. 

The  horse  was  naturally  an  untractable  animal,  and  in  his  efforts  to  open  his  jaws, 
the  wires  yielded  to  his  repeated  struggles,  and  were  to  a  certain  degree  sep&raled. 
The  bandage  of  tow  was,  however,  tightened,  and  was  sufficient  to  retain  the  fractured 
edges  in  apposition. 

The  mouth  now  began  to  exhale  an  infectious  and  gangrenous  odour ;  the  animal 
was  dispirited,  and  would  not  take  any  food ;  gangrene  was  evidently  approaching, 
and  Mr.  Boulay  determined  to  amputate  the  inferior  portion  of  the  maxillary  bone, 
the  union  of  which  seemed  to  be  impossible.  The  sphacelated  portion  of  the  maxil- 
lary was  entirely  removed  ;  every  fragment  of  bone  that  had  an  oblique  direction  was 
sawn  away,  and  the  rough  and  uneven  portions  which  the  saw  could  not  reach,  were 
rasped  off. 

Before  night,  the  horse  had  recovered  his  natural  spirits,  and  was  searching  for 
something  to  eat.     On  the  following  day,  a  few  oats  were  given  to  him,  and  he  aw 


326  FRACTURES. 

them  with  so  much  appetite  and  ease,  that  no  one  looking  at  him  would  think  that  he 
had  been  deprived  of  his  lower  incisor  teeth.  On  the  following  day,  some  hay  was 
given  to  hira,  which  he  ate  without  difficulty,  and  in  a  fortnight  was  dismissed,  the 
wounds  being  nearly  healed.* 

In  the  majority  of  tliese  cases  of  simple  fracture,  a  cure  might  be  effected,  or  should, 
at  least,  be  attempted,  by  means  of  well-adapted  bandages  around  the  niuzzle,  confined 
by  straps.  It  will  always  be  prudent  to  call  in  veterinary  aid,  and  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  in  case  of  compound  fracture  of  the  lower  jaw. 

Fracture  of  the  Spine. — This  accident,  fortunately  for  the  horse,  is  not  of  frequent 
occurrence,  but  it  has  been  uniformly  fatal.  It  sometimes  happens  in  the  act  of  falling, 
as  in  leaping  a  wide  ditch  ;  but  it  oftener  occurs  while  a  horse  is  struggling  during  a 
painful  operation.  It  is  generally  sufficiently  evident  while  the  horse  is  on  the  ground. 
Either  a  snap  is  heard,  indicative  of  the  fracture,  or  the  struggles  of  the  hind-limbs 
suddenly  and  altogether  cease.  In  a  few  cases,  the  animal  has  been  able  to  get  up 
and  walk  to  his  stable ;  in  others,  the  existence  of  the  fracture  has  not  been  apparent 
for  several  hours:  showing  that  the  vertebrae,  although  fractured,  may  remain  intheir 
place  for  a  certain  period  of  time.  The  bone  that  is  broken,  is  usually  one  of  the  pos- 
terior dorsal  or  anterior  lumbar  vertebrae.  There  is  no  satisfactory  case  on  record  of 
reunion  of  the  fractured  parts. 

In  the  human  being,  the  depressed  portion  of  the  spinal  arch,  and  of  the  fractured 
vertebrae,  have  been  removed  by  a  dextrous  operation,  and  sensibility  and  the  power 
of  voluntary  motion  have,  in  cases  few  and  far  between,  been  restored ;  but  in  the 
horse,  this  has  rarely  or  never  been  effected.  We  should  consider  him  a  bold  operator, 
but  we  should  not  very  much  dislike  him,  who  made  one  trial,  at  least,  how  far  sur- 
gical skill  might  be  available  here. 

Mr.  W.  C.  Spooner  relates  an  interesting  case,  and  many  such  have  probably  oc- 
curred. A  horse  had  been  clipped  about  three  weeks,  and  was  afterwards  galloped 
sharply  on  rough  ground,  and  pulled  up  suddenly  and  repeatedly,  for  the  purpose  of 
sweating  him.  After  that  he  did  not  go  so  well  as  before,  and  would  not  canter 
readily,  although  he  had  previously  been  much  used  to  that  pace.  Two  days  before 
he  was  destroyed,  the  groom  was  riding  him  at  a  slow  pace,  when  he  suddenly 
gave  way  behind  and  was  carried  home,  and  could  not  afterwards  stand.  He  had, 
doubtless,  fractured  the  spine  slightly,  when  pulled  up  suddenly,  but  without  dis- 
placing the  bones. f 

M.  Dupuy  was  consulted  respecting  a  mare  apparently  palsied.  She  had  an  uncer- 
tain and  staggering  walk,  accompanied  by  evident  pain.  After  various  means  of  re- 
lief had  in  vain  been  tried  during  five-and-twenty  days,  she  was  destroyed.  A  frac- 
ture of  the  last  dorsal  vertebra  was  discovered.  It  had  never  been  quite  complete, 
and  ossific  union  was  beginning  to  take  place. 

Fracture  of  the  ribs. — These  fractures  are  not  always  easily  recognised.  Those 
that  are  covered  by  the  scapula  may  exist  for  a  long  time  without  being  detected,  and 
those  that  are  situated  posteriorly  are  so  thickly  covered  by  muscles  as  to  render  the 
detection  of  the  injury  almost  impossible.  A  man  was  trying  to  catcli  a  mare  in  a 
field.  She  leaped  at  the  gate,  but  failing  to  clear  it,  she  fell  on  her  back  on  the  oppo- 
site side.  She  lay  there  a  short  time,  and  then  got  up,  and  trotted  to  the  stable.  She 
was  saddled,  and  her  master,  a  heavy  man,  cantered  her  more  than  three  miles.  She 
then  became  unusually  dull  and  sluggish,  and  was  left  on  the  road.  She  was  bled  ; 
and  on  the  following  morning  an  attempt  was  made  to  lead  her  home.  She  was  not, 
however,  able  to  travel  more  than  a  mile.  On  the  following  morning  she  was  evi- 
dently in  great  pain,  and  a  veterinary  surgeon,  discovering  a  slight  depression  of  the 
spinous  processes  of  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  dorsal  vertebrae  and  detecting  a  certain 
crepitus,  ordered  her  to  be  destroyed.  On  post-mortem  examination,  tlie  twelfth  dorsal 
vertebra  was  found  fractured,  and  the  eleventh,  twelfth,  and  thirteenth  ribs  on  the 
near  side  were  all  fractured  about  two  inches  from  their  articulation  with  the  verte- 
brae.:}: 

Hurtrel  d'Arboval  says  that  "  the  two  ribs  behind  the  elbow  are  the  most  subject 
to  fracture,  and  the  false  ribs,  from  the  yielding  motion  which  they  possess,  are  least 
liable."   The  ordinary  causes  of  fracture  are  kicks  and  blows,  or  falls  on  the  chest,  ana 

*  Rec.  de  Med.  Vet.  Nov.  1838.  t  Veterinarian,  vol.  xi.  p.  207. 

;  Veterinarian,  vol.  iii.  p.  681. 


FRACTURES.  327 

especially  in  leaping.  The  fractures  are  generally  about  their  middle,  and,  in  the  trua 
ribs,  commonly  oblique.  They  are  occasionally  broken  into  splinters,  and  if  those 
splinters  are  directed  inward,  they  may  seriously  wound  the  pleura  or  lungs.  In  order 
most  certainly  to  detect  the  situation  and  extent  of  these  fractures,  it  may  be  neces- 
sary to  trace  the  rib  through  its  whole  extent,  and,  should  there  be  any  irregularity, 
to  press  firmly  upon  it  above  and  below  in  order  to  ascertain  the  nature  and  extent  of 
the  injury. 

If  fracture  is  detected,  it  is  not  often  that  much  essential  good  can  be  done.  If 
there  is  little  or  no  displacement,  a  broad  roller  should  be  tightly  drawn  round  the 
chest,  in  order  to  prevent  as  much  as  possible  the  motion  of  the  ribs  in  the  act  of 
breathing,  and  to  throw  the  labour  on  the  diaphragm  and  the  abdominal  muscles  until 
the  fractured  parts  are  united.  If  the  fractured  parts  protrude  outwards,  a  firm  com- 
press must  be  placed  upon  them.  If  they  are  depressed,  it  will  always  be  advisable 
to  place  a  firm  bandage  over  the  seat  of  fracture,  although,  perhaps,  there  may  bti 
scarcely  the  possibility  of  elevating  them  to  any  considerable  degree.  Should  amch 
irritation  be  the  consequence  of  the  nature  or  direction  of  the  fracture,  proper  means 
must  be  adopted  to  allay  the  constitutional  disturbance  that  may  be  produced.  Gen- 
eral or  local  bleedings  will  be  most  serviceable.* 

Fracture  of  the  pelvis. — This  is  not  of  frequent  occurrence,  on  account  of  th-e 
thickness  of  the  soft  parts  which  surround  the  pelvis,  and  protect  it  from  injury,  but 
it  is  of  a  most  serious  character  when  it  does  take  place,  on  account  of  the  violence 
which  must  have  been  necessary  to  produce  it.  The  usual  cases  are  falls  from  a  con- 
siderable height,  or  heavy  blows  on  the  pehis.  The  injury  may  have  reference  to 
the  internal  or  external  portion  of  the  pelvis.  In  the  first  case,  the  danger  may  not 
be  discovered  until  irreparable  mischief  is  produced.  "When  it  is  chiefly  external,  the 
altered  appearance  of  the  hip  speaks  for  itself.  It  is  rarely  in  our  power  to  aflford  any 
assistance  in  cases  like  this,  except  when  there  are  fractured  portions  of  the  bone  that 
may  be  partially  or  entirely  removed,  or  the  projecting  spine  of  the  ilium  is  only  par- 
tially fractured. 

]M.  Levrat  gives  an  interesting  account  of  a  case  of  fracture  of  the  right  side  of 
the  pelvis,  near  the  acetabulum,  in  leaping  a  wide  ditch  when  hunting.  "  The  lame- 
ness which  it  occasioned,"  says  he,  "  was  such  that  the  toe  of  the  foot  was  scarcely 
permitted  to  touch  the  ground  while  the  motion  was  at  all  rapid.  When  the  motion 
was  slow,  the  foot  was  placed  flat  on  the  ground,  but  with  great  difficulty  moved  for- 
ward. On  applying  my  right  hand  to  the  fractured  part,  which  did  not  exhibit  any 
heat,  and  seizing  with  my  left  hand  the  point  of  the  thigh,  I  felt  a  movement  of  the 
ischium,  which  easily  enabled  me  to  judge  of  the  fracture  and  its  seat,  and  to  dis- 
cover that  none  of  the  fractured  parts  were  displaced.  I  ordered  her  to  be  kept  quiet 
for  three  weeks,  and  then  permitted  to  wander  about  the  stable.  At  the  end  of  two 
months  she  was  mounted  and  exercised  at  a  foot  pace,  and  in  another  month  she  was 
enabled  to  sustain  the  longest  day's  work  without  lameness.  In  the  following  year 
she  was  placed  in  the  stud  of  the  Baron  de  Stael,  where  she  produced  some  good 
foals.f 

The  Annals  of  the  school  at  Alfort  contain  the  case  of  an  old  mare  with  fracture 
of  the  pelvis  and  of  the  left  ischium,  and  in  whom  union  of  the  bones  was  effected 
so  promptly,  that  on  the  thirtieth  day  very  little  lameness  remained,  and  she  shortly 
returned  to  her  usual  work.  She  soon  afterwards  died  from  some  other  cause,  and 
the  state  of  the  osseous  parts  was  thoroughly  examined.  These  cases,  however,  stand 
almost  alone,  and  post-mortem  examination  discovers  fractures  of  the  ischium  and 
the  pelvis,  and  each  bone  divided  into  many  pieces,  so  that  it  is  impossible  for  the 
hind  quarters  of  the  animal  to  be  supported — also  fractures  of  the  external  ano-le  of 
the  ilium,  which  rarely  is  again  consolidated,  and  roughness  of  the  bony  fragments, 
which  produce  sad  laceration  of  the  soft  parts.  Fracture  of  the  ischium  presents 
ilmost  insuperable  difficulties — that  of  the  ilium  is  uniformly  fatal.:): 

*  Cases  of  anchvlosis  of  the  vertebrce  of  the  horse  are  too  frequent,  from  the  heavy  weights 
and  sudden  and  violent  concussion  which  are  too  frequently  thrown  on  these  parts.  Com- 
plete anchylosis  of  all  the  dorsal  and  lumbar  vertebrte  have  been  produced,  extending  even  to 
'he  haunch.— Sandifort's  Mus.  Anat.  vol.  ii.  p.  3S  to  44,  and  iii.  p.  243. 

t  Rec.  de  Med.  Vet.,  Nov.  1831,  and  Veterinarian,  vol.  vi.  p.  390. 

.  Diet.  Vet.  Mar.  Hurtrel  d'Arboval,  vol.  ii.  p.  586. 


328  FRACTURES. 

Fracture  of  the  tail. — This  accident  is  not  of  frequent  occurrence,  except  from 
accidental  entanglement,  or  the  application  of  brute  force.  The  fracture  is  easily 
recotrnised,  frequently  by  the  eye  and  always  by  the  fing-ers.  If  the  tail  is  not  ain|)u- 
tated,  a  cord  passed  over  a  pulley,  and  with  a  small  weight  attached  to  it,  will  bring 
the  separated  bones  again  into  apposition,  and  in  about  a  month  the  natural  cartilage 
o/  the  part  will  be  sufficiently  re-instated. 

Fractures  of  the  limbs. — These,  fortunately,  are  of  rare  occurrence  in  the  horse, 
for  although  their  divided  edges  might  be  easily  brought  again  into  apposition,  it 
would  be  almost  impossible  to  retain  them  in  it,  for  the  slightest  motion  would  dis- 
place them.     A  rapid  survey  of  each  may  not,  however,  be  altogether  useless. 

Fracture  of  the  shoulder. — The  author  is  not  aware  of  the  successful  treatment 
of  this  accident  by  any  English  veterinary  surgeon.  Mr.  Fuller  attempted  it,  but  from 
the  difficulty  of  keeping  the  divided  edges  of  the  bone  in  apposition  with  each  other, 
and  the  natural  untractableness  of  the  animal,  and  symptoms  of  tetanus  beginning  to 
appear,  the  patient  was  destroyed.  The  fracture  was  a  little  above  the  neck  of  the 
scapula,  and  the  muscles  were  dreadfully  lacerated.* 

It  is  not  at  all  times  easy  to  discover  the  existence  and  precise  situation  of  fracture 
of  the  humerus.  The  lameness  is  very  great — the  animal  will  not  bear  at  all  upon 
the  broken  limb  —  he  will  drag  it  along  the  ground  —  he  will  move  slowly  and  with 
difficulty,  and  his  progression  will  consist  of  a  succession  of  short  leaps.  The  lifting 
of  the  foot  will  give  very  great  pain.  If  he  is  roughly  handled,  he  will  sometimes 
rear,  or  throw  himself  suddenly  down.  By  careful  application  of  the  hand  a  crepitus 
will  more  or  less  distinctly  be  heard.  The  chances  are  almost  materially  against  the 
union  of  a  fracture  of  the  humerus.  The  patient  must  be  kept  constantly  suspended, 
and  splints  and  bandages  carefully  applied.  M.  Delaguette  attended  an  entire  draught- 
horse,  whose  humerus  had  been  fractured  by  the  kick  of  a  mare.  The  fracture 
extended  longitudinally  through  two-thirds  of  the  length  of  the  bone,  and  the  parts 
were  separated  from  each  other.  They  were  brought  again  into  apposition,  and  kept 
so  by  means  of  pitch  plasters  and  splints.  The  horse  was  put  into  slings;  the  pave- 
ment of  the  stable  was  taken  up ;  a  hollow  dug  under  the  fractured  limb,  and  this 
depression  filled  with  straw,  in  order  to  afford  a  soft  support  for  the  foot.  He  was 
bled,  gruel  alone  given  as  food,  and  injections  daily  administered. 

On  the  25th  day  the  rollers  were  removed  and  replaced.  On  the  40th  day  he  began 
to  rest  on  the  fractured  limb.  On  the  60th  day  the  bandages  were  removed — the  frac- 
ture had  been  well  consolidated,  and  the  horse  rested  his  weight  upon  it.  It  is 
reluctantly  added  that  he  was  afterwards  destroyed,  on  account  of  some  disease  of 
the  loins. j" 

Fracture  of  the  arm. — ^This  accident  is  not  of  unfrequent  occurrence.  It  com- 
monly takes  an  oblique  direction,  and  is  usually  first  discovered  by  the  displacement 
of  the  limb.  Mr.  Gloag,  of  the  10th  Hussars,  gives  an  interesting  account  of  a  case 
that  occurred  in  his  practice.  "  An  entire  black  cart-horse  was  grazing  in  a  field,  into 
which  some  mares  were  accidentally  turned.  One  of  them  kicked  him  severely  a 
little  above  the  knee.  H^,  however,  contrived  to  get  home,  and,  being  carefully 
examined,  there  was  found  a  simple  fracture  of  the  radius,  about  an  inch  and  a  half 
above  the  knee.  The  ends  of  the  fractured  bone  could  be  heard  distinctly  grating 
against  each  other,  both  in  advancing  the  leg  and  turning  it  sideway  from  the  body. 
He  was  immediately  placed  in  a  sling  not  completely  elevated  from  the  ground,  but 
in  which  he  could  occasionally  relieve  himself  by  standing.  The  leg  was  well  bathed 
with  warm  water,  and  the  ends  of  the  bone  brought  as  true  to  their  position  as  possible. 
Some  thin  slips  of  green  wood  were  then  immersed  in  boiling  water  until  they  would 
readily  bend  to  the  shape  of  the  knee,  and  they  were  tied  round  the  joint,  reaching 
about  nine  inches  above  and  six  below  the  knee,  the  ends  of  them  being  tied  round 
with  tow. 

A  fortnight  afterv/ards  he  became  very  troublesome,  knocking  his  foot  on  the  ground, 
and  when,  at  the  expiration  of  the  sixth  week,  he  was  taken  from  the  slings,  there 
was  a  considerable  bonv  deposit  above  the  knee.  This,  however,  gradually  subsided 
as  the  horse  regained  his  strength,  and,  with  the  exception  of  turning  the  leg  a  little 
outwards,  he  is  as  useful  as  ever  for  common  purposes. ":f: 

Fracture  of  the  elbow. — This  is  far  more  exposed  to  danger  than  the  two  las' 


Veterinarian,  vol.  viii.,  p.  143.   t  Journal  Pratique,  Dec.  1834.    t  Veterinarian,  vol.  iv,  p.  42?. 


FRACTURES.  329 

bonds,  and  is  oftener  fractured.  The  fracture  is  generally  an  oblique  ^ne,  and  about 
two-iliirds  from  llie  summit  of  the  limb.  It  is  immediately  detected  by  the  altered 
action,  and  different  appearance  of  the  limb.  It  is  not  so  difficult  of  reduction  as 
either  the  humerus  or  the  scapula,  when  the  fracture  is  towards  the  middle  of  tho 
bone.  A  great  quantity  of  tow  saturated  with  pitch  must  be  placed  around  the  elbow, 
and  confined  with  firm  adhesive  plasters,  the  ground  being  hollowed  away  in  the  fron* 
of  the  injured  leg,  so  that  no  pressure  shall  be  made  by  that  foot. 

Fractuue  of  the  femur. — Considering  the  masses  of  muscle  that  surround  this* 
bone,  and  the  immense  weight  which  it  supports,  it  would  naturally  be  deemed  ira 
possible  to  reduce  a  real  fracture  of  the  femur.  If  the  divided  bones  are  ever  united, 
it  is  a  consequence  of  the  simple  repose  of  the  parts,  and  their  tendency  to  unite 
Professor  Dick,  however,  relates  a  very  singular  and  interesting  account  of  the  cure 
of  fracture  of  the  femur.  He  was  requested  to  attend  a  bay  mare  that  had  met  with 
an  accident  in  leaping  a  sunken  fence.  He  found  a  wound  in  the  stifie  of  the  hind 
leg  running  transversely  across  the  anterior  of  the  articulation,  about  an  inch  and  a 
half  in  length,  and  in  it  was  a  portion  of  bone  that  had  been  fractured,  and  that  had 
escaped  from  its  situation  towards  the  inside  of  the  stifle,  where  it  was  held  by  a  por- 
tion of  ligament.  The  isolated  nature  of  the  fractured  portion,  the  difficulty,  or  rather 
impossibility  of  replacing  it  in  its  situation,  and  the  few  vessels  which  the  connecting 
medium  possessed,  rendered  it  impossible  that  union  would  be  effected  ;  he  therefore 
determined  to  remove  it. 

Having  enlarged  the  wound,  and  divided  the  portion  of  capsular  ligament  which 
retained  it  in  its  place,  he  extracted  the  bone,  and  found  it  to  be  the  upper  part  of  the 
inner  anterior  condyle  of  the  femur,  measuring  three  inches  in  length,  one  inch  and  a 
half  in  breadth,  and  about  an  inch  in  thickness,  and  being  in  shape  nearly  similar  to 
the  longitudinal  section  of  a  hen's  egg. 

After  the  removal  of  the  bone,  the  animal  seemed  very  much  relieved  ;  the  wound 
was  firmly  sewed  up,  adhesive  strapping  applied  over  it,  and  the  part  kept  wet  with 
cold  water. 

Two  days  afterwards  considerable  swelling  had  taken  place ;  she  seemed  to  suffer 
much,  and  there  was  some  oozing  from  the  wound.  Fomentations  were  again  applied, 
and  she  was  slung. 

She  now  began  rapidly  to  improve,  and,  although  one  of  the  largest  articulations  in 
the  body  had  been  laid  open  and  a  part  of  the  articular  portion  of  the  bone  removed, 
tlie  wound  healed  so  rapidly  that  in  three  weeks  she  walked  with  little  lameness  to  a 
loose  box.  At  the  expiration  of  another  three  weeks  the  Professor  again  visited  her. 
On  being  led  out  she  trotted  several  times  along  the  stable  yard,  apparently  sound, 
with  the  exception  of  moving  the  limb  in  a  slight  degree  wider  than  usual,  and  so 
completely  was  the  part  recovered  that,  had  it  not  been  for  a  small  scar  that  remained, 
a  stranger  could  not  have  known  that  such  an  accident  had  taken  place.* 

Fracture  OF  THE  PATELLA. — This  does  occasionally,  though  verj'  seldom  occur. 
It  is  usually  the  consequence  of  violent  kicks,  or  blows,  and  if  this  sinjular  bone  is 
once  disunited,  no  power  can  bring  the  divided  portions  of  the  bone  together  again. 

Fracture  of  the  tibia.  —  This  affection  is  of  more  frequent  occurrence,  and  of 
more  serious  consequence  than  we  were  accustomed  to  imagine  it  to  be.  IMr.  Trump, 
twelve  years  ago,  first  called  the  attention  of  the  profession  to  some  singular  circum- 
stances connected  with  tlie  tibia.  A  large  draught-horse  belonging  to  the  Dowlais 
Iron  Company,  at  Merthyr  Tydvil,  came  in  from  his  labour  very  lame  in  the  near 
hind  leir,  but  with  no  visible  sign  of  any  severe  injury  being  received.  The  foot  was 
searched,  but  nothing  farther  was  done.  He  stood  in  the  stable  several  days,  and 
then  was  turned  into  a  field,  and  was  discovered  one  morning  with  the  limb  depend- 
ent, and  a  fracture  of  the  tibia  just  above  the  hock. 

Fourteen  or  sixteen  months  after  that,  another  horse  came  home  from  a  journey  of 
seven  miles,  lame,  with  a  slight  mark  on  the  inside  of  the  thigh — a  mere  scratch,  and 
very  little  tumefaction.  There  was  nothing  to  account  for  such  severe  lameness  :  but, 
a  few  mornings  afterwards,  the  tibia  was  seen  to  be  fractured.  The  front  of  the  bone 
was  splintered  as  from  a  blow. 

Two  months  after  that,  another  horse  had  been  observed  to  be  lame  seven  or  eighi 
days.     A  slight  scratch  was  observed  on  the  inside  of  the  thigh,  with  a  little  swell- 


*  Veterinarian,  vol.  ii.  p.  140. 
2r 


330  FRACTURES. 

ini^,  and  increased  heat  and  tenderness  just  above  the  hock.  Mr.  Trump  h;ul  (xam- 
ined  the  footdurino-  the  time  that  the  horse  stood  in  the  stable,  not  being  satislitd  tliat 
the  apparently  slight  injury  on  the  thigh  could  account  for  the  lameness.  He  uas 
turned  to  grass,  and  three  days  afterwards  the  tibia  was  found  broken  at  the  part  men- 
tioned, and  evidently  from  a  blow.  Were  there  not  positive  proof  of  the  circumstance, 
t  would  have  been  deemed  impossible  that  a  fracture,  and  of  such  a  bone,  could  havft 
existed  so  long  without  detection.* 

Mr.  J.  S.  Mayer  gives  an  interesting  account  of  the  successful  treatment  of  a  case 
of  fracture  of  the  tibia.  The  simplicity  of  the  process  will,  we  trust,  encourage  many 
another  veterinary  surgeon  to  follow  his  example. 

"  A  horse  received  a  blow  on  the  tibia  of  the  near  leg,  but  little  notice  was  taken 
of  it  for  two  or  three  days.  When,  however,  we  were  called  in  to  examine  him,  we 
found  the  tibia  to  be  obliquely  fractured  about  midway  between  the  hock  and  t'-.e 
stifle,  and  a  small  wound  existing  on  the  inside  of  the  leg.  It  was  set  in  the  follow- 
ing manner: — The  leg  from  the  stifle  down  to  the  hock  was  well  covered  witli  an 
adhesive  compound ;  it  was  then  wrapped  round  with  fine  tow,  upon  which  another 
layer  of  the  same  adhesive  mixture  was  laid,  the  whole  being  well  splinted  and  ban- 
daged up,  so  as  to  render  what  was  a  slightly  compound  fracture  a  simple  one.  Thb 
local  inflammation  and  sympathetic  fever  that  supervened  were  kept  down  by  anti- 
phlogistic measures.  At  the  end  of  six  weeks  the  bandages  and  splints  were  removed, 
and  readjusted  in  a  similar  way  as  before,  and  at  the  termination  of  three  months  from 
the  time  of  the  accident  he  was  discharged,  cured,  the  splints  being  wholly  taken  off, 
and  merely  an  adhesive  stay  kept  on  the  leg.  The  horse  is  now  at  work  and  quite 
sound,  there  being  merely  a  little  thickening,  where  the  callus  is  formed."")" 

Fracture  of  the  hock. — This  is  not  of  frequent  occurrence,  but  verj'  difllcult  to 
treat,  from  the  almost  impossibility  of  finding  means  to  retain  the  bone  in  its  situa- 
tion. A  case,  however,  somewhat  simple  in  its  nature  occurred  in  the  practice  of 
Mr.  Cartwright.  A  colt,  leaping  at  some  rails,  got  his  leg  between  them,  and,  una- 
ble to  extricate  himself,  hung  over  on  the  other  side.  After  being  liberated  it  appeared 
on  examination,  that  there  was  a  simple  horizontal  fracture  of  the  whole  of  the  os 
calcis  about  the  middle.  A  splint  was  contrived  so  as  to  reach  from  the  middle  of 
the  tibia  to  that  of  the  cannon  bone,  and  this  was  applied  to  the  front  of  the  leg.  keep- 
ing the  hock  from  its  usual  motion,  and  relaxing  the  muscles  inserted  into  the  os  calcis. 
Underneath  this  splint  a  charge  was  applied  about  the  part,  in  order  to  form  a  level 
surface  for  the  splint  to  rest  upon.  The  whole  was  bound  together  by  proper  adhe- 
sive bandages,  and  he  was  ordered  to  be  kept  quiet  in  tlie  stable,  but  not  to  be  slung. 
In  about  two  months  the  hock  was  fired  and  became  perfectly  sound.:}: 

Fracture  of  the  cannon  or  shank  bone. — This  is  of  more  frequent  occurrence 
than  that  of  any  other  bone,  on  account  of  the  length  of  the  leg,  and  the  danger  to 
which  it  is  exposed.  There  is  rarely  any  difficulty  in  detecting  its  situation,  but  there 
is  sometimes  a  great  deal  in  bringing  the  divided  edges  of  the  bone  again  into  appo- 
sition. A  kind  of  windlass,  or  a  power  equal  to  it,  is  occasionally  necessary  to  pro- 
duce sufficient  extension  in  order  to  eflfect  the  desired  purpose  :  but  the  divided  edges 
being  brought  into  apposition  are  retained  there  by  the  force  of  the  muscles  above. 
Splints  reaching  from  the  foot  to  above  the  knee  should  then  be  applied.  The  horse 
should  be  racked  up  during  a  fortnight,  after  which,  if  the  case  is  going  on  well,  the 
animal  may  often  be  turned  out. 

In  cases  of  compound  fracture  the  wounds  should  be  carefully  attended  to :  but 
Mr.  Percivall  says  that  he  knows  one  or  two  old  practitioners,  who  are  in  the  habit 
of  treating  these  cases  in  a  very  summary  and  generally  successful  manner.  They 
employ  such  common  support,  with  splints  and  tow  and  bandages,  as  the  case  seems 
to  require,  and  then  the  anmial  with  his  leg  bound  up  is  turned  out,  if  the  season  per- 
mits; otherwise  he  is  placed  in  a  yard  or  box,  where  there  is  not  much  straw  to 
incommode  his  movements.  The  animal  will  take  care  not  to  impose  too  much 
weight  on  his  fractured  limb;  and,  provided  the  parts  are  well  secured,  nature  will 
generally  perform  the  rest.§ 

*  Veterinarian,  vol.  iii.  p.  394. 

t  The  Transactions  of  the  Vet.  Med.  Association.  Some  other  cases  of  the  successful  treat 
ment  of  fractures  are  related  in  this  work. 

X  Veterinarian,  vol.  in.  p.  69.  6  Percivall's  Hippopatho.v>;(>    tfol.  i.  p  9A9. 


FRACTURES.  331 

FRACxaRE  OF  THE  SESAMOID  BONES. — There  are  but  two  instances  of  this  on  record 
The  first  is  related  by  Mr.  Fuller  of  March.  lie  was  galloping  steadily  and  not 
rapidly  a  horse  of  his  own,  when  the  animal  suddenly  fell  as  if  he  had  been  shot. 
He  was  broken  down  in  both  fore  legs.  The  owner  very  humanely  ordered  him  to 
be  immediately  destroyed.  Both  the  perforans  and  perforatus  tendons  of  the  near  fore 
leg  were  completely  ruptured,  just  where  they  pass  over  the  sesamoid  bone,  which 
was  fractured  in  a  transverse  direction.  The  sesamoid  bone  of  the  oft'  leg  was  frac- 
tured in  the  same  direction,  but  the  tendons  were  entire.* 

The  second  case  is  one  described  by  ^Ir.  Harris  of  Preston.  A  strong  coachlike 
animal  was  galloped  rapidly.  He  had  not  gone  more  than  a  hundred  yards  before  he 
suddenly  fell,  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  he  could  be  led  home,  a  distance 
of  about  two  miles.  There  was  soon  considerable  swelling  in  the  oft"  fore  leg — great 
pain  on  the  animal's  attempting  to  walk,  and  his  fetlock  nearly  touched  the  ground. 
Some  slight  crepitus  could  be  detected,  but  the  exact  seat  of  it  could  not  be  ascer- 
tained. Mr.  Harris  considered  the  case  as  hopeless,  but  the  owner  would  have  some 
means  tried  to  save  the  animal.  He  was  accordingly  bled  and  physicked,  and  cold 
lotions  and  bandages  were  applied  to  the  foot.  Two  days  afterwards  some  bony 
spicule  began  to  protrude  through  the  skin,  and,  the  case  being  now  perfectly  hope- 
less, the  animal  was  destroyed.     The  inner  sesamoid  bone  was  shivered  to  atoms. f 

Fracture  of  the  upper  pastern. — Thick  and  strong,  and  movable  as  this  bone 
seems  to  be,  it  is  occasionally  fractured.  This  has  been  the  consequence  of  a  violent 
effort  by  the  horse  to  save  himself  from  falling,  when  he  has  stumbled, — it  has  hap- 
pened when  he  has  been  incautiously  permitted  to  run  down  a  steep  descent — and  has 
occurred  when  a  horse  has  been  travelling  on  the  best  road,  and  at  no  great  pace. 

The  existence  of  fracture  in  this  bone  is,  generally  speaking,  easily  detected.  The 
injured  foot  is  as  lightly  as  possible  permitted  to  come  in  contact  with  the  ground.  As 
little  weight  as  may  be  is  thrown  on  it,  or,  if  the  animal  is  compelled  to  use  it,  the 
fetlock  is  bent  down  nearly  to  the  ground,  and  the  toe  is  turned  upward.  If  the  foot 
is  rotated,  a  crepitus  is  generallj'^  heard. 

This,  however,  is  not  always  the  case.  I\I.  Levrat  was  requested  to  exanxine  a 
horse  that  had  suddenly  become  lame.  The  near  hind  leg  was  retracted,  and  the 
foot  was  kept  from  touching  the  ground.  He  carefully  examined  the  foot,  and  dis- 
covered that  much  pain  was  expressed  when  the  pastern  was  handled.  He  suspected 
fracture  of  the  bone,  but  he  could  not  detect  it.  He  bled  the  animal,  ordered  cooling 
applications  to  the  part,  and  gave  a  dose  of  physic.  Three  days  afterwards  he  again 
savv  his  patient,  and  readily  detected  a  fracture,  taking  a  direction  obliquely  across 
the  pastero.:j: 

The  probability  of  success  in  the  treatment  of  this  fracture,  depends  on  its  being 
a  simple  or  compound  one.  If  it  runs  laterally  across  the  bone,  it  may  be  readily 
and  successfully  treated — if  it  extends  to  the  joints  above  and  below,  it  will  proba- 
bly terminate  in  anchylosis,  and  if  the  bone  is  shivered,  as  it  too  frequently  is,  into 
various  parts,  there  would  scarcely  seem  the  possibility  of  a  successful  treatment  of 
the  case.  The  instances,  however,  are  numerous  in  which  the  case  terminates  suc- 
cessfully. Hurtrel  d'Arboval  recommends  that  a  bandage  steeped  in  some  adhesive 
matter  should  be  applied  from  the  coronet  to  the  middle  of  the  leg.  On  this  some 
wet  pasteboard  is  to  be  moulded,  enveloped  afterwards  in  a  linen  bandage.  A  small 
splint  is  now  to  be  applied  before  and  behind  and  on  each  side  and  the  liollow  places 
are  filled  with  tow,  in  order  to  give  them  an  equal  bearing.  If  this  does  not  appear 
to  be  sufficiently  secure,  other  splints,  thicker  and  broader,  are  placed  over  those  ex- 
tending to  the  knee  or  the  hock. 

The  case  related  by  M.  Levrat  was  treated  in  this  way.  It  v.dll  be  comparatively 
seldom  that  it  will  be  necessary  to  suspend  the  patient.  The  animal,  under  the  treat- 
ment of  j\I.  Levrat,  kept  his  foot  in  the  air  for  nearly  three  weeks.  At  the  end  of 
that  period  he  now  and  then  tried  to  rest  his  toe  on  the  litter.  Six  weeks  after  the 
accident,  he  beoran  to  throw  some  weight  on  the  foot;  and  a  few  days  afterwards  he 
was  able  to  go  to  a  pond,  about  fifty  paces  from  his  stable,  and  where,  of  his  own 
accord,  he  took  a  foot-bath  for  nearly  an  hour  at  a  time.    At  the  expiration  of  another 

*  Veterinarian,  vol.  iii.  p.  393.  t  Veterinarian,  vol.  v.  p.  37^ 

T  Rec.  de  Med.  Vet.,  Nov.  1831. 


332  FRACTURES. 

raonth  he  was  mounted,  and  went  very  well  at  a  walking-pace;  he  was,  '.owevei, 
still  lame  wlien  he  was  trotted. 

Another  horse,  treated  by  the  same  surgeon,  was  soon  able  to  rest  on  the  bad  leg, 
in  order  to  change  his  position — he  w-as  allowed  three  weeks  after  tha%  and  then 
commenced  his  former  daily  work — the  drawing  of  a  heavy  cart.  He  limped  a  little 
when  he  was  trotted ;  but  did  as  much  slow  work  as  he  was  ever  accustomed  to  do. 

Fracture  of  the  lower  pastern. — Although  this  bone  is  much  shorter  than  the 
upper  pastern,  there  are  several  instances  of  fracture  of  it.  The  fractures  of  this 
bone  are  commonly  longitudinal,  and  often  present  a  lesion  of  continuity  extending 
from  the  larger  pastern  to  the  coffin-bone.  It  is  frequently  splintered,  the  splinters 
taking  this  longitudinal  direction.  Hurtrel  d'Arboval  relates  three  cases  of  this,  and 
in  one  of  them  the  bone  was  splintered  into  four  pieces.  In  several  instances,  how- 
ever, this  bone  has  been  separated  into  eight  or  ten  distinct  pieces.  When  the  frac- 
ture of  the  bone  is  neither  compound  nor  complicated,  it  may  be  perfectly  reduced  by 
proper  bandaging,  and,  in  fact,  there  have  been  cases,  in  which  union  has  taken  place 
with  slight  assistance  from  art  beyond  the  application  of  a  few  bandages. 

M.  Gazot  relates  a  very  satisfactory  termination  of  fracture  of  this  bone  in  a  car- 
riage-horse. The  animal  fell,  and  was  totally  unable  to  rise  again.  He  was  placed 
on  some  hurdles,  and  drawn  home.  A  veterinary  surgeon  being  consulted,  recognised 
fracture  of  the  lower  pastern  in  both  feet,  and  advised  that  the  animal  should  be  de- 
stroyed. It  was  a  favourite  horse,  between  five  and  six  years  old,  and  the  owner  de- 
termined to  give  it  a  chance  of  recovery. 

]\I.  Gazot  was  consulted.  He  plainly  recognised  a  transverse  fracture  in  the  lower 
pastern  of  the  right  leg,  and  a  longitudinal  one  in  the  left  pastern.  They  were  both 
of  them  simple  fractures.  The  horse  w^as  manageable,  and  seemed  to  comprehend 
the  whole  affair.  He  was  a  favourite  of  the  groom  as  well  as  the  master,  and  it 
was  determined  to  give  him  a  chance  of  recovery.  He  had  plenty  of  good  litter 
under  him,  which  w^as  changed  twice  in  the  day.  The  first  object  that  was  attempt- 
ed to  be  accomplished  was  the  healing  of  the  excoriations  that  had  taken  place 
in  drawing  him  home,  and  abating  the  inflammation  that  was  appearing  about  the 
pasterns. 

At  the  termination  of  the  first  week  all  these  were  healed,  the  horse  ftd  well,  and 
was  perfectly  quiet,  except  that  when  he  was  tired  of  lying  on  one  side  he  contrived 
to  get  on  his  knees  and  then  to  raise  himself  on  his  haunches,  and,  having  voided  his 
urine  and  his  dung,  he  turned  himself  upon  the  other  side,  without  the  bandages 
round  his  pasterns  being  in  the  slightest  degree  interfered  with. 

At  the  expiration  of  the  second  week,  he  seemed  to  wish  to  get  up.  The  groom 
had  orders  to  assist  him,  and  a  sling  was  passed  under  him.  Some  oats  were  placed 
in  the  manger,  and  he  seemed  to  enjoy  the  change  for  a  little  while.  Soon  after- 
wards he  began  to  be  uneasy,  and  a  copious  perspiration  appeared  on  every  part. 
He  was  immediately  lowered,  when,  with  evident  delight,  he  stretched  out  his  head 
and  his  legs,  and  lay  almost  without  motion  during  several  hours.  On  the  follow- 
ing day  he  was  again  placed  in  the  sling,  and  again  lowered  as  soon  as  he  appeared 
to  be  fatigued. 

At  the  expiration  of  a  month  from  the  time  of  the  accident  he  could  get  up  without 
assistance,  and  would  continue  standing  two  or  three  hours,  when  he  would  lay  down 
again,  but  with  a  degree  of  precaution  that  was  truly  admirable.  The  bandages 
around  the  pasterns  had  been  continued  until  this  period,  and  had  been  kept  wet  with 
a  spirituous  embrocation.  The  horse  was  encouraged  to  walk  a  little,  some  corn  be 
ing  offered  to  him  in  a  sieve.  He  was  sadly  lame,  and  the  lameness  was  considera- 
bly greater  in  the  left  than  in  the  right  foot.  A  calculous  enlargement  could  also  be 
felt  in  the  direction  of  the  fracture  on  each  pastern;  but  it  was  greatest  in  ihe  left 
fetlock,  and  there  was  reason  to  fear  the  existence  of  anchylosis,  between  the  pastern 
bones  of  the  left  leg.  That  foot  was  surrounded  with  emollient  cataplasms,  and,  two 
days  afterwards,  was  pared  out,  and  the  cautery  applied  over  both  pasterns,  the  spirit- 
nous  embrocation  being  continued. 

A  fortnight  afterwards  the  effect  of  the  cautery  was  very  satisfactory.  The  action 
of  the  part  was  more  free,  and  there  was  no  longer  any  fear  of  anchylosis.  It  was, 
however,  deemed  prudent  to  apply  the  cautery  over  the  right  pastern.  Walking  ex- 
ercise was  now  recommended,  and  in  the  course  of  another  month  the  lameness  was 


ON    SHOEING.'  333 

much  diminished.     It  was  most  on  the  left  side,  which,  however,  had  resumed  its 
former  degree  of  inclination. 

At  the  expiration  of  four  months,  the  horse  was  sent  to  work.  His  master,  how- 
over,  douhting:  the  stability  of  the  cure,  sold  him,  for  which  he  ought  to  have  had  his 
own  legs  broken,  and  he  fell  into  bad  hands.  He  was  worked  hardly,  and  half 
starved ;  nevertheless,  the  calculus  continued  to  diminish,  and  the  lameness  alto- 
gether disappeared.  He  soon,  however,  passed  into  better  hands.  He  was  bouorht 
by  a  farmer  at  Chalons,  in  whose  service  he  long  remained,  in  good  condition,  and 
totally  free  from  lameness.     His  last  owner  gave  him  the  name  of  Old  Broken  Le^.* 

Fracture  of  the  coffix-boxe. — This  is  an  accident  of  very  rare  occurrence,  and 
diihcult  to  distinguish  from  other  causes  of  lameness.  The  animal  halts  very  con- 
siderably— the  foot  is  hot  and  tender — the  pain  seems  to  be  exceedingly  great,  and 
none  of  the  ordinary  causes  of  lameness  are  perceived.  According-  to  Hurtrel  D'Ar- 
boval,  it  is  not  so  serious  an  accident  as  has  been  represented.  The  fractured  portions' 
cannot  be  displaced,  and  in  a  vascular  bone  like  this,  the  union  of  the  divided  parts 
will  be  readily  eifected. 

.Mr.  Percivall  very  properly  remarks,  that,  "buried  as  the  coffin  and  navicular 
bones  are  within  the  hoof,  and  out  of  the  way  of  all  external  injury  as  well  as  of  mus- 
cular force,  fracture  of  them  cannot  proceed  from  ordinary  causes.  It  is,  perhaps, 
thus  produced  : — in  the  healthy  foot,  in  consequence  of  the  elasticity  of  their  connec- 
tions, these  bones  yield  or  spring  under  the  impression  they  receive  from  the  bones 
above,  and  thus  are  enabled  to  bear  great  weights,  and  sustain  violent  shocks  withouJ 
injury;  but,  disease  in  the  foot  is  otlen  found  to  destroy  this  elasticity,  by  changing 
the  cartilage  into  bone,  which  cannot  receive  the  same  weight  and  concussion  withoul 
risk  of  fracture.  Horses  that  have  undergone  the  operation  of  neurotomy  more  fre- 
quently meet  with  this  accident  than  others,  because  they  batter  their  senseless  feet 
with  a  force  which,  under  similar  circumstances,  pain  would  forbid  the  others  from 
doing."! 

Fractcire  of  the  navicular  boxe  has  been  sufficiently  considered  under  the  article 
"  Navicular  Joint  Disease,"  p.  309. 

Mr.  flayer  sums  up  his  account  of  the  treatment  of  fractures  in  a  way  that  reflects 
much  credit  on  him  and  the  profession  of  which  he  is  a  member.  "  Let  your  reme- 
dies." says  he,  "  be  governed  by  those  principles  of  science,  those  dictates  ofhumanity, 
and  that  sound  discretion,  which,  while  they  raise  the  moral  and  intellectual  supe 
riority  of  man,  distinguish  the  master  of  his  profession  from  the  bungling  empiric"! 


CHAPTER   XVII. 
ON  SHOEING. 


The  period  when  the  shoe  began  to  be  nailed  to  the  foot  of  the  horse  is  uncertain. 
William  the  Norman  introduced  it  into  our  country. 

■\Ve  have  seen,  in  the  progress  of  our  inquiry,  that,  while  it  affords  to  the  foot  of  the 
horse  that  defence  which  seems  now  to  be  necessary  against  the  destructive  effects 
of  our  artificial  and  flinty  roads,  it  has  entailed  on  "the  animal  some  evils.  It  has 
limited  or  destroyed  the  beautiful  expansibility  of  the  lower  part  of  the  foot  —  it  has 
led  to  contraction,  although  that  contraction  has  not  always  been  accompanied  by 
lameness — in  the  most  careful  fixing  of  the  best  shoe,  and  in  the  careless  manufac- 
ture and  setting  on  of  the  bad  one,  irreparable  injury  has  occasionally  been  done  to 
the  horse. 

We  will  first  attend  to  the  preparation  of  the  foot  for  the  shoe,  for  more  than  is 
generally  imagined,  of  its  comfort  to  the  horse  and  its  safety  to  the  rider,  depends  on 
this.  If  the  master  would  occasionally  accompany  the  horse  to  the  forge,  more 
expense  to  himself  and  punishment  to  the  horse  would  be  spared  than,  perhaps,  he 

*  Recueil  de  Med.  Vet.  1834.  p.  7.     No  apology  is  offered  for  the  introduction  of  cases  liko 
this.     The  cause  of  science  and  of  humanity  is  equally  served. 
+  Perdvall's  Hippopathology,  vol.  i.,  p.  272.  t  Vet.  Trans,  vol.  i.,  p.  245. 


334  .ON   SHOEING. 

would  tliink  possible,  provided  he  will  take  the  pains  to  understand  the  matter  hini 
self,  otherwise  he  had  better  not  interfere. 

The  old  shoe  must  be  first  taken  off.  We  have  something  to  observe  even  here 
The  shoe  was  retained  on  the  foot  by  the  ends  of  the  nails  being  twisted  off,  turned 
down,  and  clenched.  Tbese  clenches  should  be  first  raised,  which  the  smith  seldom 
takes  the  trouble  thoroughly  to  do ;  but  aft(;r  looking  carelessly  round  the  crust  and 
loosening  one  or  two  of  the  clenches,  he  takes  hold  first  of  one  heel  of  the  shoe,  and 
then  of  the  oti)er,  and  by  a  violent  wrench  separates  them  from  the  foot :  then,  l)y 
means  of  a  third  wrench,  applied  to  the  middle  of  the  shoe,  he  tears  it  off.  By  these 
means  he  must  enlarge  every  nail-hole,  and  weaken  the  future  and  steady  hold  of  the 
shoe,  and  sometimes  tear  oil' portions  of  the  crust,  and  otherwise  injure  the  foot.  The 
horse  generally  shows  by  his  flinching  that  he  suffers  from  the  violence  with  which 
this  preliminary  operation  too  often  is  performed.  The  clenches  should  always  be 
raised  or  filed  off;  and,  where  the  foot  is  tender,  or  the  horse  is  to  be  examined  foi 
lameness,  each  nail  should  be  partly  punched  out.  According  to  the  common  system 
of  procedure,  many  a  stub  is  left  in  the  crust,  the  source  of  future  annoyance. 

The  shoe  having  been  removed,  the  smith  proceeds  to  rasp  the  edges  of  the  crust. 
Let  not  the  stander-by  object  to  the  apparent  violence  which  he  uses,  or  fear  that  the ' 
foot  will  suffer.  It  is  the  only  means  that  he  has  to  detect  whether  any  stubs  remain 
in  the  nail-holes ;  and  it  is  the  most  convenient  method  of  removing  that  portion  of 
the  crust  into  which  dirt  and  gravel  have  insinuated  themselves. 

Next  comes  the  important  process  of  paring  out,  with  regard  to  w'"ich  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  lay  down  any  specific  rules.  This,  however,  is  undoubted,  that  far 
more  injury  has  been  done  by  the  neglect  of  paring,  than  by  carrying  it  to  too  great 
an  extent.  The  act  of  paring  is  a  work  of  much  more  labour  than  the  proprietor  of 
the  horse  often  imagines.  The  smith,  except  he  is  overlooked,  will  frequently  give 
himself  as  little  trouble  about  it  as  he  can;  and  that  portion  of  horn  which,  in  the 
unshod  foot,  wo\ild  be  worn  away  by  contact  with  the  ground,  is  suffered  to  accumu- 
late month  after  month,  until  the  elasticity  of  the  sole  is  destroyed,  and  it  can  no 
longer  descend,  and  its  other  functions  are  impeded,  and  foundation  is  laid  for  corn, 
and  contraction,  and  navicular  disease,  and  inflammation.  That  portion  of  horn 
should  be  left  on  the  foot,  which  will  defend  the  internal  parts  from  being  bruised, 
and  yet  suffer  the  external  sole  to  descend.  How  is  this  to  be  ascertained  1  The 
strong  pressure  of  the  thumb  of  the  smith  w-ill  be  the  best  guide.  The  buttress,  that 
most  destructive  of  all  instruments,  being,  except  on  very  particular  occasions,  banished 
from  every  respectable  forge,  the  smith  sets  to  work  with  his  drawing-knife,  and 
removes  the  growth  of  horn,  until  the  sole  will  yield,  although  in  the  slightest  possible 
degree,  to  the  strong  pressure  of  his  thumb.  The  proper  thickness  of  horn  will  then 
remain. 

If  the  foot  has  been  previously  neglected,  and  the  horn  is  become  very  hard,  the 
owner  must  not  object  if  the  smith  resorts  to  some  other  means  to  soften  it  a  little, 
and  takes  one  of  his  flat  irons,  and  having  heated  it,  draws  it  over  the  sole,  and  keeps 
it,  a  little  while,  in  contact  with  the  foot.  When  the  sole  is  really  thick,  this  rude 
and  apparently  barbarous  method  can  do  no  harm,  but  it  should  never  be  permitted 
with  the  sole  that  is  regularly  pared  out. 

The  quantity  of  horn  to  be  removed,  in  order  to  leave  the  proper  degree  of  thick- 
ness, will  vary  with  different  feet.  From  the  strong  foot,  a  great  deal  must  be  taken. 
From  the  concave  foot,  the  horn  may  be  removed  until  tbe  sole  will  yield  to  a  mode- 
rate pressure.  From  the  flat  foot,  little  needs  be  pared ;  while  the  pumiced  foot  should 
be  deprived  of  nothing  but  the  ragged  parts. 

The  paring  being  nearly  completed,  the  knife  and  the  rasp  of  the  smith  must  be  a 
little  watched,  or  he  will  reduce  the  crust  to  a  level  with  the  sole,  and  thus  endanger 
the  bruising  of  it  by  its  pressure  on  the  edge  of  the  seating.  The  crust  should  be 
reduced  to  a  perfect  level  all  around,  but  left  a  little  higher  than  the  sole. 

The  heels  will  require  considerable  attention.  From  the  stress  which  is  thrown  on 
the  inner  heel,  and  from  the  weakness  of  the  quarter  there,  the  horn  usually  wears 
away  considerably  faster  than  it  w'ould  on  the  outer  one,  and  if  an  equal  portion  of 
horn  were  pared  from  it,  it  would  be  left  lower  than  the  outer  heel.  The  smith 
should,  therefore,  accommodate  his  paring  to  the  comparative  wear  of  the  heels,  and 
be  exceedingly  careful  to  leave  them  precisely  level. 

If  the  reader  will  recollect  what  has  been  said  of  the  intention  and  action  of  thf 


PUTTING    ON   THE   SHOE.  335 

oars,  he  will  readily  perceive  that  the  smith  should  be  checked  in  his  almost  universal 
fondness  for  opening  the  heels,  or,  more  truly,  removing  that  which  is  the  main  impedi- 
ment to  contraction.  The  portion  of  the  heels  between  the  inflexion  of  the  bar  and  the 
frog  should  scarcely  be  touched — at  least,  the  rag-ged  and  detached  parts  alone  should 
be  cut  away.  The  foot  may  not  look  so  fair  and  open,  but  it  will  last  longer  without 
contraction. 

Tlie  bar,  likewise,  should  be  left  fully  prominent,  not  only  at  its  first  inflexion,  but 
as  it  runs  down  the  side  of  the  frog.  The  heel  of  the  shoe  is  designed  to  rest  partly 
on  the  heel  of  the  foot  and  partly  on  the  bar,  for  reasons  that  have  been  already  stated. 
If  tiie  bar  is  weak,  the  growth  of  it  should  be  encouraged ;  and  it  should  be  scarcely 
touched  when  the  horse  is  shod,  unless  it  has  attained  a  level  with  the  crust.  The 
reader  will  recollect  the  observation  which  has  been  already  made,  that  the  destruction 
of  the  bars  not  only  leads  to  contraction,  by  removing  the  grand  impediment  to  it,  but 
by  adding  a  still  more  powerful  cause  in  the  slanting  direction  which  is  given  to  the 
bearing  of  the  heels,  when  the  bar  does  not  contribute  to  the  support  of  the  weight. 

It  will  also  be  apparent,  that  the  horn  between  the  crust  and  the  bar  should  be 
carefully  pared  out.  Everj'  horseman  has  observed  the  Telief  which  is  given  to  the 
animal  lame  with  corns,  when  this  angle  is  well  thinned.  This  relief,  however,  is 
often  but  temporary ;  for  when  the  horn  grows  again,  and  the  shoe  presses  upon  it, 
the  torture  of  the  horse  is  renewed. 

The  degree  of  paring  to  which  the  frog  must  be  subjected,  will  depend  on  its  promi- 
nence, an'"  on  the  shape  of  the  foot.  The  principle  has  already  been  stated,  that  it 
must  be  left  so  far  projecting  and  prominent,  that  it  shall  be  just  within  and  above  the 
lower  surface  of  the  shoe ;  it  will  then  descend  with  the  sole  sufficiently  to  discharge 
the  functions  that  have  been  attributed  to  it.  If  it  is  lower,  it  will  be  bruised  and 
injured  ;  if  it  is  higher,  it  cannot  come  in  contact  with  the  ground,  and  thus  be  enabled 
to  do  its  duty.  The  ragged  parts  must  be  removed,  and  especially  those  occasioned 
by  thrush,  but  the  degree  of  paring  must  depend  entirely  on  the  principle  just  stated. 

It  appears,  then,  that  the  office  of  the  smith  requires  some  skill  and  judgment,  in 
order  to  be  properly  discharged ;  and  the  proprietor  of  horses  will  find  it  his  interest 
occasionally  to  visit  the  forge,  and  complain  of  the  careless,  or  idle,  or  obstinate 
fellow,  while  he  rewards,  by  some  trifling  gratuity,  the  expert  and  diligent  workman. 
He  should  likewise  remember  that  a  great  deal  more  depends  on  the  paring  out  of  the 
foot,  than  on  the  construction  of  the  shoe ;  that  few  shoes,  except  they  press  upon  the 
sole,  or  are  made  outrageously  bad,  will  lame  the  horse ;  but  that  he  may  be  very 
easily  lamed  from  ignorant  and  improper  paring  out  of  the  foot. 

THE  PUTTING  ON  THE  SHOE. 

The  foot  being  thus  prepared,  the  smith  looks  about  for  a  shoe.  He  should  select 
rn-e  that  as  nearly  as  possible  fits  the  foot,  or  may  be  easily  altered  to  the  foot.  He 
vvill  sometimes,  and  especially  if  he  is  an  idle  and  reckless  fellow,  care  little  about 
this,  for  he  can  easily  alter  the  foot  to  the  shoe.  The  toe-knife  is  a  very  convenient 
instrument  for  him,  and  plenty  of  horn  can  be  struck  off  with  it,  or  removed  by  the 
rasp,  in  order  to  make  the  foot  as  small  as  the  shoe ;  while  he  cares  little,  although 
by  this  destructive  method  the  crust  is  materially  thinned  where  it  should  receive  the 
nail,  and  the  danger  of  puncture,  and  of  pressure  upon  the  sole,  is  increased ;  and  a 
foot  so  artificially  diminished  in  size,  will  soon  grow  over  the  shoe,  to  the  hazard  of 
considerable  or  permanent  lameness. 

While  the  horse  is  travelling,  dirt  and  gravel  are  apt  to  insinuate  themselves 
between  the  web  of  the  foot  and  the  sole.  If  the  shoe  were  flat,  they  would  be  per- 
manently retained  there,  and  would  bruise  the  sole,  and  be  productive'  of  injury ;  but 
when  the  shoe  is  properly  bevelled  off,  it  is  scarcely  possible  for  them  to  remain. 
They  must  be  shaken  out  almost  every  time  that  the  foot  comes  in  contact  with  the 
ground. 

The  web  of  the  shoe  is  likewise  of  that  thickness,  that  when  the  foot  is  properly 
pared,  the  prominent  part  of  the  frog  shall  lie  just  within  and  above  its  ground  sur- 
face, so  that  in  the  descent  of  the  sole,  the  frog  shall  come  sufficiently  on  the  ground 
to  enable  it  to  act  as  a  wedge,  and  to  expand  Ihe  quarters,  while  it  is  defended  from 
the  wear  and  injury  it  would  receive,  if  it  came  on  the  ground  with  the  first  and  full 
shock  of  the  weight. 

The  nail-holes  are,  on  the  ground  side,  placed  as  near  the  outer  edge  of  the  shoe  as 


336  ON    SHOEING. 

they  cvin  safely  be,  and  broug-lit  out  near  the  inner  edge  of  the  seating.  The  nails 
thus  take  a  direction  inwards,  resembling  that  of  the  crust  itself,  and  have  firmer 
hold,  wiiile  the  strain  upon  them  in  the  common  shoe  is  altogether  prevented,  and  the 
weight  of  the  horse  being  thrown  on  a  flat  surface,  contraction  is  not  so  likely  to  be 
produced. 

The  smith  sometimes  objects  to  the  use  of  this  shoe,  on  account  of  its  not  being  so 
easily  formed  as  one  composed  of  a  bar  of  iron,  either  flat  or  a  little  bevelled.  It 
likewise  occupies  more  time  in  the  forging;  but  these  objections  would  vanish,  when 
the  owner  of  the  horse  declared  that  he  would  have  him  shod  elsewhere,  or  when  he 
consented — as,  in  justice,  he  should — to  pay  somewhat  more  for  a  shoe  that  required 
better  workmanship,  and  a  longer  time  in  the  construction. 

It  is  expedient  not  only  that  the  foot  and  ground  surface  of  the  shoe  should  be  most 
accurately  level,  but  that  tl^e  crust  should  be  exactly  smoothed  and  fitted  to  the  shoe. 
Much  skill  and  time  are  necessary  to  do  this  perfectly  with  the  drawing-knife.  The 
smith  has  adopted  a  method  of  more  quickly,  and  more  accurately  adapting  the  shoe 
to  the  foot.  He  pares  the  crust  as  level  as  he  can,  and  then  he  brings  the  shoe  to  a 
heat  somewhat  below  a  red  heat,  and  applies  it  to  the  foot,  and  detects  any  little 
elevations  by  the  deeper  colour  of  the  burned  horn.  This  practice  has  been  nmch 
inveighed  against;  but  it  is  the  abuse,  and  not  the  use  of  the  thing  which  is  to  be 
condemned.  If  the  shoe  is  not  too  hot,  nor  held  too  long  on  the  foot,  an  accuracy  of 
adjustment  is  thus  obtained,  which  the  knife  would  be  long  in  producing,  or  would 
not  produce  at  all.  If,  however,  the  shoe  is  made  to  burn  its  way  to  its  seat,  with 
little  or  no  previous  preparation  of  the  foot,  the  heat  must  be  injurious  both  to  the 
sensmle  and  insensible  parts  of  the  foot. 

The  heels  of  the  shoe  should  be  examined  as  to  their  proper  width.  Whatever  is 
the  custom  of  shoeing  the  horses  of  dealers,  and  the  too  prevalent  practice  in  the 
metropolis  of  giving  the  foot  an  open  appearance,  although  the  posterior  part  of  it  is 
thereby  exposed  to  injur}',  nothing  is  more  certain  than  that,  in  the  horse  destined  for 
road-w-ork,  the  heels,  and  particularly  the  seat  of  com,  can  scarcely  be  too  well 
covered.  Part  of  the  shoe  projecting  externally  can  be  of  no  possible  good,  but  will 
prove  an  occasional  source  of  mischief,  and  especially  in  a  heavy  country.  A  shoe, 
the  web  of  which  prr jects  inward  as  far  it  can  without  touching  the  frog,  affords  pro- 
tection to  the  angle  between  the  bars  and  the  cnist. 

Of  the  manner  of  attaching  the  shoe  to  the  foot  the  owner  can  scarcely  be  a  compe- 
tent judge;  he  can  only  take  care  that  the  shoe  itself  shall  not  be  heavier  than  the 
work  requires — that,  for  work  a  little  hard  the  shoe  shall  still  be  light,  with  a  bit  of 
steel  welded  into  the  toe — that  the  nails  shall  be  as  small,  and  as  few,  and  as  far  from 
the  heels  as  may  be  consistent  with  the  security  of  the  shoe;  and  that,  for  light  work 
at  least,  the  shoe  shall  not  be  driven  on  so  closely  and  firmly  as  is  often  done,  nor  the 
points  of  the  nails  be  brought  out  so  high  up  as  is  generally  practised. 

CALKINS. 

There  are  few  cases  in  which  the  use  of  calkins  (a  turning  up  or  elevation  of  the 
heel)  can  be  admissible  in  the  fore-feet,  except  in  frosty  weather,  when  it  may  in 
some  degree  prevent  unpleasant  or  dangerous  slipping.  If,  however,  calkins  are 
used,  they  should  be  placed  on  both  sides.  If  the  outer  heel  only  is  raised  with  the 
calkin,  as  is  too  often  the  case,  the  weight  cannot  be  thrown  evenly  on  the  foot,  and 
undue  straining  and  injury  of  some  part  of  the  foot  or  of  the  leg  must  be  the  necessary 
consequence.  Few  things  deserve  more  the  attention  of  the  horseman  than  this  most 
absurd  and  injurious  of  all  the  practices  of  the  forge.  One  quarter  of  an  hour's  walk 
ing,  with  one  side  of  the  shoe  or  boot  raised  considerably  above  the  other,  will  pain- 
fully convince  us  of  what  the  horse  must  suffer  from  this  too  common  method  of 
shoeing.  It  cannot  be  excused  even  in  the  hunting  shoe.  If  the  horse  is  ridden  far 
to  cover,  or  galloped  over  much  hard  and  flinty  ground,  he  will  inevitably  suffer  from 
this  unequal  distribution  of  the  weight.  If  the  calkin  is  put  on  the  outer  heel,  in  order 
to  prevent  the  horse  from  slipping,  either  the  horn  of  that  heel  should  be  lowered  to 
a  corresponding  degree,  or  the  other  heel  of  the  shoe  should  be  raised  to  the  same 
level  by  a  gradual  thickening.  Of  the  use  of  calkins  in  the  hinder  foot  we  shall 
presently  speak. 


CLIPS-THE  HINDER   SHOE,   Sec.    ■  337 

CLIPS. 

These  are  portions  of  the  upper  edge  of  the  shoe,  hammered  out,  and  turned  up  so 
as  to  embrace  the  lower  part  of  the  crust,  and  which  is  usually  pared  out  a  little,  io 
order  to  receive  the  clip.  They  are  very  useful,  as  more  securely  attaching-  the  shoe 
to  the  foot,  and  relieving  the  crust  from  that  stress  upon  the  nails  which  would  other- 
wise be  injurious.  A  clip  at  the  toe  is  almost  necessary  in  every  draught-horse,  and 
absolutely  so  in  the  horse  of  heavy  draught,  in  order  to  prevent  the  shoe  from  being 
loosened  or  torn  oft'  by  the  pressure  which  is  thrown  upon  the  toe  in  the  act  of  draw- 
ing. A  clip  on  the  outside  of  each  shoe,  at  the  beginning  of  the  quarters,  will  give 
security  to  it.  Clips  are  likewise  necessary  on  the  shoes  of  all  heavy  horses,  and  of 
all  others  who  are  disposed  to  stamp,  or  violently  paw  with  their  feet,  and  thus  incur 
the  danger  of  displacing  the  shoe ;  but  they  are  evils,  inasmuch  as  they  press  upon 
the  crust  as  it  grows  down,  and  they  should  only  be  used  when  circumstances  abso- 
lutely require  them.  In  the  hunter's  shoe  they  are  not  required  at  the  sides.  One  at 
the  toe  is  sufficient. 

THE  HINDER  SHOE. 

In  forming  the  hinder  shoes  it  should  he  remembered  that  the  hind  limbs  are  the 
principal  instruments  in  progression,  and  that  in  every  act  of  progression,  except  the 
walk,  the  toe  is  the  point  on  which  the  whole  frame  of  the  animal  turns,  and  from 
which  it  is  propelled.  This  part,  then,  should  be  strengthened  as  much  as  possible ; 
and,  therefore,  the  hinder  shoes  are  made  broader  at  the  toe  than  the  fore  ones.  An- 
other good  eifect  is  produced  by  this,  that,  the  hinder  foot  being  shortened,  there  is 
less  danger  of  overreaching  or  forging,  and  especially  if  the  shoe  is  wider  on  the  foot 
surface  than  on  the  ground  one.  The  shoe  is  thus  made  to  slope  inward,  and  is  a 
little  within  the  toe  of  the  crust. 

The  shape  of  the  hinder  foot  is  somewhat  different  from  that  of  the  fore  foot.  It  is 
straighter  in  the  quarters,  and  the  shoe  must  have  the  same  form.  For  carriage  and 
draught-horses  generally,  calkins  may  be  put  on  the  heels,  because  the  animal  will  be 
thus  enabled  to  dig  his  toe  more  firmly  into  the  ground,  and  urge  himself  forward, 
and  throw  his  weight  into  the  collar  with  greater  advantage :  but  the  calkins  must 
not  be  too  high,  and  they  must  be  of  an  equal  height  on  each  heel,  otherwise,  as  has 
been  stated  with  regard  to  the  fore  feet,  the  weight  will  not  be  fairly  distributed  over 
the  foot,  and  some  part  of  the  foot  or  the  leg  will  materially  suffer.  The  nails  in  the 
hinder  shoe  may  be  placed  nearer  to  the  heel  than  in  the  fore  shoe,  because,  from  the 
comparatively  little  weight  and  concussion  thrown  on  the  hinder  feet,  there  is  not  so 
much  danger  of  contraction. 

DIFFERENT  KINDS  OF  SHOES. 

The  shoe  must  vary  in  substance  and  weight  with  the  kind  of  foot,  and  the  nature 
of  the  work.  A  weak  foot  should  never  wear  a  heavy  shoe,  nor  any  foot  a  shoe  that 
will  last  longer  than  a  month.  Here,  perhaps,  w^e  may  be  permitted  to  caution  the 
horse-proprietor  against  having  his  cattle  shod  by  contract,  unless  he  binds  down  his 
farrier  or  veterinary  surgeon  to  remove  the  shoes  once  at  least  in  every  month ;  for  if 
the  contractor,  by  a  heavy  shoe,  and  a  little  steel,  can  cause  five  or  six  weeks  to  inter- 
vene between  the  shoeings,  he  will  do  so,  although  the  feet  of  the  horse  must  neces- 
sarily suffer.  The  shoe  should  never  be  heavier  than  the  work  requires,  for  an  ounce 
or  two  in  the  weight  of  the  shoe  will  sadly  tell  at  the  end  of  a  hard  day's  work.  This 
is  acknowledged  in  the  huntin?  shoe,  which  is  narrower  and  lighter  than  that  of  the 
hackney,  although  the  foot  of  the  hackney  is  smaller  than  that  of  the  hunter.  It  is 
more  decidedly  acknowledged  in  the  racer,  who  wears  a  shoe  only  sufficiently  thick 
to  prevent  it  from  bending  when  it  is  used. 

THE  CONCAVE.SEATED  SHOE. 

The  proper  form  and  construction  of  the  shoe  is  a  subject  deserving  of  very  serious 
inquiry,  for  it  is  most  important  to  ascertain,  if  possible,  the  kind  of  shoe  that  will  do 
the  least  mischief  to  the  feet.  A  cut  is  subjoined  of  that  which  is  useful  and  valuable 
for  general  purposes.  It  is  employed  in  many  of  our  best  forges,  and  promises 
gradually  to  supersede  the  flat  and  the  simple  concave  shoe,  although  it  must,  in  many 
Tespects,  yield  to  the  unilateral  shoe. 

29  2s 


338  ON   SHOEING. 

It  presents  a  perfectly  flat  surface  to  the  ground,  in  order  to  give  as  many  points  ot 
bearing  as  possible,  except  that,  on  the  outer  edge,  there  is  a  groove  ox  fuller,  in  which 
tlie  nail-holes  are  punched,  so  that,  sinking  into  the  fuller,  their  heads  project  but  a 
little  way,  and  are  soon  worn  down  level  with  the  shoe.  The  ground  surface  of  the 
common  shoe. used  in  the  country  is  somewhat  convex,  and  the  inner  rim  of  the  shoe 
iomes  first  on  the  ground :  the  consequence  of  this  is,  that  the  weight,  instead  of 
'.>oipg  borne  fairly  on  the  crust,  is  supported  by  the  nails  and  clenches,  which  must 
vi  injurious  to  the  foot,  and  often  chip  and  break  it. 


The  web  of  this  shoe  is  of  the  same  thickness  throughout,  from  the  toe  to  the  heel ; 
dud  it  is  sufficiently  wide  to  guard  the  sole  from  bruises,  and,  as  much  so  as  the  frog 
will  permit,  to  cover  the  seat  of  corn. 

On  the  foot  side  it  is  seated.  The  outer  part  of  it  is  accurately  flat,  and  of  the  width 
of  the  crust,  and  designed  to  support  the  crust,  for  by  it  the  whole  weight  of  the  hoise 
is  sustained. 

Towards  the  heel  this  flattened  part  is  wider  and  occupies  the  whole  breadth  of  the 
web,  in  order  to  support  the  heel  of  the  crust  and  its  reflected  part — the  bar;  thus, 
while  it  defends  the  horn  included  within  this  angle  from  injury,  it  gives  that  equal 
pressure  from  the  bar  and  the  crust,  which  is  the  best  preventive  against  corns,  and 
a  powerful  obstacle  to  contraction. 

It  is  fastened  to  the  foot  by  nine  nails  —  five  on  the  outside,  and  four  on  the  inner 
side  of  the  shoe;  those  on  the  outside  extending  a  little  farther  down  towards  the 
heel,  because  the  outside  heel  is  thicker  and  stronger,  and  there  is  more  nail-hold; 
the  last  nail  on  the  inner  quarter  being  farther  from  the  heel  on  account  of  the  weak- 
ness of  that  quarter.  For  feet  not  too  large,  and  where  moderate  work  only  is  re- 
quired from  the  horse,  four  nails  on  the  outside,  and  three  on  the  inside,  will  be  sufii- 
eient ;  and  the  last  nail  being  far  from  the  heels,  will  allow  more  expansion  there. 

The  inside  part  of  the  web  is  bevelled  off",  or  rendered  concave,  that  it  may  not 
press  upon  the  sole.  Notwithstanding  our  iron  fetter,  the  sole  does,  although  to  a 
very  inconsiderable  extent,  descend  when  the  foot  of  the  horse  is  put  on  the  ground 
It  is  unable  to  bear  constant  or  even  occasional  pressure,  and  if  it  came  in  contact 
with  the  shoe,  the  sensible  sole  between  it  and  the  coffin-bone  would  be  bruised,  and 
lameness  would  ensue.  Many  of  our  horses,  from  too  early  and  undue  work,  have 
the  natural  concave  sole  flattened,  and  the  disposition  to  descend  and  the  degree  of 
descent  are  thereby  increased.  The  concave  shoe  prevents,  even  in  this  case,  the  pos- 
sibility of  much  injury,  because  the  sole  can  never  descend  in  the  degree  in  which 


THE    UNILATERAL   SHOE. 


339 


the  shoe  is  or  may  be  bevelled.     A  shoe  bevelled  still  farther  is  necessary  to  protect 
the  projecting  or  pumiced  foot. 

THE  UNILATERAL,  OR  ONE  SIDE  NAILED  SHOE. 

For  a  material  improvement  in  the  art  of  shoeing,  we  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Tumei 
of  Regent  Street.  What  was  the  state  of  the  fool  of  the  horse  a  few  years  ago  1  An 
unyielding  iron  hoof  was  attached  to  it  by  four  nails  in  each  quarter,  and  the  conse- 
quence was,  that  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  the  foot  underwent  a  very  considerable  alter 
ation  in  its  form  and  in  its  usefulness.  Before  it  had  attained  its  full  development— 
before  the  animal  was  five  years  old,  there  was,  in  a  great  many  cases,  an  evident 
contraction  of  the  hoof.  There  was  an  alteration  in  the  manner  of  going.  The  step 
was  shortened,  the  sole  was  hollowed,  the  frog  was  diseased,  the  general  elasticity 
of  the  foot  was  destroyed — there  was  a  disorganization  of  the  whole  horny  cavity, 
and  the  value  of  the  horse  was  materially  diminished.  What  was  the  grand  cause 
of  this  ]  It  was  the  restraint  of  the  shoe.  The  firm  attachment  of  it  to  the  foot  by 
nails  in  each  quarter,  and  the  consequent  strain  to  which  the  quarters  and  every  part 
of  the  foot  were  exposed,  produced  a  necessary  tendency  to  contraction,  from  which 
sprang  almost  all  the  maladies  to  which  the  foot  of  the  horse  is  subject. 

The  unilateral  shoe  has  this  great  advantage :  it  is  identified  with  the  grand  prin- 
ciple of  the  expansibility  of  the  horse's  foot,  and  of  removing  or  preventing  the 
worst  ailments  to  which  the  foot  of  the  horse  is  liable.  It  can  be  truly  stated  of  this 
shoe,  that  while  it  affords  to  the  whole  organ  an  iron  defence  equal  to  the  common 
shoe,  it  permits,  what  the  common  shoe  never  did  or  can  do,  the  perfect  liberty  of  the 
foot. 

W^e  are  enabled  to  present  our  readers  with  the  last  improvement  of  the  unilateral 
ehoe. 


The  above  cut  gives  a  view  of  the  outer  side  of  the  off  or  right  unilateral  shoe. 
The  respective  situations  of  the  five  nails  will  be  observed  ;  the  distance  of  the  last 
from  the  heel,  and  the  proper  situations  at  which  they  emerge  from  the  crusi.  The 
two  clips  will  likewise  be  seen — one  in  the  front  of  the  foot,  and  the  other  on  the  side 
Detween  the  last  and  second  nail. 

The  second  cut  gives  a  view  of  the  inner  side  of  the  unilateral  shoe.  The  two 
nails  near  the  tqe  are  in  the  situation  in  which  Mr.  Turner  directs  that  they  should  be 
placed,  and  behind  them  is  no  other  attachment,  between  the  shoe  and  the  crust.  The 
portion  of  the  crust  which  is  rasped  off  from  the  inner  surface  of  the  shoe  is  now,  we 
believe,  not  often  removed  from  the  side  of  the  foot ;  it  has  an  unpleasant  appearance, 
ana  the  rasping  is  somewhat  unnecessary.  The  heel  of  this  shoe  exhibits  the  method 
which  Mr.  Turner  has  adopted,  and  with  considerable  success,  for  the  cure  of  corns ; 
he  cuts  away  a  portion  of  the  ground  surface  at  the  heel,  and  injurious  compressioa 
or  concussion  is  rendered  in  a  manner  impossible. 


340  ON  SHOEING. 


There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  one-sided  nailing  has  been  exceedingly  useful.  It 
has,  in  many  a  case  that  threatened  a  serious  termination,  restored  the  elasticity  of 
the  foot,  and  enabled  it  to  discharge  its  natural  functions.  It  has  also  restored  to  the 
foot,  even  in  bad  cases,  a  great  deal  of  its  natural  formation,  and  enabled  the  horse  to 
discharge  his  duty  with  more  ease  and  pleasure  to  himself,  and  greater  security  to  his 
rider. 

It  is  difficult  to  tell  what  was  the  character  of  "  the  old  English  shoe."  It  certainly 
was  larger  than  there  was  any  occasion  for  it  to  be,  and  nearly  covered  the  lower  sur- 
face of  the  foot.  The  nail-holes  were  also  far  more  numerous  than  they  are  at  present. 
The  ground  side  was  usually  somewhat  convex.  "  The  effect  of  this,"  says  Mr.  W. 
C.  Spooner,  "  was  to  place  the  foot  in  a  kind  of  hollow  dish,  which  effectually  pre- 
vented its  proper  expansion,  the  crust  resting  on  a  mere  ledge  instead  of  a  fiat  surface ; 
and,  on  the  ground  side,  from  the  inner  rim  coming  to  the  ground  first,  the  ■\\  eight 
was  almost  supported  by  the  nails  and  clinches,  which  were  placed,  four  or  five  on 
each  side,  at  some  distance  from  the  toe,  and  approaching  nearly  to  the  heels."* 

It  was  an  improvement  to  make  the  ground  surface  flat,  and  to  take  care  that  it  did 
not  press  on  the  sole.  At  length,  however,  came  the  concave-seated  shoe  of  Osmer, 
which  was  advocated  by  Mr.  Clark,  of  Edinburgh,  improved  by  Mr.  Moorcroft,  and 
ultimately  became  very  generally  and  usefully  adopted. 

THE  HUNTING  SHOE. 

The  hunter's  shoe  is  different  from  that  commonly  used,  in  form  as  well  as  in 
weight.  It  is  not  so  much  bevelled  off  as  the  common  concave-seated  shoe.  Suffi- 
cient space  alone  is  left  for  the  introduction  of  a  picker  between  the  shoe  and  the  sole, 
otherwise,  in  going  over  heavy  ground,  the  clay  would  insinuate  itself,  and  by  its 
tenacity  loosen,  and  even  tear  off  the  shoe.  The  heels  likewise  are  somewhat  shorter, 
that  they  may  not  be  torn  off  by  the  toe  of  the  hind-feet  when  galloping  fast,  and  the 
outer  heel  is  frequently  but  injudiciously  turned  up  to  prevent  slipping.  If  calkins 
are  necessary   both  heels  should  have  an  equal  bearing. 

THE  BAR-SHOE. 

A  bar-shoe  is  often  exceedingly  useful.  It  is  the  continuation  of  the  common  shoe 
round  the  heels,  and  by  means  of  it  the  pressure  may  be  taken  off  from  some  tendei 
part  of  the  foot,  and  thrown  on  another  which  is  better  able  to  bear  it,  or  more  widely 
and  equally  diffused  over  the  whole  foot.  It  is  principally  resorted  to  in  cases  of  com 
the  seat  of  which  it  perfectly  covers — in  pumiced  feet,  the  soles  of  which  may  be  thus 
elevated  above  the  ground  and  secured  from  pressure, — in  sand-crack,  when  the  pres- 

*  A  Treatise  on  the  Foot  of  the  Horse,  by  Mr.  W.  C.  Spooner,  p.  113. 


TIPS.  — EXPANDING    SHOE.  — FELT.  341 

sure  may  be  removed  from  the  fissure,  and  thrown  on  either  side  of  it,  and  in  Thrushes, 
when  the  frog  is  tender,  or  is  become  cankered,  and  requires  to  be  frequently  dressed, 
and  the  dressing  can  by  this  means  alone  be  retained.  In  these  cases  the  bar-shoe  is 
an  excellent  contrivance,  if  vi^orn  only  for  one  or  two  shoeings,  or  as  long  as  the  dis- 
ease requires  it  to  be  worn,  but  it  must  be  left  off  as  soon  as  it  can  be  dispensed  with. 
If  it  is  used  for  the  protection  of  a  diseased  foot,  however  it  may  be  chambered  and 
laid  off  the  frog,  it  will  soon  become  flattened  upon  it ;  or  if  the  pressure  of  it  is  thrown 
on  the  frog,  in  order  to  relieve  the  sand-crack  or  the  corn,  that  frog  must  be  very  strong 
and  healthy  which  can  long  bear  the  great  and  continued  pressure.  More  mischief 
is  often  produced  in  the  frog  than  previously  existed  in  the  part  that  was  relieved.  It 
will  be  plain  that  in  the  use  of  the  bar-shoe  for  corn  or  sand-crack,  the  crust  and  the 
frog  should  be  precisely  on  a  level :  the  bar  also  should  be  the  widest  part  of  the  shoe, 
in  ordfr  to  afford  as  extended  bearing  as  possible  on  the  frog,  and  therefore  less  likely 
to  be  injurious.  Bar-shoes  are  evidently  not  safe  in  frosty  weather.  They  are  never 
safe  when  much  speed  is  required  from  the  horse,  and  they  are  apt  to  be  wrenched 
off  in  a  heavy,  clayey  country. 

TIPS. 

Tips  are  short  shoes,  reaching  only  half  round  the  foot,  and  worn  while  the  horse 
is  at  grass,  in  order  to  prevent  the  crust  being  torn  by  the  occasional  hardness  of  the 
ground,  or  the  pawing  of  the  animal.  The  quarters  at  the  same  time  being  free,  the 
foot  disposed  to  contract  has  a  chance  of  expanding  and  regaining  its  natural  shape 

THE  EXPANDING  SHOE. 

Our  subject  would  not  be  complete  if  we  did  not  describe  the  supposed  expanding 
shoe,  although  it  is  now  almost  entirely  out  of  use.  It  is  either  seated  or  concave 
like  the  common  shoe,  with  a  joint  at  the  toe,  by  which  the  natural  expansion  of  the 
foot  is  said  to  be  permitted,  and  the  injurious  consequences  of  shoeing  prevented. 
There  is,  however,  this  radical  defect  in  the  jointed  shoe,  that  the  nails  occupy  the 
same  situation  as  in  the  common  shoe,  and  prevent,  as  they  do,  the  gradual  expansion 
of  the  sides  and  quarters,  and  allow  only  of  a  hinge-like  motion  at  the  toe.  It  i^-  a 
most  imperfect  accommodation  of  the  expansion  of  the  foot  to  the  action  of  its  internal 
parts,  and  even  this  accommodation  is  afforded  in  the  slightest  possible  degree,  if  it 
is  afforded  at  all.  Either  the  nails  fix  the  sides  and  quarters  as  in  the  common  shoe, 
and  then  the  joint  at  the  toe  is  useless;  or,  if  that  joint  merely  opens  like  a  hinge,  the 
nail-holes  near  the  toe  can  no  longer  correspond  with  those  in  the  quarters,  which  are 
unequally  expanding  at  every  point.  Tliere  will  be  more  stress  on  the  crust  at  these 
holes,  which  will  not  only  enlarge  them  and  destroy  the  fixed  attachment  of  the  shoe 
to  the  hoof,  but  often  tear  away  portions  of  the  crust.  This  shoe,  in  order  to  answer 
the  intended  purpose,  should  consist  of  many  joints,  running  along  the  sides  and  quar- 
ters, which  would  make  it  too  complicated  and  expensive  and  frail  for  general  use. 

While  the  shoe  is  to  be  attached  to  the  foot  by  nails,  we  must  be  content  with  the 
concave-seated  or  unilateral  one,  taking  care  to  place  the  nail-holes  as  far  from  the 
heels,  and  particularly  from  the  inner  heel,  as  the  state  of  the  foot  and  the  nature  of 
the  work  will  admit;  and  where  the  country  is  not  too  heavy  nor  the  work  too  severe, 
omitting  all  but  two  on  the  inner  side  of  the  foot. 

FELT  OR  LEATHER  SOLES. 

"When  the  foot  is  bruised  or  inflamed,  the  concussion  or  shock  produced  by  the  hard 
contact  of  the  elastic  iron  with  the  ground  gives  the  animal  much  pain,  and  aggra- 
vates the  injury  or  disease.  A  strip  of  felt  or  leather  is,  therefore,  sometimes  placed 
between  the  seating  of  the  shoe  and  the  crust,  which,  from  its  want  of  elasticity, 
deadens  or  materially  lessens  the  vibration  or  shock,  and  the  horse  treads  more  freely 
and  is  evidently  relieved.  This  is  a  good  contrivance  while  the  inflammation  or  ten- 
derness of  the  foot  continues,  but  a  very  bad  practice  if  constantly  adopted.  The 
nails  cannot  be  driven  so  surely  or  securely  when  this  substance  is  interposed  between 
the  shoe  and  the  foot.  The  contraction  and  swelling  of  the  felt  or  leather  from  the 
29* 


342  ON    SHOEING. 

effect  of  moisture  or  dryness  will  soon  render  the  attachment  of  the  shoe  less  firm- 
there  will  be  too  much  play  upon  the  nails — the  nail-holes  will  enlarge,  and  the  crus* 
will  be  broken  away- 
After  wounds  or  extensive  bruises  of  the  sole,  or  where  the  sole  is  thin  and  flat 
and  tender,  it  is  sometimes  covered  with  a  piece  of  leather,  fitted  to  the  sole,  and 
nailed  on  with  the  shoe.  This  may  be  allowed  as  a  temporary  defence  of  the  foot; 
but  there  is  the  same  objection  to  its  permanent  use  from  the  insecurity  of  fastening, 
and  the  strain  on  the  crust,  and  the  frequent  chipping  of  it.  There  are  also  these 
additional  inconveniences,  that  if  the  hollow  between  the  sole  and  the  leather  is  filled 
with  stopping  and  tow,  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  introduce  them  so  evenly  and  ac- 
curately as  not  to  produce  partial  or  injurious  pressure.  A  few  days'  work  will  almost 
invariably  so  derange  the  padding,  as  to  cause  unerjual  pressure.  The  long  contact 
of  the  sole  with  stopping  of  almost  every  kind  will  produce,  not  a  healthy,  elastic 
horn,  but  that  of  a  scaly,  spongy  nature — and  if  the  hollow  is  not  thus  filled,  gravel 
and  dirt  will  insinuate  themselves,  and  eat  into  and  injure  the  foot. 

The  general  habit  of  stopping  the  feet  requires  some  consideration.  It  is  a  very 
good  or  very  bad  practice,  according  to  circumstances.  When  the  sole  is  flat  and 
thin  it  should  be  omitted,  except  on  the  evening  before  shoeing,  and  then  the  appli- 
cation of  a  little  moisture  may  render  the  paring  of  tiie  foot  safer  and  more  easy. 
If  it  were  oftener  used  it  would  soften  the  foot,  and  not  only  increase  the  tendency 
to  descent,  but  the  occasional  occurrence  of  lameness  from  pebbles  or  irregularities 
of  the  road. 

Professor  Stewart  gives  a  valuable  account  of  the  proper  application  of  stopping. 
"Farm  horses  seldom  require  any  stopping.  Their  feet  receive  suflicient  moisture 
in  the  fields,  or,  if  they  do  not  get  much,  they  do  not  need  much.  Cart-horses  used 
in  the  town  should  be  stopped  once  a  week,  or  oftener  during  winter,  and  every  se- 
cond night  in  the  hot  weeks  of  summer.  Groggy  horses,  and  all  those  with  high 
heels,  concave  shoes,  or  hot  and  tender  feet,  or  an  exuberance  of  horn,  require  stop- 
ping almost  every  night.  When  neglected,  especially  in  dry  weather,  the  sole 
becomes  hard  and  rigid,  and  the  horse  goes  lame,  or  becomes  lame  if  he  were  not  so 
before."* 

One  of  two  substances,  or  a  mixture  of  both,  is  genera.iy  used  for  stopping  the  feet 
— clay  and  cow-dung.  The  clay  used  alone  is  too  hard,  and  dries  too  rapidly.  Many 
horses  have  been  lamed  by  it.  If  it  is  used  in  the  stable,  it  should  always  be  removed 
before  the  horse  goes  to  work.  It  may,  perhaps,  be  applied  to  the  feet  of  heavy 
draught-horses,  for  it  will  work  out  before  much  mischief  is  done. 

Cow-dung  is  softer  than  the  clay,  and  it  has  this  good  property,  that  it  rarely  or 
never  becomes  too  hard  or  dry.  For  ordinary  work,  a  mixture  of  equal  parts  of  clay 
and  cow-dung  will  be  the  best  application  ;  either  of  them,  however,  must  be  applied 
with  a  great "deal  of  caution,  where  there  is  any  disposition  to  thrush.  Tow  used 
alone,  or  with  a  small  quantity  of  tar,  will  often  be  serviceable. 

In  the  better  kind  of  stables,  a  felt  pad  is  frequently  used.  It  was  first  introduced 
by  Veterinary  Surgeon-General  Cherry.  It  keeps  the  foot  cool  and  moist,  and  is  very 
useful,  when  the  sole  has  a  tendency  to  become  flat.  For  the  concave  sole,  tow  would 
be  preferable. 

The  shoe  is  sometimes  displaced  when  the  horse  is  going  at  an  ordinary  pace,  and 
more  frequently  during  hunting;  and  no  person  who  is  a  sportsman  needs  to  be  told 
in  what  a  vexatious  predicament  every  one  feels  himself  who  happens  to  lose  a  shoe 
in  the  middle  of  a  chase,  or  just  as  the  hounds  are  getting  clear  away  with  their  fox 
over  the  open  country. 

Mr.  Percivall  has  invented  a  sandal  which  occupies  a  very  small  space  in  the  pocket, 
can  be  buckled  on  the  foot  in  less  than  two  minutes,  and  will  serve  as  a  perfect  sub- 
stitute for  the  lost  one,  on  the  road,  or  in  the  field ;  or  may  be  used  for  the  race-horse 
when  travelling  from  one  course  to  another;  or  may  be  truly  serviceable  in  cases  of 
diseased  feet  that  may  require  at  the  same  time  exercise  and  daily  dressing.  The 
following  is  a  short  sketch  of  the  horse  sandal. 

*  Stewart's  Stable  (Economy,  p.  127. 


THE  SANDAL.  S4S 


•Toe-Clasp 


Heel  CUp  — " 


Heel  CUp 


Rings 

From  an  inspection  of  the  above  cut,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  shoe,  or  iron  part  of 
the  sandal,  consists  of  three  principal  parts,  to  which  the  others  are  appendages ; 
which  are,  the  tip,  so  called  from  its  resemblance  to  the  horse-shoe  of  that  name ;  the 
middle  bar,  the  broad  part  proceeding  backward  from  the  tip  ;  and  the  side  bars,  or 
branches  of  the  middle  bar,  extending  to  the  heels  of  the  hoof.  The  appendages  zie, 
the  toe-clasp,  the  part  projecting  from  the  front  of  the  tip,  and  which  moves  by  a  hinge 
\ipon  the  toe-clip,  which  toe-clasp  is  furnished  with  two  iron  loops.  The  heel-clips  are 
two  clips  at  the  heels  of  the  side  bars,  which  correspond  to  the  toe-clip  ;  the  latter 
embracing  the  toe  of  the  crust,  while  the  former  embrace  its  heels.  Through  the 
heel-clips  run  the  rings,  which  move  and  act  like  a  hinge,  and  are  double,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  admitting  both  the  straps.  In  the  plate,  the  right  ring  only  is  represented; 
the  left  being  omitted,  the  better  to  show  the  heel-clip.  The  straps,  which  are  com- 
posed of  web,  consist  of  a  hnof-strap  and  a  heel  and  coronet-strap. 

The  hoof-strap  is  furnished  with  a  buckle,  whose  office  it  is  to  bind  the  shoe  to  the 
noof ;  for  which  purpose  it  is  passed  through  the  lower  rings,  and  both  loops  of  the 
shoe,  and  is  made  to  encircle  the  hoof  twice. 

The  heel  and  coronet-strap  is  furnished  with  two  pads  and  two  sliding  loops ;  one,  a 
movable  pad,  reposes  on  the  heel,  to  defend  that  part  from  the  pressure  and  friction 
of  the  strap ;  the  other,  a  pad  attached  to  the  strap  near  the  buckle,  affords  a  similar 
defence  to  the  coronet,  in  front.  The  heel-strap  runs  through  the  upper  rings,  crosses 
the  heel,  and  encircles  the  coronet ;  and  its  office  is  to  keep  the  heels  of  the  shoe 
closely  applied  to  the  hoof,  and  to  prevent  them  from  sliding  forward. 

In  the  application  of  the  sandal,  the  foot  is  taken  up  with  one  hand,  and  the  shoe 
slipped  upon  it  with  the  other.  With  the  same  hand,  the  shoe  is  retained  in  its  place, 
while  the  foot  is  gradually  let  down  to  rest  on  the  grouno.  As  soon  as  this  is  done, 
the  straps  are  drawn  as  tight  as  possible,  and  buckled. 

The  following  cu  represents  an  accurate  delineation  of  the  sandal,  when  properly 
fastened  on  thelfoot. 

Horses  occasionally  fall  from  bad  riding,  or  bad  shoeing,  or  overreaching,  or  an 
awkward  way  of  setting  on  the  saddle.  The  head,  the  neck,  the  knees,  the  back,  or 
the  legs,  will  oftenest  suffer.  It  is  often  difficult  to  get  the  animal  on  his  legs  again, 
especially  if  he  is  old,  or  exhausted,  or  injured  by  the  fall.  The  principal  object  is, 
to  support  the  head,  and  to  render  it  a  fixed  point  from  which  the  muscles  may  act  in 
supporting  the  body. 


344 


OPERATIONS. 


If  the  horse  is  in  harness,  it  is  seldom  that  he  can  rise  until  he  is  freed  from  the 
shafts  and  traces.  The  first  thing  is  to  secure  the  head,  and  to  keep  it  down,  that  he 
may  not  beat  himself  against  the  ground.  Next,  the  parts  of  the  harness  connected 
with  the  carriage  must  be  unbuckled  —  the  carriage  must  then  be  backed  a  little  way, 
so  that  he  may  have  room  to  rise.  If  necessary,  the  traces  must  be  taken  off;  and 
after  the  horse  gets  up,  he  must  be  steadied  a  little,  until  he  collects  himself. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 
OPERATIONS. 


These  belong  more  to  the  veterinary  surgeon  than  to  the  proprietor  of  the  horse,  but 
a  short  account  of  the  manner  of  conducting  the  principal  ones  should  not  be  omitted. 

It  is  frequently  necessary  to  bind  the  human  patient,  and  in  no  painful  or  dangerous 
operation  should  this  be  omitted.  It  is  more  necessary  to  bind  the  horse,  who  is  not 
under  the  control  of  reason,  and  whose  struggles  may  not  only  be  injurious  to  himself, 
but  dangerous  to  the  operator. 

The  trevis  is  a  machine  indispensable  in  every  continental  forge ;  even  the  quietest 
horses  are  there  put  into  it  to  be  shod. 

The  side-line  is  a  very  simple  and  useful  method  of  confining  the  horse,  and  placing 
him  in  sufllcient  subjection,  for  the  operations  of  docking,  nicking,  and  slight  firing. 
The  long  line  of  the  hobbles,  or  a  common  cart-rope,  with  a  noose  at  the  end,  is  fast- 
ened on  the  pastern  of  the  hind-leg  that  is  not  to  be  operated  on.  The  rope  attached 
to  it  is  then  brought  over  the  neck  and  round  the  withers,  and  there  tied  to  the  portion 
that  comes  from  the  leg.  The  leg  may  thus  be  drawn  so  far  forward  that,  while  the 
horse  evidently  cannot  kick  with  that  leg,  he  is  disarmed  of  the  other  ;  for  he  would 
not  have  sufficient  support  under  him,  if  he  attempted  to  raise  it:  neither  can  he  easily 
use  his  fore-legs  ;  or,  if  he  attempts  it,  one  of  them  may  be  lifted  up,  and  then  he 
becomes  nearly  powerless.  If  necessary,  the  aid  of  the  twitch,  or  the  barnacles,  may 
ne  resorted  to. 

For  every  minor  operation,  and  even  for  many  that  are  of  more  importance,  this 
mode  of  restraint  is  suflicient,  especially  if  the  operator  has  active  and  determined 
assistants ;  and  we  confess  that  we  are  no  friends  to  the  casting  of  horses,  if  it  can 
possibly  be  prevented.     When  both  legs  are  included  in  the  holable,  or  rope  —  as  la 


BLEEDING.  345 

another  way  of  using  the  side-line — the  horse  may  appear  to  be  more  secure ;  bui 
there  is  greater  danger  of  his  falling  in  his  violent  straggles  during  the  operation. 

For  castrating  and  severe  firing,  the  animal  must  be  thrown.  The  safety  of  the 
horse,  and  of  tlie  operator,  will  require  the  use  of  the  improved  hobbles,  by  which  any 
leg  uwy  be  released  from  confinement,  and  returned  to  it  at  pleasure  ;  and,  when  the 
operation  is  ended,  the  whole  of  the  legs  may  be  set  at  liberty  at  once,  without 
danger.  The  method  of  putting  the  legs  as  closely  together  as  possible  before  the 
pull  —  the  necessity  of  the  assistants  all  pulling  together  —  and  the  power  which  one 
man  standing  at  tlie  head,  and  firmly  holding  the  snafile-bridle,  and  another  at  the 
haunch,  pushing  the  horse  when  he  is  beginning  to  fall,  have  in  bringing-  him  on  the 
proper  side,  and  on  the  very  spot  on  which  he  is  intended  to  lie,  need  not  to  be 
described.  It  will  generally  be  found  most  convenient  to  throw  the  patients  on  the 
otf  side,  turning  tliem  over  when  it  is  required.  This,  however,  is  a  method  of 
securing  the  horse  to  which  we  repeat  that  we  are  not  partial,  and  to  which  we  should 
not  resort,  except  necessity  compelled ;  for  in  the  act  of  falling,  and  in  the  struggles 
after  falling,  many  accidents  have  occurred,  both  to  the  horse  and  the  surgeon.* 

Among  the  minor  methods  of  restraint,  but  sufficient  for  many  purposes,  are  the 
twitch  and  the  barnacles.  The  former  consists  of  a  noose  passed  through  a  hole  at  the 
end  of  a  strong  stick,  and  in  which  the  muzzle  is  inclosed.  The  stick  being  turned 
round,  the  muzzle  is  securely  retained,  while  the  horse  sutlers  considerable  pain  from 
the  pressure  —  sufficiently  great,  indeed,  to  render  him  comparatively  inattentive  to 
that  which  is  produced  by  the  operation ;  at  the  same  time  he  is  afraid  to  struggle,  for 
every  motion  increases  the  agony  caused  by  the  twitch,  or  the  assistant  has  power  to 
increase  it  by  giving  an  additional  turn  to  the  stick. 

The  degree  of  pain  produced  by  the  application  of  the  twitch  should  never  be  for- 
gotten or  unnecessarily  increased.  In  no  case  should  it  be  resorted  to  when  milder 
measures  would  have  the  desired  effect.  Grooms  and  horsekeepers  are  too  much  in 
the  habit  of  having  recourse  to  it  when  they  have  a  somewhat  troublesome  horse  to 
manage.  The  degree  of  useless  torture  which  is  thus  inflicted  in  large  establishments 
is  dreadful;  and  the  temper  of  many  a  horse  is  too  frequentlj'  cornpletelj'  spoiled. 

The  barnacles  are  the  handles  of  the  pincers  placed  over  and  inclosing  the  muzzle, 
and  which,  being  compressed  by  the  assistant,  give  pain  almost  equal  to  that  of  the 
twitch.  These  may  appear  to  be  barbarous  modes  of  enforcing  submission,  but  they 
are  absolutely  indispensable.  In  a  few  instances  the  blindfolding  of  the  horse  terri 
fies  him  into  submission;  but  this  is  not  to  be  depended  upon.  The  twitch  should  bo 
resorted  to  when  the  least  resistance  is  offered ;  and  when  that,  as  it  occasionally  does, 
renders  the  horse  more  violent,  recourse  must  be  had  to  the  side-line  or  the  hobbles. 

In  the  painful  examination  of  the  fore-leg  or  foot  while  on  the  ground,  the  other 
foot  should  be  held  up  by  an  assistant;  or,  if  his  aid  is  required  in  an  operation,  the 
knee  may  be  fully  bent,  and  the  pastern  tied  up  to  the  arm.  When  the  hind-leg  is 
to  be  examined  in  the  same  way,  the  fore-leg  on  that  side  should  be  held  or  fastened 
up. 

BLEEDING. 

The  operation  of  bleeding  has  been  already  described  (p.  189),  but  we  would  remind 
our  readers  of  the  necessity,  in  every  case  of  acute  inflammation,  of  making  a  large 
orifice,  and  abstracting  the  blood  as  rapidly  as  possible,  for  the  constitution  will  thus 
be  the  more  speedily  and  beneficially  affected  ;  and  also  of  the  propriety  of  nevei 
determining  to  take  a  precise  quantity  of  blood,  but  of  keeping  the  finger  on  the  artery 
until  the  pulse  begins  to  falter,  or  the  strong  beating  of  fever  becomes  softer,  or  the 
animal  is  faint,  or  the  oppressed  pulse  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs  is  rounder  ana 
fuller. 

In  cases  of  inflammation,  and  in  the  hands  of  a  skilful  practitioner,  bleeding  is  the 
sheet-anchor  of  the  veterinarian ;  yet  few  things  are  more  to  be  reprobated  than  the 
indiscriminate  bleeding  of  the  groom  or  the  farrier. 

The  change  which  takes  place  in  the  blood  after  it  is  drawn  from  the  vein  is  dili- 
gently noticed  by  many  practitioners,  and  is  certainly  deserving  of  some  attention. 

*  The  safest  and  best  hobbles,  are  those  invented  by  Mr.  Gloag,  and  improved  by  Mr.  Daws 
as  represented  in  the  Veterinarian,  va  x.  p.  108,  and  vol.  xi.  p.  163.  The  humb-screw  (fig.  3) 
should,  however,  be  inverted. 

2t 


346  OPERATIONS. 

The  blood  coagulates  soon  after  it  is  taken  from  the  vein.  The  coagiilable  part  is 
composed  of  two  substances :  that  which  gives  colour  to  the  blood,  and  that  in  wliicn 
the  red  particles  float.  These,  by  degrees,  separate  from  each  other,  and  the  red  par- 
ticles sink  to  the  bottom.  If  the  coagulation  takes  place  slowly,  the  red  particles 
have  more  time  to  sink  through  the  fluid,  and  there  appears  on  the  top  a  thick,  yel- 
lowish, adhesive  substance,  called  the  buffy  coat.  The  slowness  of  the  coagulation 
and  the  thickness  of  bufly  coat  are  indicative  of  inflammation,  and  of  the  degree  of 
inflammation. 

In  a  healthy  state  of  the  system,  the  coagulation  is  more  rapid,  the  red  particles 
have  not  time  to  fall  through,  and  the  buff'y  coat  is  thin.  These  appearances  are 
worth  observing;  but  much  more  dependence  is  to  be  placed  on  the  charatter  and 
change  of  the  pulse,  and  the  symptoms  generally.  When  the  horse  is  exhausted  and 
the  system  nearly  broken  up,  the  blood  will  sometimes  not  coagulate  but  ne  of  one 
uniform  black  colour  and  loose  texture.  When  the  blood  runs  down  the  side  of  the 
vessel  in  which  it  is  received,  the  coagulation  vv'ill  be  very  imperfect.  AVhcn  it  is 
drawn  in  a  full  stream,  it  coagulates  slowly,  and  when  procured  from  a  smaller  orifice, 
the  coagulation  is  more  rapid.  Every  circumstance  affecting  the  coaguiation  and 
appearance  of  the  blood,  the  pulse,  and  the  general  symptoms,  should  be  most  atten- 
tively regarded. 

A  great  deal  of  mystery  is  associated  wath  bleeding  in  the  management  of  the  racer 
and  the  hunter.  The  labour  of  the  turf  and  the  field  having  ceased,  there  is  frequently 
some  difficulty  in  preventing  a  plethoric  state  of  the  constitution  —  a  tendency  to 
inflammatory  complaints.  If  the  horse  is  rapidly  accumulating  flesh,  it  may  be  pru- 
dent to  abstract  blood,  dependent  in  quantity  on  the  age  and  constitution  of  the  ani- 
mal. Attention  to  this  may  prevent  many  a  horse  from  going  wrong;  but  the  custom 
that  once  prevailed  of  bleeding  every  horse  a  fortnight  or  more  after  the  racing  or 
hunting  season  had  passed,  is  decidedly  objectionable. 

As  preparatory  to  work,  bleeding  is  far  from  being  so  much  employed  as  it  used  to 
be.  As  a  universal  practice,  when  the  horse  is  first  taken  from  grass,  it  now  scarcely 
exists.  It  would  not  always  be  objected  to,  if  the  horse  was  fat  and  full  of  flesh,  but, 
otherwise,  it  is  a  custom  more  honoured  in  the  breach  than  the  observance.  It  cer- 
tainly produces  very  considerable  effect.  IMore  rapidly  than  any  species  of  diet- 
more  rapidly  than  any  sweating  or  purging ;  it  reduces  the  condition  of  the  horse,  but, 
we  have  often  thought,  at  the  expense  of  those  essentials  to  life  and  health  that  cannot 
be  easily  replaced. 

BLISTERING. 

W'e  have  spoken  of  the  eff'ect  of  blisters,  wlien  treating  of  the  various  diseases  to 
which  they  are  applicable.  The  principle  on  which  they  act  is,  that  no  two  intense 
inflammations  can  exist  in  neighbouring  parts,  or  perhaps  in  the  system,  at  the  same 
time.  Hence  we  apply  some  stimulating  acrimonious  substance  to  the  skin,  in  order 
to  excite  external  inflammation,  and  thus  lessen  or  remove  that  which  exists  in  some 
deeper  seated  and,  generally,  not  far  distant  part.  Hence,  also,  we  blister  the  sides 
in  inflammation  of  the  lungs — the  abdomen  in  that  of  the  bowels — the  legs  in  that  of 
the  cellular  substance  surrounding  the  sheaths  of  the  tendons,  or  the  sheaths  them- 
selves, and  the  coronet  or  the  heel  in  inflammation  of  the  navicular  joint. 

Blisters  have  likewise  the  property  of  increasing  the  activity  of  the  neighbouring 
vessels :  thus  we  blister  to  bring  the  tumour  of  strangles  more  speedily  to  a  head — to 
rouse  the  absorbents  generally  to  more  eneroretic  action,  and  cause  the  disappearance 
of  tumours,  and  even  callous  and  bony  substances. 

The  judgment  of  the  practitioner  will  decide  whether  the  desired  effect  will  be  best 
produced  by  a  sudden  and  violent  action,  or  by  the  continuance  of  one  of  a  mildei 
character,  "inflammation  should  be  met  by  active  blisters;  old  enlargements  and 
swellings  will  be  most  certainly  removed  by  milder  stimulants — by  the  process  which 
farriers  call  srveafing  down. 

There  are  few  more  active  or  effectual  blisters  than  the  Spanish  fly,  mixed  "with  the 
proportions  of  lard  and  resin  that  will  be  hereafter  stated.  The  best  liquid  or  sweat- 
ing blister  is  an  infusion  of  the  fly  in  spirit  of  turpentine,  and  that  lowered  with  neat's 
foot  oil,  according  to  the  degree  of  activity  required. 

In  preparing  the  horse  for  blistering,  the  hair  should  be  clipped  or  shaved  as  closely 
as  possible,  and  the  ointment  thoroughly  nibbed  in.     Much  fault  is  often  found  wit'b 


FIRING.  347 

die  ointment  if  the  blister  does  not  rise,  but  the  failure  is  generally  to  be  attributed  to 
the  idleness  of  the  operator. 

The  head  of  the  horse  should  be  tied  up  during^  the  first  two  days ;  except  uiat, 
when  the  sides  are  blistered,  the  body-clothes  may  be  so  contrived  as  to  prevent  the 
animal  from  nibbling  and  blemishing-  the  part,  or  blistering  his  muzzle.  At  the  expi- 
ration of  twenty-four  hours,  a  little  olive  or  neat's  foot  oil  should  be  applied  over  the 
blister,  which  will  considerably  lessen  the  pain  and  supple  the  part,  and  prevent  cracks 
in  tlie  skin  that  may  be  difficult  to  heal.  The  oil  should  be  applied  morning  and 
night,  until  the  scabs  peel  oiT.  When  they  begin  to  loosen,  a  lather  of  soap  and  watei 
applied  with  a  sponge  may  hasten  their  removal,  but  no  violence  must  be  used. 

Every  particle  of  litter  should  be  carefully  removed  from  the  stall,  for  tlie  sharp 
ends  of  the  straw  coming  in  contact  with  a  ])art  rendered  so  tender  and  irrit,al)le  by 
the  blister,  will  cause  a  very  great  annoyance  to  the  animal.  After  the  second  day 
the  horse  may  be  sutfered  to  lie  down ;  but  the  possibility  of  blemishing  himself 
should  be  prevented  by  a  cradle  or  wooden  necklace,  consisting  of  round  strips  of 
wood,  strung  together,  reaching  from  the  lower  jaw  to  the  chest,  and  preventing  him 
from  sufficiently  turning  or  bending  his  head  to  get  at  the  blistered  part. 

A  blister  thus  treated  will  rarely  produce  the  slightest  blemish.  When  the  scabs 
are  all  removed,  the  blister  may  be  repeated,  if  the  case  should  appear  to  require  it, 
or  the  horse  may  be  turned  out. 

In  inflammations  which  threaten  life,  a  blister  can  scarcely  be  too  active  or  exten- 
sive. In  inflammation  of  the  lungs  it  should  reach  over  the  whole  of  the  sides,  and 
the  greater  part  of  the  brisket,  for,  should  a  portion  of  the  fly  be  absorbed,  and  produce 
strangury  (inflammation,  or  spasmodic  affection  of  the  neck  of  the  bladder,)  even  this 
new  irritation  may  assist  in  subduing  the  first  and  more  dangerous  one.  In  blistering, 
however,  for  injuries  or  diseases  of  the  legs  or  feet,  some  caution  is  necessary.  When 
speaking  of  the  treatment  of  sprain  of  the  back  sinews,  p.  271,  it  was  stated,  that  "  a 
blister  should  never  be  used  while  any  heat  or  tenderness  remained  about  the  part," 
for  we  should  then  add  to  the  superficial  inflammation,  instead  of  abating  the  deeper- 
seated  one,  and  enlargements  of  the  limb  and  extensive  ulcerations  might  follow, 
which  would  render  the  horse  perfectly  unserviceable.  When  there  is  a  tendency  to 
grease,  a  blister  is  a  dangerous  thing,  and  has  often  aggravated  the  disease.  In  winter, 
the  inflammation  of  the  skin  produced  by  blistering  is  apt  to  degenerate  into  grease; 
therefore,  if  it  should  be  necessary  to  blister  the  horse  during  that  season,  great  care 
must  be  taken  that  he  is  not  exposed  to  cold,  and,  particularly,  that  a  current  of  cold 
air  does  not  come  upon  the  legs. 

The  inhuman  practice  of  blistering  all  round  at  the  same  time,  and  perhaps  high  on 
the  legs,  cannot  be  too  strongly  reprobated.  Many  a  valuable  horse  has  been  lost 
through  the  excessive  general  irritation  which  this  has  produced,  or  its  violent  effect 
on  the  urinary  organs  ;  and  that  has  been  particularly  the  case,  when  corrosive  subli- 
mate has  entered  into  the  composition  of  the  blister. 

If  strangury  should  appear,  the  horse  should  be  plentifully  supplied  with  linseed 
tea,  which  is  thus  best  prepared — a  gallon  of  boiling  water  is  thrown  on  half  a  pound 
of  linseed  ;  the  infusion  suffered  to  stand  until  nearly  cold,  and  the  clean  mucilaginous 
fluid  then  poured  off".  Three-quarters  of  a  pound  of  Epsom  salts  should  also  be  given, 
dissolved  in  a  quart  of  water,  and,  after  that,  a  ball  every  six  hours,  containing  opium 
and  camphor,  with  linseed  meal  and  treacle. 

Half  a  pound  or  a  pound  of  good  mustard  powder,  made  into  a  paste  with  boiling 
water,  and  applied  hot,  will  often  produce  as  good  a  blister  as  cantharides.  It  is  a 
preferable  one,  when,  as  in  inflammation  of  the  kidneys,  the  eff"ect  of  cantharides  on 
the  urinary  organs  is  feared.  Hartshorn  is  not  so  eff'ectual.  Tincture  of  croton 
makes  an  active  liquid  blister,  and  so  do  some  of  the  preparations  of  iodine. 

FIRING. 

Whatever  seeming  cruelty  may  attend  this  operation,  it  is  in  many  cases  indis- 
pensable. The  principle  on  which  we  have  recourse  to  it  is  similar  to  that  which 
justifies  the  use  of  a  blister — by  producing  superficial  inflammation  we  maybe  enabled 
to  get  rid  of  a  deeper-seated  one,  or  we  may  excite  the  absorbents  to  remove  an 
unnatural  bony  or  other  tumour.  It  raises  more  intense  external  inflammation  than 
we  can  produce  by  any  other  means.  It  may  be  truly  said  to  be  the  most  powerful 
agent  that  we  have  at  our  disposal.   Humanity,  however,  will  dictate,  that  on  account 


348  OPERATIONS. 

of  the  inflammation  which  it  excites,  and  the  pain  it  inflicts,  it  should  only  he  had 
recour^ie  to  when  milder  means  rarely  succeed. 

The  part  which  is  to  be  submitted  to  the  operation  should  be  shaved,  or  tne  hair 
cut  from  it  as  closely  as  possible  with  the  trimming  scissors.  This  is  necessary  in 
order  to  bring  the  iron  into  immediate  contact  with  the  skin,  and  likewise  to  prevent 
the  smoke  that  will  arise  from  the  burned  hair  obscuring  the  view  of  the  operator. 
The  horse  must  then  be  thrown.  This  is  absolutely  necessary  for  the  safety  both  of 
the  operator  and  the  animal.  The  side  line  may  be  applied  in  a  shorter  time,  and  so 
many  hands  may  not  be  wanted  to  cast  the  horse  ;  but  no  person  can  fire  accurately, 
or  with  the  certainty  of  not  penetrating^  the  skin,  except  the  animal  is  effectually 
secured  by  the  hobbles.  Although  accidents  have  occurred  in  the  act  of  casting,  yet 
many  more  have  resulted  to  the  operator,  the  assistants,  or  the  horse,  in  a  protracted 
operation,  when  the  side-line  only  has  been  used. 

The  details  of  the  operation  belong  to  the  veterinary  surgeon.  The  grand  points  to 
be  attended  to  are  to  have  the  edge  of  the  iron  round  and  smooth — the  iron  itself  at, 
or  rather  below  a  red  heat  —  to  pass  it  more  or  less  rapidly  over  the  skin,  and  with 
slighter  or  greater  pressure,  according  to  the  degree  of  heat  —  to  burn  into  the  skin 
until  the  line  produced  by  the  iron  is  of  a  brown  colour,  rather  light  than  dark,  and, 
oy  all  means,  in  common  cases,  to  avoid  penetrating  the  skin.  Leaving  out  of  the 
4uestion  the  additional  cruelty  of  deep  firing,  when  not  absolutely  required,  we  may 
depend  on  it  that  if  the  skin  is  burned  through,  inflammation,  and  ulceration,  and 
sloughing  will  ensue,  that  will  be  with  much  difllculty  combated — that  will  unavoida- 
bly leave  unnecessary  blemish,  and  that  has  destroyed  many  valuable  horses.  It  may 
happen,  nevertheless,  that  by  a  sudden  plunge  of  the  animal  the  skin  will  be  una- 
voidably cut  through.  The  act  of  firing  requires  much  skill  and  tact,  and  the  practi- 
tioner cannot  be  always  on  his  guard  against  the  struggles  of  the  tortured  beast. 
It  will,  also,  and  not  unfrequently,  occur  that  the  skin,  partially  divided,  will  separate 
in  two  or  three  days  after  the  operation.  Tliis  must  not  be  attributed  to  any 
neglect  or  unskil fulness  of  the  surgeon,  and  the  ulceration  thus  produced  will  be 
slight  and  easily  treated,  compared  with  that  caused  by  actually  burning  through  the 
skin. 

A  very  considerable  change  has  taken  place  in  the  breed  of  many  of  the  varieties 
of  the  horse,  and  the  labour  exacted  from  him.  As  illustrations  of  this  we  refer  to 
the  altered  character  and  pace  of  the  modem  hunter  and  the  additional  increase  of 
speed  requited  from  the  coach  and  the  post  horse ;  the  exertion  being  limited  only  by 
the  degree  to  which  every  muscle  and  every  nerve  can  be  extended,  while  the  calcu- 
lation between  the  utmost  exaction  of  cruelty  and  the  expenditure  of  vital  power,  is 
reduced  to  the  merest  fraction.  The  consequence  of  this  is,  that  the  horse  is  subjected 
to  severer  injuries  than  he  used  to  be,  and  severer  measures  are  and  must  be  employed 
to  remedy  the  evil.  Hence  the  horrible  applications  of  the  actual  cautery  to  the  horse 
that  have  disgraced  the  present  day.  Lesions — gashes  have  been  made  on  either  side 
of  the  tendon  of  the  leg,  which  it  took  no  fewer  than  seven  months  to  heal.  Was 
there  nothing  short  of  this  lengthened  torture  that  could  have  been  done  to  relieve  the 
victim  ?  Could  he  not  have  been  more  lightly  fired  for  the  road  or  for  the  purposes 
of  breeding  ?  Was  there  no  pasture  on  which  he  had  earned  a  right  to  graze  ?  —  or 
could  he  not  have  been  destroyed  ?  These  sad  lesions  will  occasionally  come  before 
the  practitioner  and  the  owner.  It  will  be  for  the  first,  to  advocate  that,  which,  on  a 
careful  view  of  the  case,  mercy  prompts ;  and  the  latter,  except  there  is  a  reasonable 
prospect  of  ultimate  enjoyment,  as  well  as  usefulness,  should  never  urge  a  continua- 
tion of  suffering. 

Supposing,  however,  that  prospect  to  exist,  the  surgeon  must  discharge  his  duty. 
These  gashes,  after  a  while,  begin  to  close,  and  then  commences  the  beautiful  process 
of  granulation.  Little  portions  of  the  integument  form  on  the  centre  of  the  wound, 
and  the  sides  of  the  wound  creep  closer  together,  and  the  skin  steals  over  the  surface, 
until  the  chasm  is  perfectly  closed.  In  order  to  insure  the  continuance  of  this,  a  ridge 
of  contracted  integument  as  hard  as  any  cartilage,  but  without  its  elasticity,  nms  from 
one  end  of  the  lesion  to  the  other,  tighter,  and  harder,  and  more  eff'ectual  every  week 
and  month,  and  year,  and  lasting  during  the  life  of  the  animal.  Therefore,  the  vete- 
rinary surgeon  is  not  to  be  too  severely  censured,  if,  after  due  consideration,  he  is 
induced  to  undertake  one  of  these  fearful  operations  :  but  let  him  do  it  as  seldom  as 
he  can,  and  only  when  every  circumstance  promises  a  favourable  result. 


SETONS.  349 

Some  practitioners  blister  immediately  after  firing.  As  a  general  usage  it  is  highly 
to  be  reprobated.  It  is  wanton  and  useless  cruelty.  It  may  be  required  in  bony 
tumours  of  considerable  extent,  and  long  standing,  and  interfering  materially  with  the 
action  of  the  neighbouring  joint.  Spavin  accompanied  by  much  lameness,  and  ring- 
bone spreading  round  the  coronet  and  involving  the  side  cartilages  or  the  pastern 
joint,  may  justify  it.  The  inflammation  is  rendered  more  intense,  and  of  considera- 
bly longer  duration.  In  old  affections  of  the  round  bone  it  may  be  admitted,  but  no 
excuse  can  be  made  for  it  in  slighter  cases  of  sprain  or  weakness,  or  staleness. 

On  the  day  after  the  operation,  it  will  be  prudent  gently  to  rub  some  neat's  foot  oil, 
or  lard  over  the  wound.  This  will  soften  the  skin,  and  render  it  less  likely  to  sepa- 
rate or  ulcerate.  A  bandage  would  add  to  the  irritation  of  the  part.  Any  cracks  of 
tiie  skin,  or  ulcerations  that  may  ensue,  must  be  treated  with  tlie  calamine  ointment. 

It  will  be  evident  that  there  is  an  advantage  derived  from  firing  to  which  a  blister 
can  have  no  pretension.  The  skin,  partially  destroyed  by  the  iron,  is  reinstated  and 
healed,  not  merely  by  the  formation  of  some  new  matter  filling  up  the  vacuity,  but  by 
the  gradual  drawing  together  and  closing  of  the  separated  edges.  The  skin,  there- 
fore, is  lessened  in  surface.  It  is  tightened  over  the  part,  and  it  acts,  as  just  described, 
as  a  salutary  and  permanent  bandage.  Of  the  effect  of  pressure  in  removing  enlarge- 
ments of  every  kind,  as  well  as  giving  strength  to  the  part  to  which  it  is  applied,  we 
have  repeatedly  spoken;  and  it  is  far  from  being  the  least  valuable  effect  of  the  opera- 
tion of  firing,  that,  by  contracting  the  skin,  it  affords  a  salutary,  equable,  and  perma- 
nent pressure.  It  was  on  this  principle,  but  the  practice  cannot  be  defended,  that 
colts  which  were  not  very  strong  on  the  legs,  used  to  be  fired  round  the  fetlock,  and 
along  the  back  sinew,  or  over  the  hock,  in  order  to  brace  and  strengthen  the  parts. 
It  is  on  the  same  principle  that  a  racer  or  hunter,  that  has  become  stale  and  stiff,  is 
sometimes  fired  and  turned  out.  For  whatever  reason  the  horse  is  fired,  he  should, 
if  possible,  be  turned  out,  or  soiled  in  a  loose  box,  for  three  or  four  months  at  least. 
The  full  effect  intended  to  result  from  the  external  irritation  is  not  soon  produced,  and 
the  benefit  derived  from  pressure  proceeds  still  more  slowly.  In  the  thickened  and 
tender  state  of  the  skin,  and  the  substance  beneath,  a  return  to  hard  work,  for  some 
weeks  after  firing,  would  be  likely  to  excite  new  inflammation,  and  cause  even  worse 
mischief  than  that  which  before  existed. 

Some  weeks  pass  before  the  tumefied  parts  begin  to  contract,  and  they  only,  who 
have  had  experience  in  these  cases,  can  imagine  how  long,  with  gentle  voluntary 
exercise,  the  process  of  absorption  is  carried  on.  He  who  would  expect  that  much 
good  should  accrue  from  the  operation  of  firing,  must  be  content  to  give  up  his  horse 
for  three  or  four  months ;  but  if  he  will  use  him  sooner,  and  a  worse  lameness  should 
follow,  let  him  blame  his  own  impatience,  and  not  the  inefficiency  of  the  means,  or 
the  want  of  skill  in  the  surgeon. 

The  firing  in  every  case  should  be  either  in  longitudinal  or  parallel  lines.  On  the 
back  sinews,  the  fetlock,  and  the  coronet,  this  is  peculiarly  requisite,  for  thus  only 
will  the  skin  contract  so  as  to  form  the  greatest  and  most  equable  pressure. 

Some  practitioners  may  pride  themselves  on  the  accuracy  of  their  diamonds,  lozeng«s 
and  feathers,  but  plain  straight  lines,  about  half  an  inch  from  each  other,  will  consti- 
tute the  most  advantageous  mode  of  firing.  The  destroying  of  deeply-sented^inflam- 
mation,  by  the  exciting  of  violent  inflammation  on  the  skin,  is  as  well  obtained;  and 
common  sense  will  determine,  that  in  no  way  can  the  pressure  which  results  from  the 
contraction  of  the  skin  be  so  advantageously  employed — to  which  may  be  added,  that 
it  often  leaves  not  the  slightest  blemish. 

SETONS 

Are  pieces  of  tape  or  cord,  passed,  by  means  of  an  instrument  resembling  a  large 
needle,  either  through  abscesses,  or  the  base  of  ulcers  with  deep  sinuses,  or  between 
the  skin  and  the  muscular  or  other  substances  beneath.  They  are  retained  there  by 
the  ends  being  tied  together,  or  by  a  knot  at  each  end.  The  tape  is  moved  in  the 
wound  twice  or  thrice  in  the  day,  and  occasionally  wetted  with  spirit  of  turpentine, 
or  some  acrid  fluid,  in  order  to  increase  the  inflammation  which  it  produces,  or  the 
discharge  which  is  intended  to  be  established. 

In  abscesses,  such  as  occur  in  the  withers  or  the  poll,  and  when  passed  from  the 
summit  to  the  very  bottom  of  the  swelling,  setons.  are  highly  useful,  by  discharging 
tlie  purulent  fluid  and  suflTering  any  fresh  quantity  of  it  that  may  be  secreted  to  flow 
30 


350  OPERATIONS. 

out;  and,  by  the  degree  of  inflammation  which  they  excite  on  the  interior  of  the 
lumour,  stimulating  it  to  throw  out  healthy  granulations  which  gradually  occupy  and 
fill  the  hollow.  In  deep  fistulous  wounds  they  are  indispensable,  for  except  some 
channel  is  made  through  which  tlie  matter  may  flow  from  tlie  bottom  of  the  wound, 
it  will  continue  to  penetrate  deeper  into  the  part,  and  the  healing  process  will  never 
be  accomplished.  On  these  accounts,  a  seton  passed  through  the  base  of  the  ulcer 
in  ])oll-evil  and  fistulous  withers  is  of  so  much  benefit. 

Setons  are  sometimes  useful  by  promoting  a  discharge  in  the  neighbourhood  of  an 
inflamed  part,  and  thus  diverting  and  carrying  away  a  portion  of  the  fluids  which  dis- 
tend or  overload  the  vessels  of  that  part:  thus  a  seton  is  placed  with  considerable 
advantage  in  the  cheek,  when  the  eyes  are  much  inflamed.  We  confess,  however 
that  we  prefer  a  rowel  under  the  jaw. 

With  this  view,  and  to  excite  a  new  and  different  inflammation  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  a  part  already  inflamed,  and  especially  so  deeply  seated  and  so  difficult  to  be 
reached  as  the  navicular  joint,  a  seton  has  occasionally  been  used  with  manifest  ben- 
efit, but  we  must  peremptorily  object  to  the  indiscriminate  use  of  the  frog-setou  for 
almost  every  disease  of  the  frog  or  the  foot. 

In  inflammations  of  extensive  organs,  setons  afford  only  feeble  aid.  Their  action 
is  too  circumscribed.  In  inflammation  of  the  chest  or  the  intestines,  a  rowel  is  pre- 
ferable to  a  seton ;  and  a  blister  is  far  better  than  either  of  them. 

On  the  principle  of  exciting  the  absorbents  to  action  for  the  removal  of  tumours,  as 
spavin  or  splent,  a  blister  is  quicker  in  its  action,  and  far  more  effectual  than  any  se- 
ton.    Firing  is  still  more  useful. 

DOCKING. 

The  shortening  of  the  tail  of  the  horse  is  an  operation  which  fashion  and  the 
convenience  of  the  rider  require  to  be  performed  on  most  of  these  animals.  The 
length  of  the  dock,  or  stump,  is  a  matter  of  mere  caprice.  To  the  close-cropped 
tail  of  the  wagon-horse,  however,  we  decidedly  object,  from  its  perfect  ugliness, 
and  because  the  animal  is  deprived  of  every  defence  against  a  thousand  tortures. 
The  supposition  that  the  blood  which  would  have  gone  to  the  nourishment  of  the 
tail,  causes  greater  development  and  strength  in  the  quarters,  is  too  absurd  to  de- 
serve serious  refutation.  It  is  the  rump  of  the  animal  being  wholly  uncovered,  and 
not  partly  hidden  by  the  intervention  of  the  tail,  that  gives  a  false  appearance  of  in- 
creased bulk. 

The  operation  is  simple.  That  joint  is  searched  for  which  is  the  nearest  to  the 
desired  length  of  tail.  The  hair  is  then  turned  up,  and  tied  round  with  tape  for  an 
inch  or  two  above  this  joint;  and  that  which  lies  immediately  upon  the  joint  is  cut 
olT.  The  horse  is  fettered  with  the  side-line,  and  then  the  veterinary  surgeon  with 
his  docking-machine,  or  the  farmer  with  his  carving-knife  and  mallet,  cuts  through 
the  tail  at  one  stroke.  Considerable  bleeding  ensues,  and  frightens  the  timid  and 
the  ignorant;  but  if  the  blood  were  suffered  to  flow  on  until  it  ceased  of  its  own 
accord,  the  colt,  and  especially  if  he  were  very  young,  would  rarely  be  seriously 
injured.  As,  however,  the  bleeding  would  ocwasionally  continue  for  some  hours, 
and  a  ^great  quantity  of  blood  might  be  lost,  and  the  animal  might  be  somewhat 
weakened,  it  is  usual  to  stop  the  hemorrhage  by  the  application  of  a  red-hot  iron 
to  the  stump.  A  large  hole  is  made  in  the  centre  of  the  iron,  that  the  bone  may  not 
be  seared,  which  would  exfoliate  if  it  were  burned  with  any  severity,  or  drop  off"  at 
the  joint  above,  and  thus  shorten  the  dock.  The  iron  rests  on  the  muscular  parts 
round  the  bone,  and  is  brought  into  contact  with  the  bleeding  vessels,  and  very 
speedily  stops  the  haemorrhage.  Care  should  be  taken  that  the  iron  is  not  too  hot, — 
and  that  it  is  not  held  too  long  or  too  forcibly  on  the  part,  for  many  more  horses  would 
be  destroyed  by  severe  application  of  the  cautery,  than  by  the  bleeding  being  left  to 
its  own  course. 

Powdered  resin  sprinkled  on  the  stump,  or  indeed  any  other  application,  is  worse 
than  useless.  It  causes  unnecessary  irritation,  and  sometimes  extensive  ulceration; 
but  if  the  simple  iron  is  moderately  applied,  the  horse  may  go  to  work  immediately 
after  the  operation,  and  no  dressing  will  be  afterwards  required.  If  a  slight  bleeding 
should  occur  after  the  cautery,  it  is  much  better  to  let  it  alone  than  to  run  the  risk  of 
inflammation  or  locked-jaw,  by  re-applying  the  iron  with  greater  severity. 

Some  farmers  dock  their  colts  a  few  days  after  they  are  dropped.     This  is  &  com- 


NICKING.  35i' 

mendable  custom  on  the  score  of  humanity.    No  colt  yra.3  ever  lost  by  it;  and  neither 
llie  growth  of  the  hair,  nor  the  beauty  of  the  tail,  is  in  the  least  impaired. 

NICKING. 

This  barbarous  operation  was  once  sanctioned  by  fashion,  and  the  breeder  and  the 
dealer  even  now  are  sometimes  tempted  to  inflict  the  torture  of  it  in  order  to  obtain  a 
ready  sale  for  their  colts.  It  is  not,  however,  practised  to  the  extent  that  it  used  to 
be,  nor  attended  by  so  many  circumstances  of  cruelty. 

We  must  here  introduce  a  small  portion  of  the  anatomy  of  the  horse,  which  we 
had  reserved  for  this  place.  The  eighteen  dorsal  vertebrae  or  bones  of  the  back  (see 
(1,  p.  It37),  and  the  five  lumbar  vertebra;  or  bones  of  the  loins  (/,  p.  167),  have  already 
been  described.  The  continuation  of  the  spine  consists  of  the  sacrum,  composed  of 
five  bones  (/;,  p.  167),  which,  although  separate  in  the  colt,  are  in  the  full-grown 
horse  united  into  one  mass.  The  bones  of  the  ilium,  the  upper  and  side  portion  of 
the  haunch,  articulate  strongly  with  the  sacrum,  forming  a  bony  union  rather  than  a 
joint.  The  spinal  marrow  and  the  blood-vessels  here  generally  begin  to  diminish, 
and  numerous  branches  of  nerves  are  given  out,  which,  joined  by  some  from  the  ver- 
tebra; of  the  loins,  form  the  nervous  apparatus  of  the  hind-legs. 

The  bones  of  the  tail  (/,  p.  167)  are  a  continuation  of  those  of  the  sacrum.  They 
are  fifteen  in  number,  gradually  diminishing  in  size,  and  losing  altogether  the  charac- 
ter of  the  spinal  vertebrcc.  Prolongations  of  the  spinal  marrow  run  througli  the  whole 
of  them,  and  likewise  some  arterial  vessels,  which  are  a  continuation  of  those  which 
supply  the  sacrum.  ^luch  attention  is  paid  by  persons  who  are  acquainted  with  the 
true  form  of  the  horse  to  this  continuation  of  the  sacral  and  tail-bones.  From  tiitj 
loins  to  the  setting  on  of  the  tail  the  line  should  be  nearly  straight,  or  inclining  only 
a  slight  degree  downward.  There  is  not  a  surer  test  of  the  breed  of  the  horse  than 
this  straight  line  from  the  loins  to  the  tail ;  nor,  as  was  shown  when  the  muscles  of 
the  quarters  were  described,  is  there  any  circumstance  so  much  connected  with  the 
mechanical  advantage  with  which  these  muscles  act. 

The  tail  seems  to  be  desisined  to  perfect  the  beauty  of  the  horse's  form.  There  are 
three  sets  of  muscles  belonging  to  the  tail — the  erector  coccygis,  situated  on  the  supe- 
rior and  lateral  part  of  it,  and  by  the  action  of  which  {d,  p.  282)  the  tail  may  be  both 
elevated  and  drawn  on  one  side — the  depressor  coccygis,  on  the  inferior  and  lateral  part 
of  it,  by  the  action  of  which  the  tail  may  be  both  lowered  and  drawn  on  one  side — 
and  the  curvator  coccygis,  by  the  action  of  which  the  tail  may  be  curved  or  flexed  on 
either  side.  The  depressor  and  lateral  muscles  are  more  powerful  than  the  erector 
ones,  and  when  the  horse  is  undisturbed,  the  tail  is  bent  down  close  on  the  buttocks  ; 
but  when  he  is  excited,  and  particularly  when  he  is  at  speed,  the  erector  muscles  are 
called  into  action,  the  tail  is  elevated,  and  there  is  an  appearance  of  energy  and  spirit 
which  adds  materially  to  his  beauty.  To  perpetuate  this,  the  operation  of  nicking 
was  contrived.  The  depressor  muscles  and  part  of  the  lateral  ones  are  cut  through, 
and  the  erector  muscles,  left  without  any  antagonists,  keep  the  tail  in  a  position  more 
or  less  erect,  according  to  the  whim  of  the  operator  or  the  depth  to  which  the  incisions 
have  been  carried. 

The  operation  is  thus  performed.  The  side-line  is  put  on  the  horse,  or  some  per- 
sons deem  it  more  prudent  to  cast  him,  and  that  precaution  we  should  be  disposed  to 
recommend.  The  hair  at  the  end  of  the  tail  is  securely  tied  together,  for  the  purpose 
of  afterwards  attaching  a  weight  to  it,  Tlve  operator  then  grasps  the  tail  in  his  hand, 
and,  lifting  it  up.  feels  for  the  cenire  of  one  of  the  bones — the  prominences  at  the 
extremities  will  guide  him — from  two  to  four  inches  from  the  root  of  the  tail,  accord- 
ing to  the  size  of  the  horse.  He  then,  with  a  sharp  knife,  divides  the  muscles  deeply 
from  the  edge  of  the  tail  on  one  side  to  the  centre,  and,  continuing  the  incision  across 
the  bone  of  the  tail,  he  makes  it  as  deep  on  the  other  side.  One  continued  incision, 
steadily  yet  rapidly  made,  will  accomplish  all  this.  If  it  is  a  blood-horse  that  is 
operated  on,  this  will  be  sufficient.  For  a  hunter,  two  incisions  are  usually  made,  the 
second  being  about  two  inches  below  the  first,  and  likewise  as  nearl)^  as  possible  in 
the  centre  of  one  of  the  bones. 

On  a  hackney,  or  cocktail,  a  third  incision  is  made ;  for  fashion  has  decided  that  his 


352  OPERATIONS. 

tail  shall  be  still  more  elevated  and  curved.  Two  incisions  only  are  made  in  the  tatl 
ot  a  mare,  and  the  second  not  very  deep. 

When  the  second  incision  is  made,  some  fibres  of  the  muscles  between  the  first  and 
second  will  project  into  the  wound,  and  must  be  removed  by  a  pair  of  curved  scissors. 
The  same  must  be  done  with  the  projecting  portions  from  between  the  second  and 
third  incisions.  The  wounds  should  then  be  carefully  examined,  in  order  to  ascer- 
tain that  the  muscles  have  been  equally  divided  on  each  side,  otherwise  the  tail  will 
be  carried  awry.  This  being  done,  pledgets  of  tow  must  be  introduced  deeply  into 
each  incision,  and  confined,  but  not  too  tightly,  by  a  bandage.  A  very  profuse  bleed- 
ing will  alone  justify  any  tightness  of  bandage,  and  the  ill  consequences  tnat  have 
resulted  from  nicking  are  mainly  attributable  to  the  unnecessary  fcrce  that  is  used  in 
confining  these  pledgets.  Even  if  the  bleeding,  immediately  afler  the  o])eration, 
should  liave  been  very  great,  the  roller  must  be  loosened  in  two  or  three  hours,  other- 
wise swelling  and  inflammation,  and  even  death,  may  possibly  ensue.  Twenty-four 
hours  after  the  operation,  the  bandage  must  be  quite  removed ;  and  then,  all  that  is 
necessarjs  so  far  as  the  healing  of  the  incisions  is  concerned,  is  to  keep  them  clean. 

If,  however,  the  tail  were  suffered  to  hang  down,  the  divided  edges  of  the  muscles 
would  again  come  in  contact  with  each  other,  and  close;  the  natural  depression  of 
the  tail  would  remain ;  and  the  animal  would  have  been  punished  for  no  purpose. 
The  wounds  must  remain  open,  and  that  can  only  be  accomplished  by  forcibly  keeping 
the  tail  curved  back  during  two  or  three  weeks.  For  this  purpose  a  cord,  one  or  two 
feet  in  length,  is  affixed  to  the  end  of  the  hair,  which  terminates  in  another  divided 
eord,  each  division  going  over  a  pulley  on  either  side  of  the  back  of  the  stall.  A 
weight  is  hung  at  either  extremity  sufficient  to  keep  the  incisions  properly  open,  and 
regulated  by  the  degree  in  which  this  is  wished  to  be  accomplished.  The  animal 
will  thus  be  retained  in  an  uneasy  position,  although,  after  the  first  two  or  three  days, 
probably  not  one  of  acute  pain.  It  is  barbarous  to  increase  this  uneasiness  or  pain 
by  affixing  too  great  a  weight  to  the  cords  ;  for  it  should  be  remembered  that  the 
proper  elevated  curve  is  given  to  the  tail,  not  by  the  weight  keeping  it  in  a  certain 
position  for  a  considerable  time,  but  by  the  depth  of  the  first  incisions,  and  the  degree 
in  which  the  wounds  are  kept  open.  By  every  ounce  of  weight  beyond  that  which  is 
necessary  to  keep  the  incisions  apart,  unnecessary  suffijring  is  inflicted.  Some  prac- 
titioners use  only  one  pulley  ;  others  do  not  use  any,  b*ut  put  on  a  light  girth,  and  tie 
a  cord  from  the  end  of  the  tail  to  the  girth,  bending  it  over  the  back.  The  double 
pulley,  however,  is  the  least  painful  to  the  horse,  and  more  perfectly  secures  the 
proper  elevation  and  straight  direction  of  the  tail. 

The  dock  should  not — for  the  first  three  or  four  days — ^be  brought  higher  than  the 
back.  Dangerous  irritation  and  inflammation  would  probably  be  produced.  It  may, 
after  that,  be  gradually  raised  to  an  elevation  of  forty-five  degrees.  The  horse  should 
be  taken  out  of  the  pulleys,  and  gently  exercised  once  or  twice  every  day ;  but  the 
pulleys  cannot  finally  be  dispensed  with  until  a  fortnight  after  the  wounds  have 
healed,  because  the  process  of  contraction,  or  the  approach  of  the  divided  parts,  goes 
on  for  some  time  after  the  skin  is  perfect  over  the  incisions,  and  the  tail  would  thus 
sink  below  the  desired  elevation. 

If  the  tail  has  not  been  unnecessarily  extended  by  enormous  weights,  no  bad  conse- 
quences will  usually  follow ;  but  if  considerable  inflammation  should  ensue,  the  tail 
must  be  taken  from  the  pulley  and  diligently  fomented  with  simple  warm  water,  and 
a  dose  of  physic  given.  Locked-jaw  has  in  some  rare  instances  followed,  under 
which  the  horse  generally  perishes.  The  best  means  of  cure  in  the  early  state  of  this 
disease  is  to  amputate  the  tail  at  the  joint  above  the  highest  incision.  In  order  to 
prevent  the  hair  from  coming  off,  it  should  be  unplaited  and  combed  out  every  fourth 
«r  fifth  day. 


RESTIVENESS.  353 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

THE  VICES  AND  DISAGREEABLE  OR  DANGEROUS  HABITS  OF 
THE   HORSE. 

The  horse  has  many  excellent  qualities,  but  he  lias  likewise  defects,  and  these 
occasionally  amounting  to  vices.  Some  of  them  may  be  attributed  to  natural  temper, 
for  the  human  being  scarcely  discovers  more  peculiarities  of  habit  and  disposition 
than  does  the  horse.  Tlie  majority  of  them,  however,  as  perhaps  in  the  Imman  being, 
are  the  consequences  of  a  faulty  education.  Their  early  instructor  has  been  ignorant 
and  brutal,  and  they  have  become  obstinate  and  vicious. 

RESTIVENESS. 

At  the  head  of  all  the  vices  of  the  horse  is  restiveness,  the  most  annoying  and  the 
most  dangerous  of  all.  It  is  the  produce  of  bad  temper  and  worse  education;  and, 
like  all  other  habits  founded  on  nature  and  stamped  by  education,  it  is  inveterate. 
Whether  it  appears  in  the  form  of  kicking,  or  rearing,  or  plunging,  or  bolting,  or  in 
an}^  way  that  threatens  danger  to  the  rider  or  the  horse,  it  rarely  admits  of  cure.  A 
determined  rider  may  to  a  certain  extent  subjugate  the  animal;  or  the  horse  may  have 
his  favourites,  or  form  his  attachments,  and  with  some  particular  person  he  may  be 
comparatively  or  perfectly  manageable;  but  others  cannot  long  depend  upon  him,  and 
even  his  master  is  not  always  sure  of  him.  It  is  a  rule,  that  admits  of  very  fevf 
exceptions,  that  he  neither  displays  his  wisdom  nor  consults  his  safety,  who  attempts 
to  conquer  a  restive  horse. 

An  excellent  veterinary  surgeon,  and  a  man  of  great  experience  in  horses,  Mr. 
Castley,  truly  said,  in  "The  Veterinarian,"  —  "From  whatever  cause  the  vicious 
habits  of  horses  may  originate,  whether  from  some  mismanagement  or  from  natural 
badness  of  temper,  or  from  what  is  called  in  Yorkshire  a  mistech,  whenever  these 
animals  acquire  one  of  them,  and  it  becomes  in  some  degree  confirmed,  they  very 
seldom,  if  ever,  altogether  forget  it.  In  reference  to  driving  it  "is  so  true,  that  it 
may  be  taken  as  a  kind  of  aphorism,  that  if  a  horse  kicks  once  in  harness,  no 
matter  from  what  cause,  he  will  be  liable  to  kick  ever  afterwards.  A  good  coach- 
man m  ly  drive  him,  it  is  true,  and  may  make  him  go,  but  he  eannot  make  him 
forget  his  vice;  and  so  it  is  in  riding.  You  may  conquer  a  restive  horse  —  you  may 
make  him  go  quiet  for  months,  nay,  almost  for  years  together ;  but  I  affirm  that,  under 
other  circumstances,  and  at  some  future  opportunity,  he  will  be  sure  to  return  to  his 
old  tricks." 

Mr.  Castley  gives  two  singular  and  conclusive  instances  of  the  truth  of  this  doc- 
trine. "  When  a  very  young  man,"  says  he,  "I  remember  purchasing  a  horse  at  a 
fair  in  the  north  of  England,  that  was  offered  very  cheap,  on  account  of  his  beino- 
unmanageable.  It  was  said  that  nobody  could  ride  him.  We  found  that  the  anim^ 
objected  to  have  anything  placed  upon  his  back,  and  that,  when  made  to  move  for- 
ward with  nothing  more  than  a  saddle  on,  he  instantly  threw  himself  down  on  his 
side  with  great  violence,  and  would  then  endeavour  to  roll  upon  his  back. 

"There  was  at  that  time  in  Yorkshire,  a  famous  colt-breaker,  known  by  the  name 
of  .Jumper,  who  was  almost  as  celebrated  in  that  country  for  taming  vicious  horses 
into  submission,  as  the  famed  Whisperer  was  in  Ireland.  We  put  this  animal  into 
Jumper's  hands,  who  took  him  away,  and  in  about  ten  days  brought  him  home  again, 
certainly  not  looking  worse  in  condition,  but  perfectly  subdued,  and  almost  as  obedient 
as  a  dog  ;  for  he  would  lie  down  at  this  man's  bidding,  and  only  rise  again  at  his 
command,  and  carry  double  or  anything.  I  took  to  riding  him  myself,  and  may  say, 
that  I  was  never  better  carried  for  six  or  eight  months,  during  which  time  he  did  not 
show  the  least  vice  whatever.  I  then  sold  him  to  a  Lincolnshire  farmer,  who  said 
that  he  would  give  him  a  summer's  run  at  grass,  and  show  him  as  a  very  fine  horse 
at  the  great  Horncastle  fair. 

"Happening  to  meet  this  gentleman  in  the  following  year,  I  naturally  enough 
inquired  after  my  old  friend.  'Oh,'  said  he,  'that  was  a  bad  business  —  the  horse 
turned  out  a  sad  rebel.     The  first  time  we  attempted  1  j  mount  him,  after  getting  him 


354  VICES   AND    DEFECTS    OF   THE   HORSE. 

\\p  from  grass,  he  in  an  instant  threw  the  man  down  with  the  greatest  violence,  pitch- 
t\g  him  several  yards  over  his  head ;  and  after  that,  he  threw  every  one  that  attempted 
lo  got  on  his  back.  If  he  could  not  throw  his  rider,  he  wuvld  throw  himself  down. 
We  could  do  nothing  with  him,  and  I  was  obliged  at  last  to  sell  him  to  go  in  a  stage- 
3oach."' 

In  the  next  story,  .lumper's  counterpart  and  superior,  the  Irish  Whisperer,  is  brought 
on  the  stage,  and  although  he  performed  wonders,  he  could  not  radically  cure  a  restive 
horse.  "  At  the  Spring  Meeting  of  1804,  Mr.  Whalley's  King  Pippin  was  brought 
on  the  Curragh  of  Kildare  to  run.  He  was  a  horse  of  the  most  extraordinary  savage 
and  vicious  disposition.  His  particular  propensity  was  that  oi  Jiying  at  and  worry- 
ing any  person  who  came  within  his  reach ;  and  if  he  had  an  opportunity,  he  would 
get  his  head  round,  seize  his  rider  by  the  leg  with  his  teeth,  and  drag  him  down  from 
his  back.  For  this  reason,  he  was  always  ridden  with  what  is  called  a  sword;  which 
is  a  strong  flat  stick,  having  one  end  attached  to  the  cheek  of  the  bridle,  and  the  other 
to  the  girth  of  the  saddle,  a  contrivance  to  prevent  a  horse  of  this  kind  from  getting 
at  his  rider. 

"  King  Pippin  had  long  been  difficult  to  manage,  and  dangerous  to  go  near  to ;  but 
on  the  occasion  in  question,  he  could  not  be  got  out  to  run  at  all.  Nobody  could  put 
the  bridle  upon  his  head.  It  being  Easter  Monday,  and  consequently  a  great  holiday, 
there  was  a  large  concourse  of  people  assembled  at  the  Curragh,  consisting  princi- 
pally of  the  neighbouring  peasantry ;  and  one  countryman,  more  fearless  than  the 
rest  of  the  lookers-on,  forgetting,  or  perhaps  never  dreaming  that  the  better  part  of 
courage  is  discretion,  volunteered  his  services  to  bridle  the  horse.  No  sooner  had  he 
committed  himself  in  this  operation,  than  King  Pippin  seized  him  somewhere  about 
the  shoulders  and  chest,  and,  says  Mr.  Watts  (Mr.  Castley's  informant),  'I  know  of 
nothing  I  can  compare  it  to,  so  much  as  a  dog  shaking  a  rat.'     Fortunately  for  the 

foor  fellow,  his  body  was  very  thickly  covered  with  clothes,  for  on  such  occasions  an 
rishman  of  this  class  is  fond  of  displaying  his  wardrobe ;  and  if  he  has  three  coats  at 
all  in  the  world,  he  is  sure  to  put  them  all  on. 

"This  circumstance,  in  all  probability,  saved  the  individual  who  had  so  gallantly 
volpnteered  the  forlorn  hope.  His  person  was  so  deeply  enveloped  in  extra  integu- 
ments, that  the  horse  never  got  fairly  hold  of  his  skin,  and  I  understand  that  he 
escaped  with  but  little  injury,  beside  the  sadly  rent  and  totally  ruined  state  of  his 
holyday  toggery. 

"The  Whisperer  was  sent  for,  who,  having  arrived,  was  shut  up  with  the  horse  all 
night,  and  in  the  morning  he  exhibited  this  hitherto  ferocious  animal,  following  him 
about  the  course  like  a  dog — lying  down  at  his  command — suffering  his  mouth  to  be 
opened,  and  any  person's  hand  to  be  introduced  into  it — in  short,  as  quiet  almost  as  a 
sheep. 

"  He  came  out  the  same  meeting,  and  won  his  race,  and  his  docility  continued 
satisfactory  for  a  considerable  time ;  but  at  the  end  of  about  three  years  his  vice  returned, 
and  then  he  is  said  to  have  killed  a  man,  for  which  he  was  destroyed." 

It  may  not  be  uninteresting,  in  this  connexion,  to  give  some  account  of  this  tamer 
of  quadruped  vice.  However  strange  and  magical  his  power  may  seem  to  be.  there 
is  no  doul)t  of  the  truth  of  the  account  that  is  given  of  him.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Town- 
send,  in  his  Statistical  Survey  of  Cork,  first  introduced  him  to  the  notice  of  the  public 
generally,  although  his  fame  had  long  spread  over  that  part  of  Ireland.  We,  how- 
ever, give  the  following  extract  from  Croker's  Fairy  Legends  and  Traditions  of  Ire- 
land, Part  11,  p.  200,  for  his  performances  seem  the  work  of  some  elfin  sprite,  rathei 
than  of  a  rude  and  ignorant  horse-breaker. 

"  He  was  an  awkward,  ignorant  rustic  of  the  lowest  class,  of  the  name  of  Sullivan, 
but  better  known  by  the  appellation  of  the  Whisperer.  His  occupation  was  horse- 
oreaking.  The  nickname  he  acquired  from  the  vulgar  notion  of  his  being  able  to 
communicate  to  the  animal  what  he  wished  by  means  of  a  whisper;  and  the  singu- 
larity of  his  method  seemed  in  some  degree  to  justify  the  supposition.  In  his  own 
neighbourhood,  the  notoriety  of  the  fact  made  it  seem  less  remarkable;  but  I  doubt  if 
any  instance  of  similar  subjugating  talent  is  to  be  found  on  record.  As  far  as  the 
sphere  of  his  control  extended,  the  boast  of  vein,  vidi,  vici,  was  more  justly  claimed 
by  Sullivan,  than  even  by  Caesar  l^imself. 

"  How  his  art  was  acquired,  and  in  what  it  consisted,  is  likely  to  be  for  ever 
unknown,  as  he  has  lately  (about  1810)  left  the  world  without  divulging  it.     His  eon 


RESTIVENESS.  355 

who  follows  the  same  trade,  possesses  but  a  small  portion  of  the  art,  having  either 
never  learned  the  true  secret,  or  being  incapable  of  putting  it  into  practice.  The 
wonder  of  his  skill  consisted  in  the  celerity  of  the  operation,  which  was  performed  in 
privacy,  without  any  apparent  means  of  coercion.  Every  description  of  horse,  or 
even  nmle,  whether  previously  broken  or  unhandled,  whatever  their*  peculiar  habits 
or  vices  might  have  been,  submitted  without  show  of  resistance  to  the  magical  influ- 
ence of  his  art,  and  in  the  short  space  of  half  an  hour  became  gentle  and  tractable. 
This  effect,  though  instantaneously  produced,  was  generally  durable.  Though  more 
submissive  to  him  than  to  others,  the  animals  seemed  to  have  acquired  a  docility 
unknown  before. 

"  When  sent  for  to  tame  a  vicious  beast,  for  which  he  was  either  paid  according  xo 
the  distance,  or  generally  two  or  three  guineas,  he  directed  the  stable,  in  which  he  and 
the  object  of  the  experiment  were,  to  be  <ihut,  with  orders  not  to  open  the  door  until  a 
signal  was  given.  After  a  tete-d-iele  of  about  half  an  hour,  during  which  little  or  no 
bustle  was  heard,  the  signal  was  made,  and,  upon  opening  the  door,  the  horse 
appeared  lying  down,  and  the  man  by  his  side,  playing  with  him  like  a  child  with  a 
puppy  dog.  From  that  time,  he  was  found  perfectly  willing  to  submit  to  any  disci- 
pline—  however  repugnant  to  his  nature  before.  I  once,"  continues  Mr.  Croker, 
"  saw  hig  skill  tried  on  a  horse,  which  could  never  before  be  brought  to  stand  for  a 
smith  to  shoe  him.  The  day  after  Sullivan's  half-hour's  lecture,  I  went,  not  without 
some  incredulity,  to  the  smith's  shop,  -with  many  other  curious  spectators,  where  we 
were  eye-witnesses  of  the  complete  success  of  his  art.  This,  too,  had  been  a  troop- 
horse,  and  it  was  supposed,  not  without  reason,  that  after  regimental  discipline  had 
failed,  no  other  would  be  found  availing.  I  observed  that  the  animal  appeared  terrified 
whenever  Sullivan  either  spoke  to,  or  looked  at  him  ;  how  that  extraordinary  ascend- 
ency could  have  been  obtained,  is  difficult  to  conjecture. 

"  In  common  cases  this  mysterious  preparation  was  unnecessary.  He  seemed  to 
possess  an  instinctive  power  of  inspiring  awe,  the  result,  perhaps,  of  natural  intre- 
pidity, in  which,  1  believe,  a  great  part  of  his  art  consisted;  though  the  circumstance 
of  the  fele-d-lele  shows  that,  on  particular  occasions,  something  more  must  have  been 
added  to  it.  A  faculty  like  this  would,  in  some  hands,  have  made  a  fortune,  and  I 
understand  that  great  offers  were  made  to  him,  for  the  exercise  of  his  art  abroad.  But 
hunting  was  his  passion.  He  lived  at  home  in  the  style  most  agreeable  to  his  dispo- 
sition, and  nothing  could  induce  him  to  quit  Duhallow  and  the  fox-hounds." 

Mr.  Castley  witnessed  the  total  failure  of  the  younger  Sullivan.  He  says,  "  we 
have  in  the  regiment  a  remarkably  nice  horse,  called  Lancer,  that  has  always  been 
very  difficult  to  shoe,  but  seven  or  eight  years  ago,  when  we  first  got  him,  he  was 
downright  vicious  in  that  respect.  When  the  regiment  was  stationed  at  Cork,  the 
farrier-major  sought  out  the  present  Sullivan,  the  son  of  the  celebrated  Whisperer, 
and  brought  him  up  to  the  barracks  in  order  to  try  his  hand  upon  Lancer,  and  make 
him  more  peaceable  to  shoe ;  but  I  must  say  this  person  did  not  appear  to  possess  any 
particular  controlling  power  over  the  animal  more  than  any  other  man.  Lancer 
seemed  to  pay  no  attention  whatever  to  his  charm,  and  at  last  fairly  beat  him  out  of 
the  forge.  Time,  however,  and  a  long  perseverance  in  kind  and  gentle  treatment,  have 
effected  what  force  could  not.     The  horse  is  now  pretty  reasonable  to  shoe."* 

*  An  account,  bearing  considerable  resemblance  to  the  feats  of  the  English  horse-tamer,  has 
been  lately  laid  before  the  public. 

Mr.  CatUn  has  published  an  account,  the  veracity  of  which  is  unimpeached,  of  his  travels 
among  the  North  American  Indians.  He  thus  describes  the  manner  in  which  the  Indian 
tames  the  wild  horse.  "  He  coils  his  lasso  on  his  arm,  and  gallops  fearlessly  into  the  herd 
of  wild  horses.  He  soon  gets  it  over  the  neck  of  one  of  the  number,  when  he  instantly 
dismounts,  leaving  his  own  horse,  and  runs  as  fast  as  he  can,  letting  the  lasso  pass  out  gradu- 
ally and  carefully  through  his  hands,  imtil  the  horse  fails  for  want  of  breath,  and  lies  helpless 
on  the  ground.  The  Indian  advances  slowly  towards  the  horse's  head,  keeping  the  lasso  tight 
upon  his  neck,  until  he  fastens  a  pair  of  hobbles  on  the  animal's  two  fore  feet,  and  also  loosens 
the  lasso,  giving  the  horse  a  chance  to  breathe,  and  passing  a  noose  round  the  under  jaw,  by 
which  he  gets  great  power  over  the  affi-ighted  animal,  that  is  rearing  and  plunging  when  it  gets 
breath,  and  by  which,  as  he  advances,  hand  over  hand,  towards  the  horse's  nose,  be  is  able  to 
hold  it  down,  and  prevent  it  from  throwing  itself  over  on  its  back.  By  this  means  he  gradu- 
ally advances,  until  he  is  able  to  place  his  hand  on  the  animal's  nose  and  over  its  eyes,  and 
at  length,  to  breathe  into  its  nostrils,  when  it  soon  becomes  docile  and  conquered  ;  so  that  he 
has  httle  else  to  do  than  to  remove  the  hobbles  from  its  feet,  and  lead  or  ride  it  to  the  camp. 


356  VICES   AND    DEFECTS   OF   THE   HORSE. 

BACKING  OR  GIBBING. 

One  of  the  first  kinds  of  restiveness,  taking  them  in  alphabetical  order,  is  baclxiog 
or  gibbing.  These  are  so  closely  allied  that  we  hardly  know  how  to  separate  tlunn. 
Some  hor'ses  have  the  habit  of  backing  at  first  starting,  and  that  more  from  playful- 
ness than  desire  of  mischief,  A  moderate  application  of  the  whip  will  usually  be 
effectual.  Others,  even  after  starting,  exhibit  considerable  obstinacy  and  vicioiis- 
ness.  This  is  frequently  the  effect  of  Irad  breaking.  ~  Either  the  shoulder  of  the  horse 
had  been  wrung  when  he  was  first  put  to  the  collar,  or  he  had  been  foolishly  accus- 
tomed to  be  started  in  the  break  up-hill,  and,  therefore,  all  his  work  coming  upon  him 
at  once,  he  gradually  acquired  this  dangerous  habit. 

A  hasty  and  passionate  breaker  will  often  make  a  really  good-tempered  young  horse 
an  inveterate  gibber.  Every  young  horse  is  at  first  shy  of  the  collar.  If  he  is  too 
quickly  forced  to  throw  his  weight  into  it,  he  will  possibly  take  a  dislike  to  it,  that 
will  occasionally  show  itself  in  the  form  of  gibbing  as  long  as  he  lives.  The  judi- 
cious horse-breaker  will  resort  to  no  severity,  even  if  the  colt  should  go  out  several 
times  without  even  touching  collar.  The  example  of  his  companion  will  ultimately 
induce  him  to  tajie  to  it  voluntarily  and  effectually. 

A  lartre  and  heavy  stone  should  be  put  behind  the  wheel  before  starting,  ^yhen  the 
horse  findino-  it  more  difficult  to  back  than  to  go  forward,  will  gradually  forget  this 
unpleasant  trick.  It  will  likewise  be  of  advantage,  as  often  as  it  can  be  managed,  so 
to  start  that  the  horse  shall  have  to  back  up-hill.  The  difficulty  of  accomplishing  this 
will  soon  make  him  readily  go  forward.  A  little  coaxing,  or  leading,  or  moderate 
flagellation,  will  assist  in  accomplishing  the  cure. 

When,  however,  a  horse,  thinking  he  has  had  enough  of  work,  or  has  been  impro- 
perly checked  or  corrected,  or  beginning  to  feel  the  painful  pressure  of  the  collar, 
swerves,  and  gibs,  and  backs,  it  is  a  more  serious  matter.     Persuasion  should  first  be 

The  animal  is  so  completely  conquered,  that  it  submits  quietly  ever  after,  and  is  led  or  rode 
away  with  very  little  difficuhy." 

Mr.  Ellis,  B.  A.,  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  happened  to  read  this  account,  and  he 
felt  a  natural  desire  to  ascertain  how  far  this  mode  of  horse-taming  might  be  employed 
among  British  horses.  He  soon  had  the  opportunity  of  putting  the  veracity  of  the  story  to 
the  test.  His  brother-in-law  had  a  filly,  not  yet  a  year  old,  that  had  been  removed  from  hei 
dam  three  months  before,  and  since  thai  time  had  not  been  taken  out  of  the  stable.  A  great 
amateur  in  everything  relating  to  horses  was  present,  and  at  liis  request  it  was  determined 
that  the  experiment  of  the  efficacy  of  breathing  into  the  nostrils  should  be  immediately  put  to 
the  test.  The  filly  was  brought,  the  amateur  leading  her  by  the  halter.  She  was  quite  wild, 
and  bolted,  and  dragged  the  amateur  a  considerable  distance.  He  had  been  using  a  short 
halter ;  he  changed  it  for  a  longer  one,  and  was  then  able  to  lead  the  little  scared  thing  to  the 
front  of  the  house.  The  experiment  was  tried  under  manifest  disadvantage,  for  the  filly  was 
in  the  open  air,  several  strangers  were  about  her,  and  both  the  owner  and  the  amateur  were 
rather  seeking  amusement  from  the  failure  than  knowledge  from  the  success  of  their  experi- 
ment. 

The  filly  was  restive  and  frightened,  and  with  great  difficulty  the  amateur  managed  to  cover 
her  eyes.  At  length  he  succeeded,  and  blew  into  the  nostrils.  No  particular  effect  seemed 
lo  follow.  He  then  breathed  into  her  nostrils,  and  the  moment  he  did  so,  the  filly,  who  had 
very  much  resisted  having  her  eyes  blindfolded,  and  had  been  very  restive,  stood  perfectly 
still  and  trembled.  From  that  time  she  became  very  tractable.  Another  gentleman  also 
breathed  into  her  nostrils,  and  she  evidently  enjoyed  it,  and  kept  putting  up  her  nose  to  receive 
the  breath. 

On  the  following  morning  she  was  led  out  again.  She  was  perfectly  tractable,  and  it  seemed 
to  be  almost  impossible  to  frighten  her. 

A  circumstance  wliich,  in  a  great  measure  corroborated  the  possibility  of  easily  taming  the 
most  ferocious  horses,  occurred  on  the  next  day.  A  man,  on  a  neighbouring  farm,  was 
attempting  to  break-in  a  very  restive  colt,  who  foiled  him  in  every  possible  way.  After  seve- 
ral manoeuvres  the  amateur  succeeded  in  breathing  into  one  of  the  nostrils,  and  from  thai 
moment  all  became  easy.  The  horse  was  completely  subdued.  He  suffered  himself  to  bo 
led  quietly  away  with  a  loose  halter,  and  was  perfectly  at  command.  He  was  led  through  a 
field  in  which  were  four  horses  that  had  been  his  companions.  They  all  surrounded  him  ;  he 
took  no  notice  of  them,  but  quietly  followed  his  new  master.  A  surcingle  was  buckled  on 
him,  and  then  a  saddle,  and  he  was  finally  fitted  with  a  bridle.  The  whole  experimer' 
occupied  about  an  hour,  and  not  in  a  single  instance  did  he  rebel. 

On  the  next  day,  however,  the  breaker,  a  severe  and  obstinate  fellow,  took  him  in  hand, 
and,  according  to  his  usual  custom,  began  to  beat  him  most  cruelly.  The  horse  broke  from 
him,  and  became  as  unmanageable  as  ever.  The  spirit  of  the  animal  had  been  subdued  but 
not  broken. 


BITING.  35? 

tried ;  and,  afterwards,  reasonable  coercion,  but  np  cruelty :  for  the  brutality  which 
is  often  exercised  in  attempting  to  compel  a  gibbing  horse  to  throw  himself  habitu- 
ally into  the  collar,  never  yet  accomplished  the  purpose.  The  horse  may,  perhaps, 
be  whipped  into  motion  ;  but  if  he  has  once  begun  to  gib,  he  will  have  recourse  to  it 
ao"aia  whenever  any  circumstance  displeases  or  annoys  him,  and  the  habit  will  be  so 
rapidly  and  completely  formed,  that  he  will  become  insensible  to  all  severity. 

It  is  useless  and  dangerous  to  contend  with  a  horse  determined  to  back,  unless 
there  is  plenty  of  room,  and,  by  tight  reining,  the  driver  can  make  him  back  in 
the  precise  direction  he  wishes,  and  especially  up-hill.  Such  a  horse  should  be 
immediately  sold,  or  turned  over  to  some  other  work.  In  a  stage-coach  as  a 
wheeler,  and  particularly  as  the  near-wheeler;  or,  in  the  middle  of  a  team  at 
agricultural  work,  he  may  be  serviceable.  It  will  be  useless  for  him  to  attempt  to 
gib  there,  for  he  v/ill  be  dragged  along  by  his  companions  whether  he  will  or  not; 
and,  finding  the  inutility  of  resistance,  he  will  soon  be  induced  to  work  as  well  as 
any  horse  in  the  team.  The  reformation  will  last  while  he  is  thus  employed,  but, 
like  restiveness  generally,  it  will  be  delusive  when  t!ie  horse  returns  to  his  former 
occupation.  The  disposition  to  annoy  will  very  soon  follow  the  power  to  do  it.  Some 
instances  of  complete  reformation  rnay  have  occurred,  but  they  are  rare. 

When  a  horse,  not  often  accustomed  to  gib,  betrays  a  reluctance  to  work,  or  a  de- 
termination not  to  work,  common  sense  and  humanity  will  demand  that  some  consid- 
eration should  be  taken  before  measures  of  severity  are  resorted  to.  The  horse  may 
be  taxed  beyond  his  power.  He  soon  discovers  whether  this  is  the  case,  and  by  re- 
fusing to  proceed,  tells  his  driver  that  it  is  so.  The  utmost  cruelty  will  not  induce 
many  horses  to  make  the  slightest  effort,  when  they  are  conscious  that  their  strength 
is  inadequate  to  the  task.  Sometimes  the  withers  are  wrung,  and  the  shoulders  sadly 
galled,  and  the  pain,  which  is  intense  on  level  ground  and  with  fair  draught,  becomes 
insupportable  when  he  tugs  up  a  steep  acclivity.  These  things  should  be  examined 
into,  and,  if  possible,  rectified ;  for,  under  such  circumstances,  cruelty  may  produce 
obstinacy  and  vice,  but  not  willing  obedience. 

They  who  are  accustomed  to  horses  know  what  seemingly  trivial  circumstances 
occasionally  produce  this  vice.  A  horse,  whose  shoulders  are  raw,  or  have  fre- 
quently been  so,  will  not  start  with  a  cold  collar.  When  the  collar  has  acquired 
the  warmth  of  the  parts  on  which  it  presses,  the  animal  will  go  without  reluctance. 
Some  determined  gibbers  have  been  reformed  by  constantly  wearing  a  false  collar, 
or  strip  of  cloth  round  the  shoulders,  so  that  the  coldness  of  the  usual  collar  should 
never  be  felt;  and  others  have  been  cured  of  gibbing  by  keeping  the  collar  on 
nigflit  and  day,  for  the  animal  is  not  able  to  lie  down  completely  at  full  length, 
which  the  tired  horse  is  always  glad  to  do.  When  a  horse  gibs,  not  at  starting, 
but  while  doing  his  work,  it  has  sometimes  been  useful  to  line  the  collar  with 
cloth  instead  of  leather;  the  perspiration  is  readily  absorbed,  the  substance  which 
presses  on  the  shoulders  is  softer,  and  it  may  be  far  more  accurately  eased  off  at  a 
tender  place. 

BITING. 

This  is  either  the  consequence  of  natural  ferocity,  or  a  habit  acquired  from  the 
foolish  and  teasing  play  of  grooms  and  stable-boys.  When  a  horse  is  tickled  and 
pinched  by  thoughtless  and  mischievous  youths,  he  will  first  pretend  to  bite  his  tor- 
mentors ;  by  degrees  he  vv-ill  proceed  farther,  and  actually  bite  them,  and  very  soon 
after  that,  he  will  be  the  first  to  challenge  to  the  combat,  and,  without  provocation, 
seize  some  opportunity  to  gripe  the  incautious  tormentor.  At  length,  as  the  love  of 
mischief  is  a  propensity  too  easily  acquired,  this  war,  half  playful  and  half  in  earnest, 
becomes  habitual  to  him,  and  degenerates  into  absolute  viciousness. 

It  is  not  possible  to  enter  the  stall  of  some  horses  without  danger.  The  ani- 
mal gives  no  warning  of  his  intention ;  he  is  seemingly  quiet  and  harmless  :  but 
if  the  incautious  by-stander  comes  fairly  within  his  reach,  he  darts  upon  him,  and 
seldom  fails  to  do  some  mischief.  A  stallion  addicted  to  biting  is  a  most  formi- 
dable creature.  He  lifts  the  intruder  —  he  shakes  him  —  he  attacks  him  v/ith  his 
feet  —  he  tramples  upon  him,  and  there  are  many  instances  in  which  he  effects 
irre_>drable  mischief.  A  resolute  groom  may  escape.  When  he  has  once  got  firm 
hold  ff  the  head  of  the  horse,  he  may  back  him,  or  muzzle  him,  or  harness  him; 


358  VICES   AND    DEFECTS    OF    THE   HORSE. 

but  he  must  be  always  on  his  guard,  or  in  a  moment  of  carelessness  he  may  be  sen 
ously  injured. 

It  is  seldom  that  anything  can  be  done  in  the  way  of  cure.  Kindness  will  aggra- 
vate the  evil,  and  no  degree  of  severity  will  correct  it.  "  I  have  seen,"  says^Professor 
Stewart,  "biters  punished  until  they  trembled  in  every  joint,  and  were  ready  to  drop, 
but  have  never  in  any  case  known  them  cured  by  this  treatment,  or  by  any  other. 
The  lash  is  forgotten  in  an  hour,  and  the  horse  is  as  ready  and  determined  to  repeat 
the  offence  as  before.  He  appears  unable  to  resist  the  temptation,  and  in  its  worst 
form  biting  is  a  species  of  insanity."* 

Prevention,  however,  is  in  the  power  of  every  proprietor  of  horses.  While  he 
insists  on  gentle  and  humane  treatment  of  his  cattle,  he  should  systematically  for- 
bid this  horse-play.  It  is  that  which  can  never  be  considered  as  operating  as  a  re- 
ward, and  thereby  rendering  the  horse  tractable ;  nor  does  it  increase  the  affection 
of  the  animal  for  his  groom,  because  he  is  annoyed  and  irritated  by  being  thus  inces- 
santly teased 

GETTING  THE  CHEEK  OF  THE  BIT  INTO  THE  MOUTH. 

Some  horses  that  are  disposed  to  be  mischievous  try  to  do  this,  and  are  very  expert 
at  it.  They  soon  find  what  advantage  it  gives  them  over  their  driver,  who  by  this 
manoeuvre  loses  almost  all  command.  Harsh  treatment  is  here  completely  out  of  the 
question.  All  that  can  be  done  is,  by  some  mechanical  contrivance,  to  render  the 
thing  difficult  or  impossible,  and  this  may  be  managed  by  fastening  a  round  piece  of 
leather  on  the  inside  of  the  cheek  of  the  bit. 

KICKING. 

'  This,  as  a  vice,  is  another  consequence  of  the  culpable  habit  of  grooms  and  stable- 
boys  of  teasing  the  horse.  That  which  is  at  first  an  indication  of  annoyance  at 
the  pinching  and  tickling  of  the  groom,  and  without  any  design  to  injure,  gradually 
becomes  the  expression  of  anger,  and  the  effort  to  do  mischief.  The  "horse  likewise 
too  soon  recognises  the  least  appearance  of  timidity,  and  takes  advantage  of  the  dis- 
covery. There  is  no  cure  for  this  vice ;  and  he  cannot  be  justified  who  keeps  a  kick- 
ing horse  in  his  stable. 

Some  horses  acquire,  from  mere  irritability  and  fidgetiness,  a  habit  of  kicking  at 
the  stall  or  the  bail,  and  particularly  at  night.  The  neighbouring  horses  are  disturbed, 
and  the  kicker  gets  swelled  hocks,  or  some  more  serious  ini-iry.  This  is  also  a  habit 
very  difficult  to  correct  if  suffered  to  become  established,  [•'.ares  are  far  more  subject 
to  it  than  horses. 

Before  the  habit  is  inveterately  established,  a  thorn  bush  or  a  piece  of  furze  fasten- 
ed against  the  partition  or  post  will  sometimes  effect  a  cure.  When  the  horse  finds 
that  he  is  pretty  severely  pricked,  he  will  not  long  continue  to  punish  himself.  In 
confirmed  cases  it  may  be  necessary  to  have  recourse  to  the  log,  but  the  legs  are 
often  not  a  little  bruised  by  it.  A  rather  long  and  heavy  piece  of  wood  attached  to 
a  chain  has  been  buckled  above  the  hock,  so  as  to  reach  about  half-way  down  the  leg. 
When  the  horse  attempts  to  kick  violently,  his  leg  will  receive  a  severe  blow  :  this, 
and  the  repetition  of  it,  may,  after  a  time,  teach  him  to  be  quiet. 

A  much  more  serious  vice  is  kicking  in  harness.  From  the  least  annoyance  about 
the  rump  or  quarters,  some  horses  will  kick  at  a  most  violent  rate,  and  destroy  the 
bottom  of  the  chaise,  and  endanger  the  limbs  of  the  driver.  Those  that  are  fidgety 
in  the  stable  are  most  apt  to  do  this.  If  the  reins  should  perchance  get  under  the 
tail,  the  violence  of  the  kicker  will  often  be  most  outrageous  ;  and  while  the  animal 
presses  down  his  tail  so  tightly  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  extricate  the  reins,  he 
continues  to  plunge  until  he  has  demolished  everything  behind  him. 

This  is  a  vice  standing  foremost  in  point  of  danger,  and  which  no  treatment  will 
always  conquer.  It  will  be  altogether  in  vain  to  try  coercion.  If  the  shafts  are  very 
strong  and  without  flaw,  or  if  they  are  plated  with  iron  underneath,  and  a  stout  kick 
ing-strap  resorted  to  which  will  barely  allow  the  horse  the  proper  use  of  his  \\m^ 
limbs  in  progression,  but  not  permit  him  to  raise  them  sufficiently  for  the  purpose  of 
kicking,  he  may  be  prevented  from  doing  mischief;  or  if  he  is  harnessed  to  a  heavy 
cart,  and  thus  confined,  his  efforts  to  lash  out  will  be  restiained :  but  it  is  frequency 

*  Stewart's  Stable  CEconomy,  page  160. 


UNSTEADINESS  WHILE  BEING  MOUNTED— REARING,  &c.       o5i) 

a  verj'  unpleasant  thing  to  witness  these  attempts,  though  iiicHeclual,  to  demolish  the 
vehicle,  for  the  shafts  or  the  kicking-strap  may  possibly  break,  and  extreme  danger 
may  ensue.  A  horse  that  has  once  begun  to  kick,  whatever  nray  have  been  the  origi- 
nal cause  of  it,  can  never  be  depended  upon  again,  and  he  will  be  very  unwise  w-ho 
ventu.es  behind  him.  The  man,  however,  who  must  come  within  reach  of  a  kicker 
should  come  as  close  to  him  as  possible.  The  blow  may  thus  become  a  push,  and 
Beldom  is  injurious. 

UNSTEADINESS  WHILE  BEING  MOUNTED. 

When  this  merely  amounts  to  eagerness  to  start — very  unpleasant,  indeed,  at  times, 
for  many  a  rider  has  been  thrown  from  his  seat  before  he  was  fairly  fixed  in  it  —  it 
may  be  remedied  by  an  active  and  good  horseman.  We  have  known  many  instances 
in  which,  while  the  elderly,  and  inactive,  and  fearful  man  has  been  making  more  than 
one  inetfectual  attempt  to  vault  into  the  saddle,  the  horse  has  been  dancing  about  to 
his  annoyance  and  danger;  but  the  animal  had  no  sooner  been  transferred  to  the 
management  of  a  younger  and  more  agile  rider  than  he  became  perfectly  subdued. 
Severity  will  here,  more  decidedly  than  in  any  other  case,  do  harm.  The  rider  should 
be  fearless  —  he  should  carelessly  and  confidently  approach  the  horse,  mount  at  the 
first  efl"ort,  and  then  restrain  him  for  a  while  ;  patting  him,  and  not  suffering  him  to 
proceed  until  he  becomes  perfectly  quiet.  Horses  of  this  kind  should  not  be  too 
highly  fed,  and  should  have  sufficient  daily  exercise. 

%Vhen  the  difficulty  of  mounting  arises,  not  from  eagerness  to  start,  but  unwilling- 
ness to  be  ridden,  the  sooner  that  horse  is  disposed  of  the  better.  He  may  be  con- 
quered by  a  skilful  and  determined  horseman ;  but  even  he  will  not  succeed  without 
frequent  and  dangerous  contests  that  will  mar  all  the  pleasure  of  the  ride. 

REARING. 

This  sometimes  results  from  playfulness,  carried,  indeed,  to  an  unpleasant  and 
dangerous  extent ;  but  it  is  oftener  a  desperate  and  occasionally  successful  effort  to 
unhorse  the  rider,'  and  consequently  a  vice.  The  horse  that  has  twice  decidedly  and 
dangerously  reared,  should  never  be  trusted  again,  unless,  indeed,  it  was  the  fault  of 
the  rider,  who  had  been  using  a  deep  curb  and  a  sharp  bit.  Some  of  the  best  horses 
will  contend  against  these,  and  then  rearing  may  be  immediately  and  permanently 
cured  by  using  a  snaffle-bridle  alone. 

The  horse-breaker's  remedy,  that  of  pulling  the  horse  backward  on  a  soft  piece  of 
ground,  should  be  practised  by  reckless  and  brutal  fellows  alone.  ]\Iany  horses  have 
been  injured  in  the  spine,  and  others  have  broken  their  necks,  by  being  thus  suddenly 
pulled  over;  while  even  the  fellow,  who  fears  no  danger,  is  not  always  able  to  extri- 
cate himself  from  the  falling  horse.  If  rearing  proceeds  from  vice,  and  is  unprovoked 
by  the  bruising  and  laceration  of  the  mouth,  it  fully  partakes  of  the  inveteracy  which 
attends  the  other  divisions  of  restiveness. 

RUNNING  AWAY. 

Some  headstrong  horses  will  occasionally  endeavour  to  bolt  with  the  best  rider. 
Others  with  their  wonted  sagacitj'^  endeavour  thus  to  dislodge  the  timid  or  unskilful 
one.  Some  are  hard  to  hold,  or  bolt  only  during  the  excitement  of  the  chase;  others 
will  run  away,  prompted  by  a  vicious  propensity  alone.  There  is  no  certain  cure 
here.  The  method  which  affords  any  probability  of  success  is,  to  ride  such  a  horse 
with  a  strong  curb  and  sharp  bit;  to  have  him  always  firmly  in  hand;  and,  if  he  will 
run  away,  and  the  place  will  admit  of  it,  to  give  him  (sparing  neither  curb,  whip,  nor 
spur)  a  great  deal  more  running  than  he  likes. 

VICIOUS  TO  CLEAN. 

It  would  scarcely  be  credited  to  what  an  extent  this  exists  in  some  horses  that  are 
otherwise  perfectly  ()uiet.  It  is  only  at  great  hazard  that  they  can  be  cleaned  at  all 
The  origin  of  this  is  proba"bly  some  maltreatment.  There  is,  however,  a  great  differ- 
ence in  the  sensibility  of  the  skin  in  different  horses.  Some  seem  as  if  they  could 
scarcely  be  made  to  feel  the  whip,  while  others  cannot  bear  a  fly  to  alight  on  them 
without  an  expression  of  annoyance.  In  young  horses  the  skin  is  peculiarly  delicate. 
If  they  have  been  curried  with  a  broken  comb,  or  hardly  rubbed  with  an  uneven  bruslv. 


360  VICES   AND    DEFECTS    OF    THE   HORSE. 

the  recollection  of  the  torture  they  have  felt  makes  them  impatient,  and  even  vicious, 
tiurino-  every  succeeding  operation  of  the  kind.  Many  grooms,  likewise,  seem  to 
delight  in  producing  these  exhibitions  of  uneasiness  and  vice;  although,  when  they 
are  carried  a  little  too  far,  and  at  the  hazard  of  the  limbs  of  the  groom,  the  animals 
that  have  been  almost  tutored  into  these  expressions  of  irritation  are  brutally  kicked 
and  punished. 

This,  however,  is  a  vice  that  may  be  conquered.     If  the  horse  is  dressed  with  a 
lighter  hand,  and  wisped  rather  than  brushed,  and  the  places  where  the  skin  is  most 
6ensitive  are  avoided  as  much  as  thorough  cleanliness  will  allow,  he  will  gradually 
lose  the  recollection  of  former  ill-treatment,  and  become  tractable  and  quiet. 
VICIOUS  TO  SHOE. 

The  correction  of  this  is  more  peculiarly  the  business  of  the  smith ;  yet  the  mastei 
should  diligently  concern  himself  with  it,  for  it  is  oftener  the  consequence  of  injudi- 
cious or  bad  usasje  than  of  natural  vice.  It  may  be  expected  that  there  will  be  some 
difficulty  in  shoeing  a  horse  for  the  first  few  times.  It  is  an  operation  that  gives  him 
a  little  uneasiness. — The  man  to  whom  he  is  most  accustomed  should  go  with  him  to 
the  forge;  and  if  another  and  steady  horse  is  shod  before  him,  he  may  be  induced 
more  readily  to  submit.  It  cannot  be  denied  that,  after  the  habit  of  resisting  this 
necessary  operation  is  formed,  force  may  sometimes  be  necessarj'  to  reduce  our  rebel- 
lious servant  to  obedience ;  but  we  unhesitatingly  affirm  that  the  majority  of  horses 
vicious  to  shoe  are  rendered  so  by  harsh  usage,  and  by  the  pain  of  correction  being 
added  to  the  uneasiness  of  shoeing.  It  should  be  a  rule  in  every  forge  that  no  smith 
should  be  permitted  to  strike  a  horse,  much  less  to  twitch  or  to  gag  him,  without  the 
master-farrier's  order;  and  that  a  young  horse  should  never  be  twitched  or  struck. 
There  are  few  horses  that  may  not  be  gradually  rendered  manageable  for  this  purpose 
by  mildness  and  firmness  in  the  operator.  They  will  soon  understand  that  no  harm 
is  meant,  and  they  will  not  forget  their  usual  habit  of  obedience;  but  if  the  remem- 
brance of  corporal  punishment  is  connected  with  shoeing,  they  will  always  be  fidgety, 
and  occasionally  dangerous. 

This  is  a  very  serious  vice,  for  it  not  only  exposes  the  animal  to  occasional  severe 
injury  from  his  own  struggles,  but  also  from  the  correction  of  the  irritated  smith, 
whose  limbs  and  whose  life  being  in  jeopardy,  may  be  forgiven  if  he  is  sometimes  a 
little  too  hard-handed.  vSuch  a  horse  is  very  liable,  and  without  any  fault  of  the 
smith,  to  be  pricked  and  lamed  in  shoeing;  and  if  the  habit  should  be  confirmed,  and 
should  increase,  and  it  at  length  becomes  necessary  to  cast  him,  or  to  put  him  in  the 
trevis,  the  owner  may  be  assured  that  many  )'ears  will  not  pass  ere  some  formidable 
or  fatal  accident  w411  take  place.  If,  therefore,  mild  treatment  will  not  correct  this 
vice,  the  horse  cannot  be  too  soon  got  rid  of. 

Horses  have  many  unpleasant  habits  in  the  stable  and  on  the  road,  which  cannot 
be  said  to  amount  to  vice,  but  which  materially  lessen  their  value. 

SWALLOWING  WITHOUT  GRINDING. 

Some  greedy  horses  habitually  swallow  their  corn  without  properly  grinding  it, 
and  the  power  of  digestion  not  being  adequate  to  the  dissolving  of  the  husk,  no  nutri- 
ment is  extracted,  and  the  oats  are  voided  whole.  This  is  particularly  the  case  when 
horses  of  unequal  appetite  feed  from  the  same  manger.  The  greedy  one,  in  his  eager- 
ness to  get  more  than  his  share,  bolts  a  portion  of  his  corn  whole.  If  the  farmer, 
without  considerable  inconvenience,  could  contrive  that  every  horse  shall  have  his 
separate  division  of  the  manger,  the  one  of  smaller  appetite  and  slower  feed  would 
have  the  opportunity  of  grinding  at  his  leisure,  without  the  fear  of  the  greater  share 
being  stolen  by  his  neighbour. 

Some  horses,  however,  are  naturally  greedy  feeders,  and  Avill  not,  even  when  alone, 
allow  themselves  time  to  chew  or  grind  their  corn.  In  consequence  of  this  they  carry 
but  little  flesh,  and  are  not  equal  to  severe  work.  If  the  rack  was  supplied  with  hay 
when  the  corn  was  ]Hit  into  the  manger,  they  will  continue  to  eat  on,  and  their  sto- 
machs will  become  distended  with  half-chewed  and  indigestible  food.  In  consequence 
of  this  they  will  be  incapable  of  considerable  exertion  for  a  long  time  after  feedincr, 
and,  occasionally,  dangerous  symptoms  of  staggers  will  occur. 

The  remedy  is,  not  to  let  such  horses  fast  too  long.  The  nose-bag  should  be  the 
companion  of  every  considerable  journey.     The  food  should  likewise  be  of  such  z 


CRIB- BITING.  361 

natUitf  that  it  cannot  be  rapidly  bolted.  Chaff  should  be  plentifully  mixed  with  the 
corn,  and,  in  some  cases,  and  especially  in  horses  of  slow  work,  it  should  with  the 
corn,  constitute  the  whole  of  the  food.  This  will  be  treated  on  more  at  large  under 
the  article  "  Feeding." 

In  every  case  of  this  kind  the  teeth  shoul^}  be  carefully  examined.  Some  of  them 
may  be  unduly  lengthened,  particularly  the  first  of  the  grinders:  or  they  may  be 
ragged  at  the  edges,  and  may  abrade  and  wound  the  cheek.  In  the  first  place  the 
horse  cannot  properly  masticate  his  food;  in  the  latter  he  will  not;  for  these  animals, 
as  too  often  happens  in  sore  throat,  would  rather  starve  tiian  put  themselves  to  much 
pain. 

CRIB-BITING. 

This  is  a  very  unpleasant  habit,  and  a  considerable  defect,  although  not  so  serious 
a  one  as  some  have  represented.  The  horse  lays  hold  of  the  manger  with  his  teeth, 
violently  extends  his  neck,  and  then,  after  some  convulsive  action  of  the  throat,  a 
slight  grunting  is  heard,  accompanied  by  a  sucking  or  drawing  in  of  air.  It  is  not 
an  effort  at  simple  eructation,  arising  from  indigestion.  It  is  the  inhalation  of  air. 
It  is  that  which  takes  place  with  all  kinds  of  diet,  and  when  the  stomach  is  empty  as 
well  as  when  it  is  full. 

The  effects  of  crib-biting  are  plain  enough.  The  teeth  are  injured  and  worn  awaj'', 
and  that,  in  an  old  horse,  to  a  very  serious  degree.  A  considerable  quantity  of  corn 
is  often  lost,  for  the  horse  will  frequently  crib  with  his  mouth  full  of  it,  and  the  greater 
part  will  fall  over  the  edge  of  the  manger.  Much  saliva  escapes  while  the  manger  is 
thus  forcibly  held,  the  loss  of  which  must  be  of  serious  detriment  in  impairing  the 
digestion.  The  crib-biting  horse  is  notoriously  more  subject  to  colic  than  other  horses, 
and  to  a  species  difficult  of  treatment  and  frequently  dangerous.  Although  many  a 
crib-biter  is  stout  and  strong,  and  capable  of  all  ordinary  work,  these  horses  do  not 
generally  carry  so  much  flesh  as  others,  and  have  not  their  endurance.  On  these 
accounts  crib-biting  has  very  properly  been  decided  to  be  unsoundness.  We  must 
not  look  to  the  state  of  the  disease  at  the  time  of  purchase.  The  question  is,  does  it 
exist  at  all  ?  A  case  was  tried  before  Lord  Tenterden,  and  thus  decided :  "  a  horse 
with  crib-biting  is  unsound." 

It  is  one  of  those  tricks  which  are  exceedingly  contagious.  Every  companion  of  a 
crib-biter  in  the  same  stables  is  likely  to  acquire  the  habit,  and  it  is  the  most  invete- 
rate of  all  habits.  The  edge  of  the  manger  will  in  vain  be  lined  with  iron,  or  with 
sheep-skin,  or  with  sheep-skin  covered  with  tar  or  aloes,  or  any  other  unpleasant  sub- 
stance. In  defiance  of  the  annoyance  which  these  may  occasion,  the  horse  will  per- 
sist in  the  attack  on  his  manger.  A  strap  buckled  tightly  round  the  neck,  by  com- 
pressing the  wind-pipe,  is  the  best  means  of  preventing  the  possibility  of  this  trick; 
but  the  strap  must  be  constantly  w^orn,  and  its  pressure  is  too  apt  to  produce  a  worse 
affection,  viz.  an  irritation  in  the  windpipe,  which  terminates  in  roaring. 

.Some  have  recommended  turning  out  for  five  or  six  months ;  but  this  has  nevei- 
succeeded  except  with  a  young  horse,  and  then  rarely.  The  old  crih-biter  will  employ 
the  gate  for  the  same  purpose  as  the  edge  of  his  manger,  and  we  have  often  seen  him 
gallopintj  across  a  field  for  the  mere  object  of  having  a  gripe  at  a  rail.  Medicine  will 
be  altogether  thrown  away  in  this  case. 

The  only  remedy  is  a  muzzle,  with  bars  across  the  bottom ;  sufficiently  wide  to 
enable  the  animal  to  pick  up  his  corn  and  to  pull  his  hay,  but  not  to  grasp  the  edge 
of  the  manger.  If  this  is  worn  for  a  considerable  period,  the  horse  may  be  tired  of 
attempting  that  which  he  cannot  accomplish,  and  for  a  while  forget  the  habit,  but,  in 
a  majority  of  cases,  the  desire  of  crib-biting  will  return  with  the  power  of  gratifying  it. 

The  causes  of  crib-biting  are  various,  and  some  nf  them  beyond  the  control  of  the 
proprietor  of  the  horse.  It  is  often  the  result  of  imitation ;  but  it  is  more  frequently 
the  consequence  of  idleness.  The  high-fed  and  spirited  horse  must  be  in  mischief  if 
he  is  not  usefully  employed.  Sometimes,  but  we  believe  not  often,  it  is  produced  by 
partial  starvation,  whether  in  a  bad  straw-yard,  or  from  unpalatable  food.  An  occa- 
sional cause  of  crib-biting  is  the  frequent  custom  of  grooms,  even  when  the  weather 
is  not  severe,  of  dressing  them  in  the  stable.  The  horse  either  catches  at  the  edge 
of  the  manger,  or  at  that  of  the  partition  on  each  side,  if  he  has  been  turned.  And  thus 
he  forms  the  habit  of  laying  hold  of  these  substances  on  every  occasion. 
31  2v 


362  VICES   AND    DEFECTS    OF   THE   HORSE. 

WIND-SUCKING. 

This  hears  a  close  analogy  to  crib-biting.  It  arises  from  the  same  causes ;  the 
same  purpose  is  accomplished ;  and  the  same  results  follow.  The  horse  stands  with 
his  neck  bent;  his  head  drawn  inward  ;'his  lips  alternately  a  little  opened  and  then 
closed,  and  a  noise  is  heard  as  if  he  were  sucking.  If  we  may  judge  from  the  same 
comparative  want  of  condition  and  the  flatulence  which  we  have  described  under  the 
last  head,  either  some  portion  of  wind  enters  the  stomach,  or  there  is  an  injurious  loss 
of  saliva.  This  diminishes  the  value  of  the  horse  almost  as  much  as  crib-biting  ;  it 
is  as  contagious,  and  it  is  as  inveterate.  The  only  remedies,  and  they  will  seldom 
avail,  are  tying  the  head  up,  except  when  the  horse  is  feeding,  or  putting  on  a  muzzle 
with  sharp  spikes  towards  the  neck,  and  which  will  prick  him  whenever  he  attempts 
to  rein  his  head  in  for  the  purpose  of  wind-sucking. 

CUTTING. 

Of  this  habit,  mention  has  been  made  at  page  275  ;  and  we  would  advise  the  owner 
•>(  a  cutting  horse,  without  trying  any  previous  experiments  of  raising  or  lowering  the 
leels,  to  put  on  the  cutting  foot  a  shoe  of  even  thickness  from  lieel  to  toe,  not  project- 
ing in  the  slightest  degree  beyond  the  crust,  and  the  crust  itself  being  rasped  a  little 
at  the  quarters.  The  shoe  should  be  fastened  as  usual,  on  the  outside,  but  with  only 
one  nail  on  the  inside,  and  that  almost  close  to  the  toe.  The  principle  on  which  this 
shoe  acts,  has  been  explained  at  page  339. 

NOT  LYING  DOWN. 

It  not  uncommonly  happens  that  a  horse  will  seldom  or  never  lie  down  in  the 
6table.  He  sometimes  continues  in  apparent  good  health,  and  feeds  and  works  well ; 
but  generally  his  legs  swell,  or  he  becomes  fatigued  sooner  than  another  horse.  If  it 
is  impossible  to  let  iiim  loose  in  the  saddle,  or  to  put  him  into  a  spare  box,  we  know 
not  what  is  to  he.  done.  No  means,  gentle  or  cruel,  will  force  him  to  lie  down.  The 
secret  is  that  he  is  tied  up,  and  either  has  never  dared  to  lie  down  through  fear  of  the 
confinement  of  the  halter,  or  he  has  been  cast  in  the  night,  and  severely  injured.  If 
he  can  be  suffered  to  range  the  stable,  or  have  a  comfortable  box,  in  which  he  may  be 
loose,  he  will  usually  lie  down  the  first  night.  Some  few  horses,  however,  will  lie 
down  in  the  stable,  and  not  in  a  loose  box.  A  fresh,  well-made  bed  will  generally 
tempt  the  tired  horse  to  refresh  himself  with  sleep. 

OVERREACH. 

This  unpleasant  noise,  known  also  b}'  the  term  "clicking,"  arises  from  the  toe  of 
the  hind  foot  knocking  against  the  shoe  cf  the  fore  foot.  In  the  trot,  one  fore  leg  and 
the  opposite  hind  leg  are  first  lifted  from  the  ground  and  moved  forward,  the  other 
fore  leg  and  the  opposite  hind  leg  remaining  fixed ;  but,  to  keep  the  centre  of  gravity 
within  the  base,  and  as  the  stride,  or  space  passed  over  by  these  legs,  is  often  greater 
than  the  distance  between  the  fore  and  hind  feet,  it  is  necessary  that  the  fore  feet 
should  be  alternately  moved  out  of  the  way  for  the  hind  ones  to  descend.  Then,  as 
occasionally  happens  with  horses  not  perfectly  broken,  and  that  have  not  been  taught 
their  paces,  and  especially  if  they  have  high  hinder  quarters  and  low  fore  ones,  if  the 
fore  feet  are  not  raised  in  time,  the  hind  feet  will  strike  them.  The  fore  foot  will 
generally  be  caught  when  it  has  just  begun  to  be  raised,  and  the  toe  of  the  hind  foot 
will  meet  the  middle  of  the  bottom  of  the  fore  foot.  It  is  an  unpleasant  noise,  and 
not  altogether  free  from  danger ;  for  it  may  so  happen  that  a  horse,  tlie  action  of 
whose  feet  generally  so  much  interferes  with  each  other,  may  advance  the  hind  foot  a 
little  more  rapidly,  or  raise  the  fore  one  a  little  more  slowly,  so  that  the  blow  may  fall 
on  the  heel  of  the  shoe,  and  loosen  or  displace  it;  or  the  two  shoes  may  be  locked 
together,  and  the  animal  may  be  thrown ;  or  the  contusion  may  be  received  even 
higher,  and  on  the  tendons  of  the  leg,  and  considerable  swelling  and  lameness  will 
follow. 

If  the  animal  is  young,  the  action  of  the  horse  may  be  materially  improved  ;  other- 
wise nothing  can  be  done,  except  tc  keep  the  toe  of  the  hind  foot  as  short  and  as 
round  as  it  can  safely  be,  and  to  bevel  off  and  round  the  toe  of  the  shoe,  like  that 


PAWING— QUIDDING— ROLLING— SHYING.  365 

which  has  been  worn  by  a  stumbler  for  a  fortnight,  and,  perhaps,  a  little  to  lower  the 
heel  of  the  fore  foot. 

A  blow  received  on  the  heel  of  the  fore  foot  in  this  manner,  has  not  unfrequently, 
and  especially  if  neglected,  been  followed  by  quittor.* 

The  heel  most  frequently  suffers  in  overreaching,  although  the  pastern  is  sometimes 
injured.  It  usually,  or  almost  always,  occurs  in  fast  paces  on  deep  ground.  The 
injury  is  inflicted  by  tlie  edge  of  the  inner  part  of  the  shoe.  The  remedy  is  the  cut- 
ting away  the  edge  of  the  shoe.  An  account  of  the  most  successful  treatment  of 
overreach  has  been  given  in  page  312. 

PAWING. 

Some  hot  and  irritable  horses  are  restless  even  in  the  stable,  and  paw  frequent! 
and  violently.  Their  litter  is  destroyed,  the  floor  of  the  stable  broken  up,  the  shoes 
worn  out,  the  feet  bruised,  and  the  legs  sometimes  sprained.  If  this  habit  does  not 
exist  to  any  great  extent,  ^^et  the  stable  never  looks  well.  Shackles  are  the  only 
remedy,  with  a  chain  sufficiently  long  to  enable  the  horse  to  shift  his  posture,  or  move 
in  his  stall ;  but  tliese  must  be  taken  off  at  night,  otherwise  the  animal  will  seldom 
lie  down.  Except,  however,  the  horse  possesses  peculiar  value,  it  will  be  better  to 
dispose  of  him  at  once,  than  to  submit  to  the  danger  and  inconvenience  that  he  may 
occasion. 

QUIDDING. 

A  horse  will  sometimes  partly  chew  his  hay,  and  suffer  it  to  drop  from  his  mouth. 
Tf  this  does  not  proceed  from  irregular  teeth,  which  it  will  be  the  business  of  the  vete- 
linary  surgeon  to  rasp  down,  it  will  be  found  to  be  connected  with  sore-throat,  and 
then  the  horse  v.-ill  exhibit  some  other  symptom  of  indisposition,  and  particularly,  the 
swallowing  of  water  will  be  accompanied  by  a  peculiar  gulping  effort.  In  this  case, 
the  disease  (catarrh,  with  sore-throat)  must  be  attacked,  and  the  quidding  will  cease. 

ROLLING. 

This  is  a  very  pleasant  and  perfectly  safe  amusement  for  a  horse  at  grass,  but  can 
not  be  indulged  in  the  stable  without  the  chance  of  his  being  dangerously  entangled 
with  the  collar  rein,  and  being  cast.  Yet,  although  the  horse  is  cast,  and  bruised, 
and  half-strangled,  he  will  roll  again  on  the  following  night,  and  continue  to  do  so  as 
long  as  he  lives.  The  only  remedy  is  not  a  very  pleasant  one  to  the  horse,  nor 
always  quite  safe  ;  yet  it  must  be  had  recourse  to,  if  the  habit  of  rolling  is  inveterate. 
"  The  horse,"  says  Mr.  Castley,  "  should  be  tied  with  length  enough  of  collar  to  lie 
down,  but  not  to  allow  of  his  head  resting  on  the  ground  ;  because,  in  order  to  roll 
over,  a  horse  is  obliged  to  place  his  head  quite  down  upon  the  ground." 

SHYING. 

We  have  briefly  treated  of  the  cause  of  this  vice  at  page  91,  and  observed  that 
while  it  is  often  the  result  of  cowardice,  or  playfulness,  or  want  of  work,  it  is  at 

*  Mr.  Simpson  relates  an  inleresiing  though  unfortunate  case  of  this  interference,  after  the 
operation  of  neurotomy: — "An  old  but  splendid  horse  had  been  sadly  lame  in  the  otY  fore- 
foot during  some  months.  Many  plans  of  treatment  were  adopted,  without  the  desired  effect ; 
and  at  length  it  was  determined  to  have  recourse  to  neurotomy.  A  portion  of  the  metacarpal 
nerve  was  excised  on  both  sides,  just  above  the  fetlock.  Three  weeks  afterwards,  the  horse 
being  quite  free  from  lameness,  he  was  put  into  harness,  and  driven  about  twelve  miles.  He 
appeared  to  go  very  well,  but,  on  arriving  at  his  journey's  end,  it  was  found  that  the  off  hind- 
foot  was  covered  with  blood,  and  the  heels  of  the  neurotomised  foot  were  dreadfully  bruised 
and  cut.  from  repeated  blows  from  the  corresponding  foot  behind.  In  order  to  remedy  this, 
the  toe  of  ihe  hind-foot  was  ordered  to  be  shortened  as  much  as  possible. 

"  Four  davs  afterwards,  he  was  driven  again  with  the  same  contusions,  but  did  not  appear 
to  feel  the  slightest  pain,  ehher  when  the  blows  were  inflicted,  or  when  he  was  examined  again 
some  days  afterwards. 

"  There  was  not  the  same  activity  in  this  foot  that  there  had  been  before  the  operation,  and 
it  could  not  get  out  of  the  way  of  the  hind-foot,  a  circumstance  that  would  hardly  have  been 
expected,  for  it  is  the  general  belief  that,  although  sensation  is  destroyed  in  the  foot,  the  loco- 
motive  powers  of  the  teg  are  unimpaired.  This  deserves  future  inquiry." — The  Veterinarian. 
vol.  viii.  p.  242. 


364  VICES   AND    DEFECTS   OF   THE   HORSE. 

other  times  the  consequence  of  a  defect  of  sight.  It  has  been  remarked,  and  we 
believe  very  truly,  that  shying  is  oftener  a  vice  of  half  or  quarter-bred  horses,  tlian 
of  those  who  have  in  them  more  of  the  genuine  racing  blood. 

In  the  treatment  of  shying,  it  is  of  great  importance  to  distinguish  between  that 
which  is  the  consequence  of  defective  sight,  and  what  results  from  fear,  or  newness 
of  objects,  or  mere  affectation  or  skittishness.  For  the  first,  the  nature  of  which  we 
have  explained  at  page  91,  every  allowance  must  be  made,  and  care  must  be  taken 
that  the  fear  of  correction  is  not  associated  with  the  imagined  existence  of  some  ter- 
rifying object.  The  severe  use  of  the  whip  and  the  spur  cannot  do  good  here,  and  are 
likely  to  aggravate  the  vice  tenfold.  A  word  half  encouraging  and  half  scolding, 
with  a  gentle  pressure  of  the  heel,  or  a  slight  touch  of  the  spur,  will  tell  the  horse 
that  there  was  nothing  to  fear,  and  will  give  him  confidence  in  his  rider  on  a  future 
occasion.  It  should  be  remembered,  however,  that  although  a  horse  that  shies  from 
defective  sight  may  be  taught  considerable  reliance  on  his  rider,  he  can  never  have 
the  cause  of  the  habit  removed.  We  may  artificially  strengthen  the  human  sight, 
but  that  of  the  horse  must  be  left  to  itself. 

The  shying  from  skittishness  or  affectation  is  quite  a  different  affair,  and  must  be 
conquered  :  but  how^  1  Severity  is  altogether  out  of  place.  If  he  is  forced  into  con- 
tact with  the  object  by  dint  of  correction,  the  dread  of  punishment  will  afterwards  be 
associated  with  that  object,  and,  on  the  next  occasion,  his  starlings  will  be  more  fre- 
quent and  more  dangerous.  The  way  to  cure  him  is  to  go  on,  turning  as  little  as 
possible  out  of  the  road,  giving  a  harsh  word  or  two,  and  a  gentle  touch  with  the 
spur,  and  then  taking  no  more  notice  of  the  matter.  After  a  few  times,  whatever* 
may  have  been  the  object  which  he  chose  to  select  as  the  pretended  cause  of  affright, 
he  will  pass  it  almost  without  notice. 

In  page  253,  under  the  head  "  breaking  in,"  we  described  how  the  colt  may  be 
cured  of  the  habit  of  shying  from  fear  or  newness  of  objects ;  and,  if  he  then  is  ac- 
customed as  much  as  possible  to  the  objects  among  which  his  services  will  be  re- 
quired, he  will  not  possess  this  annoying  vice  w^hen  he  grows. to  maturer  age. 

Mr.  John  Lawrence,  in  his  last  work  on  the  Horse,  says,  "These  animals  gener- 
ally fix  on  some  particular  shying  butt:  for  example,  I  recollect  having,  at  different 
periods,  three  hacks,  all  very  powerful ;  the  one  made  choice  of  a  wind-mill  for  the 
object  or  butt,  the  other  a  tilted  wagon,  and  the  last  a  pig  led  in  a  string.  It  so  hap- 
pened, however,  that  I  rode  the  two  former  v>hen  amiss  from  a  violent  cold,  and  they 
then  paid  no  more  attention  to  either  wind-mills  or  tilted  wagons  than  to  any  other 
objects,  convincing  me  that  their  shying  when  in  health  and  spirits  was  pure  affecta- 
tion ;  an  affectation,  however,  which  may  be  speedily  united  with  obstinacy  and  vice. 
Let  it  be  treated  with  marked  displeasure,  mingled  with  gentle,  but  decided  firmness, 
and  the  habit  will  be  of  short  endurance."* 

It  is  now  generally  admitted  by  all  riding-masters  and  colt-breakers,  that  a  great 
deal  more  is  to  be  effected  by  lenient  than  by  harsh  treatment.  Rewards  are  found 
to  operate  more  beneficially  than  punishments ;  and  therefore  the  most  scientific  and 
practised  riding-masters  adopt  methods  based  upon  the  former.  The  writer  of  tlie 
present  work  remembers  a  very  remarkable  instance  of  the  efficacy  of  this  plan,  or 
rather  of  its  vast  and  decided  superiority  over  violence  of  the  worst  description.     A 

*  "  We  will  suppose  a  case — a  very  common  one,  an  every-day  one.  A  man  is  riding  a 
young  horse  upon  the  high-road  in  the  country,  and  meets  a  stage-coach.  What  with  the 
noise,  the  bustle,  the  imposing  appearance  altogether,  and  the  slashing  of  tli£  coachman's 
whip,  the  animal  at  its  approach  erects  its  head  and  crest,  pricks  his  ears,  looks  affrighted, 
and  no  sooner  comes  alongside  of  the  machine  than  he  suddenly  starts  out  of  the  road.  His 
rider,  annoyed  by  this,  instantly  commences  a  round  of  castigation  whh  whip,  spur,  and  curb, 
in  which  he  persists  until  the  horse,  as  well  as  liimself,  has  lost  his  temper;  and  then  one 
whips,  spurs,  and  pulls,  and  the  other  jumps,  plunges,  frets,  and  throws  up  his  head,  untU 
both,  pretty  well  exhausted  by  the  conflict,  grow  tranquil  again  and  proceed  on  their  journey, 
thougli  not  for  some  time  afterwards  in  their  former  mutual  confidence  and  satisfaction. 
Should  they  in  their  road,  or  even  on  a  distant  day,  meet  with  another  coach,  what  is  the 
consequence  ?  The  horse  is  not  only  more  alarmed  than  before,  but  now,  the  momciU  he  has 
started,  being  conscious  of  his  fault  and  e.xpeciiiig  chastisement,  he  jumps  about  in  fearful 
agitation,  making  plunges  to  strike  into  a  gallop,  and  attempting  to  run  away.  So  that  by 
this  correction,  instead  of  rendering  his  horse  tranquil  during  the  passage  of  a  coach,  the  rider 
adds  to  the  evil  of  shying  that  of  subsequently  plunging,  and  perhaps  runnmg  away."— TAe 
Feterinariafi,  vol.  i.,  p.  96. 


SLIPPING   THE    COLLAR.  365 

vicious,  thorough-bred  horse  had  baffled  the  efforts  of  every  one  into  whose  hands  he 
had  been  put  in  order  to  be  rendered  tractable  :  at  length  a  foreigner  of  considerable 
repute  among  the  equestrians  of  the  "  school,"  took  him  to  make  trial  of;  and  in  the 
course  of  a  twelvemonth  had  rendered  him  so  quiet  tliat  not  only  could  any  person 
ride  hiui  wilh  the  utmost  safety,  but,  at  the  same  time  he  was  so  docile  and  tractable 
that  he  could  bo  induced,  by  certain  signs,  to  lie  down  and  permit  his  rider  to  mount 
before  he  arose  again. 

The  same  forbearance  and  humanity  have  been  practised  with  the  same  beneficial 
results  upon  shy  horses.  With  all  such  persons  as  are  best  able  to  give  counsel  in 
cases  of  shyness,  the  language  is  now-a-days,  "  let  the  horse  alone" — "  take  no  no- 
tice of  his  shyness" — "  work  him  well  and  accustom  him  to  the  objects  he  dislikes, 
and  in  time  he  will  of  himself  leave  oft"  his  trick  of  shying." 

This  is  good  advice;  but,  let  it  not  be  misinterpreted.  Let  it  not  be  understood  to 
mean  that  the  animal  is  to  receive  any  encouragement  to  shy ;  for  by  no  other  expres- 
sion can  be  characterised  that  erroneous  and  foolish  practice  of  patting  the  horse,  or 
"  making  much  of  him,"  either  just  before  or  during  the  time  he  evinces  shyness. 
The  former  is  bad,  because  it  draws  the  attention  of  the  animal  to  the  object  he 
dreads;  the  latter  is  worse,  because  it  fills  him  with  the  impression  either  that  the 
object  itself  is  really  terrific,  or  that  he  has  acted  right  in  shying  at  it,  and  ought  to 
do  so  again. 

Whether  we  are  approaching  the  frightful  object,  or  the  horse  is  actually  shying, 
"we  should  let  him  alone" — "we  should  take  no  notice  whatever  of  him" — neither 
letting  him  perceive  that  we  are  aware  that  we  are  advancing  towards  anything  he 
dislikes ;  nor  do  more  with  him,  while  in  the  act  of  shying,  than  is  necessary  for 
due  restraint  with  a  steady  hand  upon  the  rein.  We  may  depend  upon  it,  that 
battling  on  our  part  will  only  serve  to  augment  aifright  and  arouse  resistance  on 
his,  and  that  the  most  judicious  course  we  can  pursue  is  to  persevere  in  mild  forbear- 
ant  usage. 

Shyuig  on  coming  out  of  the  stable  is  a  habit  that  can  rarely  or  never  be  cured.  It 
proceeds  from  the  remembrance  of  some  ill-usage  or  hurt  which  the  animal  has  re- 
ceived in  the  act  of  proceeding  from  the  stable,  such  as  striking  his  head  against  a 
low  doorway,  or  entangling  the  harness.  Coercion  will  but  associate  greater  fear 
and  more  determined  resistance  with  the  old  recollection.  ]Mr.  Castley  giv^es  an 
interesting  anecdote,  which  tends  to  prove  that  while  severity  will  be  worse  than 
useless,  even  kind  treatment  will  not  always  break  a  confirmed  habit.  "  I  remember 
a  very  fine  grey  mare  that  had  got  into  this  habit,  and  never  could  be  persuaded  to 
go  through  a  doorway  without  taking  an  immense  jump.  To  avoid  this,  the  servants 
used  to  back  her  in  and  out  the  stable ;  but  the  mare  happening  to  meet  with  a  se- 
vere injury  of  the  spine,  was  no  longer  able  to  back;  and  then  I  have  seen  the  poor 
creature,  when  brought  to  the  door,  endeavouring  to  balance  herself,  with  a  stag'o'cr- 
ing  motion,  upon  her  half-paralysed  hind  extremities,  as  if  making  preparation  and 
summoning  up  resolution  for  some  great  effort;  and  then,  when  urged,  she  would 
pluntje  lieadlong  forward  with  snch  violence  of  exertion,  as  often  to  lose  her  feet,  and 
tumble  down,  altogether  most  pitiable  to  be  seen.  This  I  merely  mention,"  he 
continues,  "as  one  proof  how  inveterate  the  habits  of  horses  are.  They  are  evils, 
let  it  always  be  remembered,  more  easy  to  prevent  than  to  cure." 

When  the  cure,  however,  is  early  attempted,  it  may  be  so  far  overcome  that  it  will 
be  unattended  with  danger  or  difiiculty.  The  horse  should  be  bridled  when  led  out 
or  in.  He  should  be  held  short  and  tight  by  the  head  that  he  may  feel  he  has  not 
liberty  to  make  a  leap,  and  this  of  itself  is  often  sufficient  to  restrain  him.  Punish- 
ment, or  a  threat  of  punishment,  will  be  highly  improper.  It  is  only  timid  or  high? 
spirited  horses  that  acquire  this  habit,  and  rough  usage  invariably  increases  their 
agitation  and  terror.  Some  may  be  led  out  quite  at  leisure  when  blindfolded  ;  others 
when  they  have  the  harness  bridle  on  ;  some  will  best  take  their  own  way,  and  a  few 
may  be  ridden  through  the  doorway  that  cannot  be  led,  By  quietness  and  kindness, 
however,  the  ht/rse  will  be  most  easily  and  quickly  subdued. 

SLIPPING  THE  C(iLLAR. 

This  is  a  trick  at  which  many  horses  are  so  clever  that  scarcely  a  night  passes 
tvithout  their  getting  loose.     It  is  a  very  serious  habit,  for  it  enables  the  horse  some- 
times to  gorge  himself  with  food,  to  the  imminent  danger  of  sta"-gers;  or  it  exposes 
31* 


366  THE   GENERAL  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  HORSE. 

mm,  as  he  wanders  about,  to  be  kicked  and  injured  by  the  other  horses,  while  his 
restlessness  will  often  keep  the  whole  team  awake.  If  the  web  of  the  halter,  being 
first  accurately  fitted  to  his  neck,  is  suffered  to  slip  only  one  way,  or  a  strap  is  attached 
to  the  halter  and  buckled  round  the  neck,  but  not  sufficiently  tight  to  be  of  serious 
inconvenience,  the  power  of  slipping  the  collar  will  be  taken  away. 

TRIPPING. 

He  must  be  a  skilful  practitioner  or  a  mere  pretender  who  promises  to  remedy  this 
habit.  If  it  arises  from  a  heavy  forehand,  and  the  ibre  legs  being  too  much  under  the 
horse,  no  one  can  alter  the  natural  frame  of  the  animal :  if  it  proceeds  from  tenderness 
of  the  foot,  grogginess,  or  old  lameness,  these  ailments  are  seldom  cured.  Also,  if  it 
is  to  be  traced  to  habitual  carelessness  and  idleness,  no  whipping  will  rouse  the  drone. 
A  known  slumbler  should  never  be  ridden,  or  driven  by  any  one  who  values  his  safely 
or  his  life.  A  tight  hand  or  a  strong-bearing  rein  are  precautions  that  should  not  be 
neglected,  although  they  are  generally  of  little  avail;  for  the  inveterate  stumbler  will 
rarely  be  able  to  save  himself,  and  this  tight  rein  may  sooner  and  farther  precipitate 
the  rider.  If,  after  a  trip,  the  horse  suddenly  starts  forward,  and  endeavours  to  break 
into  a  sharp  trot  or  canter,  the  rider  or  driver  may  be  assured  that  others  before  him 
have  fruitlessly  endeavoured  to  remedy  the  nuisance. 

If  the  stumbler  has  the  foot  kept  as  short  and  the  toe  pared  as  close  as  safety  will 
permit,  and  the  shoe  is  rounded  at  the  toe,  or  has  that  shape  given  to  it  which  it 
naturally  acquires  in  a  fortnight  from  the  peculiar  action  of  such  a  horse,  the  animal 
may  not  stumble  quite  so  much  ;  or  if  the  disease  which  produced  the  habit  can  be 
alleviated,  some  trifling  good  maybe  done,  but  in  almost  every  case  a  stumbler  should 
be  got  rid  of,  or  put  to  slow  and  heavy  work.  If  the  latter  alternative  is  adopted,  he 
may  trip  as  much  as  he  pleases,  for  the  weight  of  the  load  and  the  motion  of  the  other 
horses  will  keep  him  upon  his  legs. 

WEAVING. 

This  consists  in  a  motion  of  the  head,  neck,  and  body,  from  side  to  side,  like  the 
shuttle  of  a  weaver  passing  through  the  web,  and  hence  the  name  which  is  given  to 
this  peculiar  and  incessant  and  unpleasant  action.  It  indicates  an  impatient,  irritable 
temper,  and  a  dislike  to  the  confinement  of  the  stable.  A  horse  that  is  thus  incessantly 
on  the  fret  will  seldom  carry  flesh,  or  be  safe  to  ride  or  drive.  There  is  no  cure  for 
it,  but  the  close  tying-up  of  the  animal,  or  at  least  allowing  him  but  one  loose  rein, 
except  at  feeding-time. 


CHAPTER    XX. 
THE  GENERAL  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  HORSE. 

This  is  a  most  important  part  of  our  subject,  even  as  it  regards  the  farmer,  although 
there  are  comparatively  few  glaring  errors  in  the  treatment  of  the  agricultural  horse 
but  it  comes  more  especially  home  to  the  gentleman,  who  is  too  often  and  too  irnpli 
citly  under  the  guidance  of  an  idle,  and  ignorant,  and  designing  groom. 

We  will  arrange  the  most  important  points  of  general  management  under  the  fol 
lowing  heads : 

AIR. 

The  breathing  of  pure  air  is  necessary  to  the  existence  and  the  health  of  man  and 
beast.  It  is  comparatively  lately  that  this  has  been  admitted  even  in  the  manage 
ment  of  our  best  stables.  They  have  been  close,  and  hot,  and  foul,  instead  of  airy, 
and  cool,  and  wholesome.  The  effect  of  several  horses  being  shut  up  in  the  same 
stable  is  com])letely  to  empoison  the  air;  and  yet,  even  in  the  present  day,  there  are 
too  many  who  carefully  close  every  aperture  by  which  a  breath  of  fresh  air  can  by 
possibility  gain  admission.  In  effecting  this,  even  the  key-hole  and  the  threshold  are 
not  forgotten.     What,  of  necessity,  must  be  the  consequence  of  this  1     Why  !  if  one 


VENTILATION.  367 

tnouglit  is  bestowed  on  the  new  and  dangerous  character  that  the  air  is  assuming,  it 
will  be  too  evident  that  sore  throat,  and  swelled  legs,  and  bad  eyes,  and  inflamed 
lungs,  and  mange,  and  grease,  and  glanders,  will  scarcely  ever  be  long  out  of  that 
stable. 

Let  this  he  considered  in  another  point  of  view.  The  horse  stands  twenty  or  two- 
and-twenty  hours  in  this  unnatural  vapour  bath,  and  then  he  is  suddenly  stripped  of 
all  his  clothing,  he  is  led  into  the  open  air,  and  there  he  is  kept  a  couple  of  hours  or 
more  in  a  temperature  fifteen  or  twenty  degrees  below  that  of  the  stable.  Putting  the 
inhumanity  of  this  out  of  the  question,  must  not  the  animal  thus  unnaturally  and 
absurdly  treated  be  subjected  to  rheumatism,  catarrh,  and  various  other  complaints? 
Does  he  not  often  stand,  hour  after  hour,  in  the  road  or  the  street,  while  his  owner  is 
warming  himself  within,  and  this  perhaps  after  every  pore  has  been  opened  by  a 

rushing  gallop,  and  his  susceptibility  to  the  painful  and  the  injurious  influence  of 
cold  has  been  excited  to  the  utmost] 

It  is  not  so  generally  known,  as  it  ought  to  be,  that  the  return  to  a  hot  stable  is 
quite  as  dangerous  as  tiie  change  from  a  heated  atmosphere  to  a  cold  and  biting  air. 
Many  a  horse  that  has  travelled  without  harm  over  a  bleak  country,  has  been  suddenly 
seized  with  inflammation  and  fever  when  he  has,  immediately  at  the  end  of  his 
jourue}^  been  surrounded  with  heated  and  foul  air.  It  is  the  sudden  change  of  tem- 
perature, whether  from  heat  to  cold,  or  from  cold  to  heat,  that  does  the  mischief,  and 
yearly  destroys  thousands  of  horses. 

Mr.  Clarke  of  Edinburgh  was  the  first  who  advocated  the  use  of  well-ventilated 
stables.  After  him  Professor  Coleman  established  them  in  the  quarters  of  the  cavalry 
troops,  and  there  cannot  be  a  doubt  that  he  saved  the  government  many  thousand 
pounds  every  year.  His  system  of  ventilation,  however,  like  many  other  salutary 
innovations,  was  at  first  strongly  resisted.  Much  evil  was  predicted ;  but  after  a 
time,  diseases  that  used  to  dismount  whole  troops,  almost  entirely  disappeared  from 
the  army. 

The  stable  should  be  as  large,  compared  with  the  number  of  horses  that  it  is  destined 
to  contain,  as  circumstances  will  allow.  A  stable  for  six  horses  should  not  be  less 
than  forty  feet  in  length,  and  thirteen  or  fourteen  feet  wide.  If  there  is  no  loft  above, 
the  inside  of  the  roof  should  always  be  plastered,  in  order  to  prevent  direct  currents 
of  air  and  occasional  droppings  from  broken  tiles.  The  heated  and  foul  air  should 
escape,  and  cool  and  pure  air  be  admitted,  by  elevation  of  the  central  tiles  ;  or  by  large 
tubes  carried  through  the  roof,  with  caps  a  little  above  them,  to  prevent  the  beating  in 
of  the  rain ;  or  by  gratings  placed  high  up  in  the  walls.  These  latter  apertures 
should  be  as  far  above  the  horses  as  they  can  conveniently  be  placed,  by  which  means 
all  injurious  draught  will  be  prevented. 

If  there  is  a  loft  above,  the  stable,  the  ceiling  should  be  plastered,  in  order  to  prevent 
the  foul  air  from  penetrating  to  the  hay  above,  and  injuring  both  its  taste  and  its 
wholesomeness ;  and  no  openings  should  be  allowed  above  the  racks,  through  which 
the  hay  may  be  thrown  into  them;  for  they  will  permit  the  foul  air  to  ascend  to  the 
provender,  and  also  in  the  act  of  filling  the  rack,  and  while  the  horse  is  eagerly  gazing 
upward  for  his  food,  a  grass  seed  may  fall  into  the  eye,  and  produce  considerable 
inflammation.  At  other  times,  when  the  careless  groom  has  left  open  the  trap-door, 
a  stream  of  cold  air  beats  down  on  the  head  of  the  horse. 

The  stable  with  a  loft  over  it  should  never  be  less  than  twelve  feet  high,  and  proper 
ventilation  should  be  secured  either  by  tubes  carried  through  the  loft  to  the  roof,  or  by 
gratings  close  to  the  ceiling.  These  gratings  or  openings  should  be  enlarged  or  con- 
tracted by  means  of  a  covering  or  shutter,  so  that  during  spring,  summer,  and  autumn, 
the  stable  may  possess  nearly  the  same  temperature  with  the  open  air,  and  in  winter 
a  temperature  of  not  more  than  ten  degrees  above  that  of  the  external  atmosphere. 

A  hot  stable  has,  in  the  mind  of  the  groom,  been  long  connected  with  a  glossy 
coat.     The  latter,  it  is  thought,  cannot  be  obtained  without  the  former. 

To  this  we  should  reply,  that  in  winter  a  thin,  glossy  coat  is  not  desirable.  Nature 
gives  to  every  animal  a  warmer  clothing  when  the  cold  weather  approaches.  The 
horse — the  agricultural  horse  especially — acquires  a  thicker  and  a  lengthened  coat,  in 
order  to  defend  him  from  the  surrounding  cold.  Man  puts  on  an  additional  and  a 
warmer  covering,  and  his  comfort  is  increased  and  his  health  preserved  by  it.  He 
wno  knows  anything  of  the  farmer's  horse,  or  cares  about  his  enjoyment,  will  not 
tjbject  to  a  coat  a  little  longer  and  a  little  roughened  when  the  wintry  wind  blows 


8  THE  GENERAL  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  HORSE. 

leak.  The  coat,  however,  needs  not  to  be  so  long  as  to  be  unsightly;  and  warm 
iilothing,  even  in  a  cool  stable,  will,  with  plenty  of  honest  grooming,  keep  the  liair 
sufficiently  smooth  and  glossy  to  satisfy  the  most  fastidious.  The  overheated  air  of 
a  close  stable  saves  much  of  this  grooming,  and  therefore  the  idle  attendant  unscru- 
pulously sacrifices  the  health  and  safety  of  the  horse.  When  we  have  presently  to 
treat  oi'  the  hair  and  skin  of  the  horse,  this  will  be  placed  in  a  somewhat  different 
Doint  of  view. 

If  the  stable  is  close,  the  air  will  not  only  be  hot,  but  foul.  The  breathing  of  every 
animal  contaminates  it ;  and  when,  in  the  course  of  the  night,  with  evi  ry  aperture 
stopped,  it  passes  again  and  again  through  the  lungs,  the  blood  cannot  undergo  its 
proper  and  healthy  change;  digestion  will  not  be  so  perfectly  performed,  and  all  the 
functions  of  life  are  injured.  Let  the  owner  of  a  valuable  horse  think  of  his  passing 
twenty  or  twenty-two  out  of  the  twenty-four  hours  in  this  debilitating  atmnspliere! 
Nature  does  wonders  in  enabling  every  animal  to  accommodate  itself  to  the  situation 
in  which  it  is  placed,  and  the  horse  that  lives  in  the  stable-oven  suffers  less  from  it 
than  would  scarcely  be  conceived  possible;  but  he  does  not,  and  cannot,  possess 
the  power  and  the  hardihood  which  he  would  acquire  under  other  circumstances. 

The  air  of  the  improperly  close  and  heated  stable  is  still  farther  contaminated  by 
the  urine  and  dung,  which  rapidly  ferment  there,  and  give  out  stimulating  and  un- 
wholesome vapours.  "When  a  person  first  enters  an  ill-managed  stable,  and  especially 
early  in  the  morning,  he  is  annoyed,  not  only  by  the  heat  of  the  confined  air,  but  by 
a  pungent  smell,  resembling  hartshorn;  and  can  he  be  surprised  at  the  inflammation 
of  the  eyes,  and  the  chronic  cough,  and  the  disease  of  the  lungs,  by  which  the  animal, 
who  has  been  all  night  shut  up  in  this  vitiated  atmosphere,  is  often  attacked  ;  or  if 
glanders  and  farcy  should  occasionally  break  out  in  such  stables?  It  has  been  ascer- 
tained by  chemical  experiment  that  the  urine  of  the  horse  contains  in  it  an  exceedingly 
large  quantity  of  hartshorn;  and  not  only  so,  but  that,  influenced  by  the  heat  of  a 
crowded  stable,  and  possibly  by  other  decompositions  that  are  going  forward  at  the 
same  time,  this  ammoniacal  vapour  begins  to  be  rapidly  given  out  almost  immediately 
after  the  urine  is  voided. 

When  disease  begins  to  appear  among  the  inhabitants  of  these  ill-ventilated  places, 
is  it  wonderful  that  it  should  rapidly  spread  among  them,  and  that  the  plague-spot 
should  be,  as  it  were,  placed  on  the  door  of  such  a  stable  1  When  distemper-  appears 
in  spring  or  in  autumn,  it  is  in  very  many  cases  to  be  traced  to  such  a  pest-house.  It 
is  peculiarly  fatal  there.  The  horses  belonging  to  a  small  establishment,  and  ration- 
ally treated,  have  it  comparatively  seldom,  or  have  it  lightly  ;  but  among  tlie  inmates 
of  a  crowded  stable  it  is  sure  to  display  itself,  and  there  it  is  most  fatal.  The  experi- 
ence of  every  veterinary  surgeon,  and  of  every  large  proprietor  of  horses,  will  corro- 
borate this  statement.  Agriculturists  should  bring  to  their  stables  the  common  sense 
which  directs  them  in  the  usual  concerns  of  life,  and  should  begin,  when  their  plea- 
sures and  their  property  are  so  much  at  stake,  to  assume  that  authority  and  to  enforce 
that  obedience,  to  the  lack  of  which  is  to  be  attributed  the  greater  part  of  bad  stable- 
management  and  horse-disease.  Of  nothing  are  we  more  certain  than  that  the  majority 
of  the  maladies  of  the  horse,  and  those  of  the  worst  and  most  fatal  character,  are 
directl}!'  or  indirectly  to  be  attributed  to  a  deficient  supply  of  air,  cruel  exaction  of 
work,  and  insufficient  or  bad  fare.  Each  of  these  evils  is  to  be  dreaded — each  is,  in 
a  manner,  watching  for  its  prey;  and  when  they  are  combined,  more  than  half  of  the 
inmates  of  the  stable  are  often  swept  away. 

Every  stable  should  possess  within  itself  a  certain  degree  of  ventilation.  The  cost 
of  this  would  be  trifling,  and  its  saving  in  the  preservation  of  valuable  animals  may 
be  immense.  The  apertures  need  not  be  large,  and  the  whole  may  be  so  contrived 
that  no  direct  current  of  air  shall  fall  on  the  horse. 

A  gentleman's  stable  should  never  be  without  a  thermometer.  The  temperature 
should  seldom  exceed  70°  in  the  summer,  or  sink  below  40°  or  50°  in  the  winter. 

LITTER. 

Having  spoken  of  the  vapour  of  hartshorn,  which  is  so  rapidly  and  so  plentifully 
given  out  from  the  urine  of  a  horse  in  a  heated  stable,  we  next  take  into  consideration 
the  subject  of  litter.  The  first  caution  is  frequently  to  remove  it.  The  early 
extrication  of  gas  shows  the  rapid  putrefaction  of  the  urine;  and  the  consequence  of 
which  will  be  the  rapid  putrefaction  of  the  litter  that  has  been  moistened  by  it. 


LIGHT.  369 

Everythincr  hastening  to  decomposition  should  be  carefully  removed  where  life  and 
health  are  to  be  preserved.  The  litter  that  has  been  much  wetted  or  at  all  soflnned 
by  the  urine,  and  is  beginning  to  decay,  should  be  swept  away  every  morning;  the 
greater  part  of  the  remainder  may  then  be  piled  under  the  manger;  a  little  being  left 
to  prevent  the  painful  and  injurious  pressure  of  the  feet  on  the  hard  pavement  during 
the  day.  The  soiled  and  macerated  portion  of  that  which  was  left  should  ne  removed 
at  night.  In  the  better  kind  of  stables,  however,  the  stalls  should  be  completely 
emptied  every  morning. 

No  heap  of  fermenting  dung  should  be  suffered  to  remain  during  the  day  in  the 
corner  or  in  any  part  of  the  stable.  With  regard  to  this,  the  directions  of  the  master 
should  be  peremptory. 

The  stable  should  be  so  contrived  that  the  urine  shall  quickly  run  off,  and  the 
offensive  and  injurious  vapour  from  the  decomposing  fluid  and  the  litter  will  thus  be 
materially  lessened :  if,  however,  the  urine  is  carried  away  by  means  of  a  gutter  run- 
ning along  the  stable,  the  floor  of  the  stalls  must  slant  towards  that  gutter,  and  the 
declivity  must  not  be  so  great  as  to  strain  the  back  sinews,  and  become  an  occasional, 
although  unsuspected,  cause  of  lameness.  Mr.  R.  Lawrence  well  observes,  that, 
"  if  the  reader  will  stand  for  a  few  minutes  with  his  toes  higher  than  his  heels,  the 
pain  he  will  feel  in  the  calves  of  his  legs  will  soon  convince  him  of  the  truth  of  this 
remark.  Hence,  when  a  horse  is  not  eating,  he  always  endeavours  to  find  his  level, 
either  by  standing  across  the  stall  or  else  as  far  back  as  his  halter  will  permit,  so  that 
his  liind-legs  may  meet  the  ascent  of  the  other  side  of  the  channel." 

This  inclination  of  the  stall  is  also  a  frequent  cause  of  contraction  of  the  heels  of 
the  foot,  by  throwing  too  great  a  proportion  of  the  weight  upon  the  toe  and  removing 
that  pressure  on  the  heels  which  tends  most  to  keep  them  open.  Care,  therefore, 
must  be  taken  that  the  slanting  of  the  floor  of  the  stalls  shall  be  no  more  than  is  suf- 
ficient to  drain  off  the  urine  with  tolerable  rapidity.  Stalls  of  this  kind  certainly  do 
best  for  mares ;  but  for  horses  we  much  prefer  those  with  a  grating  in  the  centre,  and 
a  slight  inclination  of  the  floor  on  every  side  towards  the  middle.  A  short  branch 
may  communicate  with  a  larger  drain,  by  means  of  which  the  urine  may  be  carried 
off  to  a  reservoir  outside  the  stable.  Traps  are  now  contrived,  and  may  be  procured 
at  little  expense,  by  means  of  which  neither  any  offensive  smell  nor  current  of  air 
can  pass  through  the  graling. 

The  farmer  should  not  lose  any  of  the  urine.  It  is  from  the  dung  of  the  horse  that 
he  derives  a  principal  and  most  valuable  part  of  his  manure.  It  is  that  which  earliest 
takes  on  the  process  of  putrefaction,  and  forms  one  of  the  strongest  and  most  durable 
dressings.  That  which  is  most  of  all  concerned  with  the  rapidity  and  the  perfection 
of  the  decomposition  is  the  urine. 

Humanity  and  interest,  as  well  as  the  appearance  of  the  stable,  should  induce  the 
proprietor  of  the  horse  to  place  a  moderate  quantity  of  litter  under  him  during  the 
day.  The  farmer  who  wants  to  convert  every  otherwise  useless  substance  into  ma- 
nure, will  have  additional  reason  for  adopting  this  practice :  especially  as  he  does  not 
confine  himself  to  that  to  which  in  towns  and  in  gentlemen's  stables  custom  seems 
to  have  limited  the  bed  of  the  horse.  Pea  and  bean-haum,  and  potato-tops,  and 
heath,  occupy  in  the  stable  of  the  farmer,  during  a  part  of  the  year,  the  place  of 
wheaten  and  oaten  straw.  It  should,  however,  be  remembered,  that  these  substances 
are  disposed  more  easily  to  ferment  and  putrefy  than  straw,  and  therefore  should  be 
more  carefully  examined  and  oftener  removed.  It  is  the  faulty  custom  of  some  farm- 
ers to  let  the  bed  accumulate  until  it  reaches  almost  to  the  horse's  belly,  and  the  bot- 
om  of  it  is  a  mass  of  dung.  If  there  were  not  often  many  a  hole  and  cranny  through 
which  the  wind  can  enter  and  disperse  the  foul  air,  the  health  of  the  animal  would 
materially  suffer. 

LIGHT. 

This  neglected  branch  of  stable-management  is  of  far  more  consequence  than  is 
generally  imagined ;  and  it  is  particularly  neglected  by  those  for  whom  these  trea- 
tises are  principally  designed.  The  farmer's  stable  is  frequently  destitute  of  any 
glazed  window,  and  has  only  a  shutter,  which  is  raised  in  warm  weather,  and  closed 
when  the  weather  becomes  cold.  When  the  horse  is  in  the  stable  only  during  a  few 
hours  in  the  day,  this  is  not  of  so  much  consequence,  nor  of  so  much,  probably,  with 
regard  to  horses  of  slow  work ,  but  to  carriage-horses  and  hackneys,  so  far,  at  least, 

2w 


370  TPIE  GENERAL  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  HORSE. 

as  the  eyes  are  concerned,  a  dark  stable  is  little  less  injurious  than  a  foul  and  heated 
one.  In  order  to  illustrate  this,  reference  may  be  made  to  the  unpleasant  feeling,  and 
the  utter  impossibility  of  seeing  distinctly,  when  a  man  suddenly  emerges  from  a 
dark  place  into  the  full  blaze  of  day.  The  sensation  of  mingled  pain  and  giddiness 
i<5  not  soon  forgotten;  and  some  minutes  pass  before  the  eye  can  accommodate  itself 
to  the  increased  light.  If  this  were  to  happen  every  day,  or  several  times  in  the  day, 
the  sight  would  be  irreparably  injured,  or  possibly  blindness  would  ensue.  Can  we 
wonder,  then,  that  tlie  horse,  taken  from  a  dark  stable  into  a  glare  of  light,  feeling, 
probably,  as  we  should  do  under  similar  circumstances,  and  unable  for  a  considerable 
time  to  see  anything  around  him  distinctly,  should  become  a  starter,  or  that  the  fre- 
quently repeated  violent  effect  of  sudden  light  should  induce  inflammation  of  the  eye 
30  intense  as  to  terminate  in  blindness  1  There  is,  indeed,  no  doubt  that  horses  kept 
in  dark  stables  are  frequently  notorious  starters,  and  that  abominable  habit  has  been 
properly  traced  to  this  cause. 

Planners  know,  and  should  profit  by  the  knowledge,  that  the  darkness  of  the  stable 
is  not  unfrequently  a  cover  for  great  uncleanliness.  A  glazed  window,  with  leaden 
divisions  between  the  small  panes,  would  not  cost  much,  and  would  admit  a  degree 
of  light  somewhat  more  approaching  to  that  of  day,  and  at  the  same  time  would  ren- 
der the  concealment  of  gross  inattention  and  want  of  cleanliness  impossible. 

If  plenty  of  light  is  admitted,  the  w-alla  of  the  stable,  and  especially  that  portion 
of  them  which  is  before  the  horse's  head,  must  not  be  of  too  glaring  a  colour.  The 
constant  reflection  from  a  white  wall,  and  especially  if  the  sun  shines  into  the  stable, 
•will  be  as  injurious  to  the  eye  as  the  sudden  changes  from  darkness  to  light.  The 
perpetual  slight  excess  of  stimulus  will  do  as  much  mischief  as  the  occasional  but 
more  violent  one  when  the  animal  is  taken  from  a  kind  of  twilight  to  the  blaze  of 
day.  The  colour  of  the  stable,  therefore,  should  depend  on  the  quantity  of  light. 
Where  much  can  be  admitted,  the  walls  should  be  of  a  grey  hue.  Where  dark- 
ness would  otherwise  prevail,  frequent  whitewashing  may  in  some  degree  dissipate 
the  gloom. 

For  another  reason,  it  will  be  evident  that  the  stable  should  not  possess  too  glaring 
a  light:  it  is  the  resting-place  of  the  horse.  The  work  of  the  fanner's  horse,  indeed, 
is  confined  principally  to  the  day.  The  hour  of  exertion  having  passed,  the  animal 
returns  to  his  stable  to  feed  and  to  repose,  and  the  latter  is  as  necessary  as  the  former, 
in  order  to  prepare  him  for  renewed  work.  Something  approaching  to  the  dimness 
of  twilight  is  requisite  to  induce  the  animal  to  compose  himself  to  sleep.  This  half- 
light  more  particularly  suits  horses  of  heavy  work,  and  who  draw  almost  as  much  by 
the  weight  of  carcass  which  they  can  throw  into  the  collar,  as  by  the  degree  of  mus- 
cular energy  of  which  they  are  capable.  In  the  quietness  of  a  dimly-lighted  stable, 
they  obtain  repose,  and  accumulate  flesh  and  fat.  Dealers  are  perfectly  aware  of  this. 
They  have  their  darkened  stables,  in  which  the  young  horse,  with  little  or  no  exercise, 
and  fed  upon  mashes  and  ground  corn,  is  made  up  for  sale.  The  round  and  plump 
appearance,  however,  which  may  delude  the  unwary,  soon  vanishes  with  altered 
treatment,  and  the  animal  is  found  to  be  unfit  for  hard  work,  and  predisposed  to  many 
an  inflammatory  disease.  The  circumstances,  then,  under  which  a  stable  somewhat 
darkened  may  be  allowed,  will  be  easily  determined  by  the  owner  of  the  horse ;  but, 
as  a  general  rule,  dark  stables  are  unfriendly  to  cleanliness,  and  the  frequent  cause  of 
the  vice  of  starting,  and  of  the  most  serious  diseases  of  the  eyes. 

GROOMING. 

Of  this,  much  need  not  be  said  to  the  agriculturist,  since  custom,  and  apparently 
without  ill  effect,  has  allotted  so  little  of  the  comb  and  brush  to  the  fiirmer's  horse. 
The  animal  that  is  worked  all  day,  and  turned  out  at  night,  requires  little  more  to  be 
done  to  him  than  to  have  the  dirtbrushed  off  his  limbs.  Regular  grooming,  by  ren- 
dering his  skin  more  sensible  to  the  alteration  of  temperature,  and  the  inclemency  of 
the  weather,  would  be  prejudicial.  The  horse  that  is  altogether  turned  out,  needs  no 
grooming.  The  dandriff,  or  scurf,  which  accumulates  at  the  roots  of  the  hair,  is  a 
provision  of  nature  to  defend  him  from  the  wind  and  the  cold. 

It  is  to  the  stabled  horse,  highly  fed,  and  little  or  irregularly  worked,  that  grooming 
is  of  so  much  consequence.  Good  rubbing  with  the  brush,  or  the  currycomb,  opens 
the  pores  of  the  skin,  circulates  the  blood  to  the  extremities  of  the  body,  produces 
free  and  healthy  perspiration,  and  stands  in  the  room  of  exercise.     No  horse  will 


EXERCISE.  371 

carry  a  fine  coat  without  either  unnatural  heat  or  dressing.  They  both  effect  the  same 
purpose ;  they  both  increase  the  insensible  perspiration  :  but  the  first  does  it  at  the 
expense  of  health  and  strength,  while  the  second,  at  the  same  time  that  it  produces  a 
glow  on  the  skin,  and  a  determination  of  blood  to  it,  rouses  all  the  energies  of  the 
frame.  It  would  be  well  for  the  proprietor  of  the  horse  if  he  were  to  insist  —  and  to 
see  that  his  orders  are  really  obeyed — that  the  fine  coat  in  which  he  and  his  groom  so 
much  delight,  is  produced  by  honest  rubbing,  and  not  by  a  heated  stable  and  thick 
clothing,  and  most  of  all,  not  by  stimulating  or  injurious  spices.  The  horse  should 
be  regularly  dressed  every  day,  in  addition  to  the  grooming  that  is  necessary  after 
work. 

When  the  weather  will  permit  the  horse  to  be  taken  out,  he  should  never  be  groomed 
in  the  stable,  unless  he  is  an  animal  of  peculiar  value,  or  placed  for  a  time  under  pecu- 
liar circumstances.  Without  dwelling  on  the  want  of  cleanliness,  when  the  scurf  and 
dust  that  are  brushed  from  the  horse  lodge  in  his  manger,  and  mingle  with  his  food, 
experience  teaches,  that  if  the  cold  is  not  too  great,  the  animal  is' braced  and  invigo- 
rated to  a  degree  that  cannot  be  attained  in  the  stable,  from  being  dressed  in  the 
open  air.  There  is  no  necessity,  however,  for  half  the  punishment  which  many  a 
groom  inflicts  upon  the  horse  in  the  act  of  dressing;  and  particularly  on  one  whose 
skin  is  thin  and  sensible.  The  curry-comb  should  at  all  times  be  lightly  applied. 
W^ith  many  horses,  its  use  may  be  almost  dispensed  with;  and  even  the  brush  needs 
not  to  be  so  hard,  nor  the  points  of  the  bristles  so  irregular,  as  they  often  are.  A 
soft  brash,  with  a  little  more  weight  of  the  hand,  will  be  equally  effectual,  and  a  great 
deal  more  pleasant  to  the  horse.  A  hair-cloth,  while  it  will  seldom  irritate  and  tease, 
will  be  almost  sufficient  with  horses  that  have  a  thin  skin,  and  that  have  not  been 
neglected.  After  all,  it  is  no  slight  task  to  dress  a  horse  as  it  ought  to  be  done.  It 
occupies  no  little  time,  and  demands  considerable  patience,  as  well  as  dexterity.  It 
will  be  readily  ascertained  whether  a  horse  has  been  well  dressed  by  rubbing  him 
with  one  of  the  fingers.  A  greasy  stain  will  delect  the  idleness  of  the  groom. 
When,  however,  the  horse  is  changing  his  coat,  both  the  curry-comb  and  the  brush 
should  be  used  as  lightly  as  possible. 

Whoever  would  be  convinced  of  the  benefit  of  friction  to  the  horse's  skin,  and  to 
the  horse  generally,  needs  only  to  observe  the  effects  produced  by  well  hand-rubbing 
the  legs  of  a  tired  horse.  W'hile  every  enlargement  subsides,  and  the  painful  stiffness 
disappears,  and  the  legs  attain  their  natural  warmth,  and  become  fine,  the  animal  is 
evidently  and  rapidly  reviving ;  he  attacks  his  food  with  appetite,  and  then  quietly 
lies  down  to  rest. 

EXERCISE. 

Our  observations  on  this  important  branch  of  stable-management  must  have  only  a 
slight  reference  to  the  agricultural  horse.  His  work  is  usually  regular,  and  not 
exhausting.  He  is  neither  predisposed  to  disease  by  idleness,  nor  worn  out  by  exces- 
sive exertion.  He,  like  his  master,  has  enough  to  do  to  keep  him  in  health,  and  not 
enough  to  distress  or  injure  him:  on  the  contrary,  the  regularity  of  his  work  prolongs 
life  to  an  extent  rarely  witnessed  in  the  stable  of  the  gentleman.  Our  remarks  on 
exercise,  then,  must  have  a  general  bearing,  or  have  principal  reference  to  those  per- 
sons who  are  in  the  middle  stations  of  life,  and  who  contrive  to  keep  a  horse  for  busi- 
ness or  pleasure,  but  cannot  afford  to  maintain  a  servant  for  the  express  purpose  of 
looking  after  it.  The  first  rule  we  would  lay  down  is,  that  every  horse  should  have 
daily  exercise.  The  animal  that,  with  the  usual  stable  feeding,  stands  idle  for  three 
or  four  days,  as  is  the  case  in  many  establishments,  must  suffer.  He  is  predisposed 
to  fever,  or  to  grease,  or,  most  of  all,  to  diseases  of  the  foot ;  and  if,  after  three  or  four 
days  of  inactivity,  he  is  ridden  far  and  fast,  he  is  almost  sure  to  have  inflammation 
of  the  luncfs  or  of  the  feet. 

A  gentleman  or  tradesman's  horse  suffers  a  great  deal  more  from  idleness  than  he 
does  from  work.  A  stable-fed  horse  should  have  t\vo  hours'  exercise  every  day.  if  ho 
is  to  be  kept  free  from  disease.  Nothing  of  extraordinary^  or  even  of  ordinarj'  labour 
can  be  effected  on  the  road  or  in  the  field,  without  sufiicient  and  regular  exercise.  It 
is  this  al'ine  which  can  give  energy  to  the  system,  or  develope  the  powers  of  any 
animal. 

How,  then,  is  this  exercise  to  be  given  1  As  much  as  possible  by,  or  under  the 
superintendence  of,  the  owner.     The  exercise  given  by  the  groom  is  rarely  to  bo 


372  THE  GENERAL  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  HORSE. 

depended  upon.  It  is  inefficient  or  it  is  extreme.  It  is  in  many  cases  both  irregular 
and  injurious.  It  is  dependent  upon  the  caprice  of  him  who  is  performing  a  task, 
and  who  will  render  that  task  subservient  to  his  own  pleasure  or  purpose. 

In  training  the  hunter  and  the  race-horse,  regular  exercise  is  the  most  important  of 
all  considerations,  however  it  may  be  forgotten  in  the  usual  management  of  the  stable. 
The  exercised  horse  will  discharge  his  task,  and  sometimes  a  severe  one,  with  ease 
and  pleasure ;  while  the  idle  and  neglected  one  will  be  fatigued  ere  half  his  labour  is 
accomplished,  and,  if  he  is  pushed  a  little  too  far,  dangerous  inflammation  will  ensue. 
How  often,  nevertheless,  does  it  happen,  that  the  horse  which  has  stood  inactive  in 
the  stable  three  or  four  days,  is  ridden  or  driven  thirty  or  forty  rnilcs  in  the  course  of 
a  single  day  I  This  rest  is  often  purposely  given  to  prepare  for  extra-exertion  ; — to 
lay  in  a  stock  of  strength  for  the  performance  of  the  task  required  of  him :  and  then 
the  owner  is  surprised  and  dissatisfied  if  the  animal  is  fairly  knocked  up,  or  possibly 
becomes  seriously  ill.  Nothing  is  so  common  and  so  preposterous,  as  for  a  person  to 
buy  a  horse  from  a^dealer's  stable,  where  he  has  been  idly  fattening  for  sale  for  many 
a  day,  and  immediately  to  give  him  a  long  run  after  the  hounds,  and  then  to  complain 
bitterly,  and  think  that  he  has  been  imposed  upon,  if  the  animal  is  exhausted  before 
the  end  of  the  chase,  or  is  compelled  to  be  led  home  suffering  from  violent  inflamma- 
tion. Regular  and  gradually  increasing  exercise  would  have  made  the  same  horse 
appear  a  treasure  to  his  owner. 

Exercise  should  be  somewhat  proportioned  to  the  age  of  the  horse.  A  young  horse 
requires  more  than  an  old  one.  Nature  has  given  to  young  animals  of  every  kind  a 
disposition  to  activity ;  but  the  exercise  must  not  be  violent.  A  great  deal  depends 
upon  the  manner  in  which  it  is  given.  To  preserve  the  temper,  and  to  promote 
health,  it  should  be  moderate,  at  least  at  the  beginning  and  the  termination.  Tlie 
rapid  trot,  or  even  the  gallop,  may  be  resorted  to  in  the  middle  of  the  exercise,  but 
the  horse  should  be  brought  in  cool.  If  the  owner  would  seldom  intrust  his  horse  to 
boys,  and  would  insist  on  the  exercise  being  taken  within  sight,  or  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  his  residence,  many  an  accident  and  irreparable  injury  would  be  avoided.  It 
should  be  the  owner's  pleasure,  and  it  is  his  interest,  personally  to  attend  to  all  these 
thino-s.  He  manages  every  other  part  of  his  concerns,  and  he  may  depend  on  it  that 
he  suffers  when  he  neglects,  or  is  in  a  manner  excluded  from,  his  stables. 

FOOD. 

The  system  of  manger-feeding  is  becoming  general  among  farmers.  There  are  few 
horses  that  do  not  habitually  waste  a  portion  of  their  hay;  and  by  some  the  greater 
part  is  pulled  down  and  trampled  under  foot,  in  order  first  to  cull  the  sweetest  and 
best  locks,  and  which  could  not  be  done  while  the  hay  was  enclosed  in  the  rack.  A 
good  feeder  will  afterwards  "pick  up  much  of  that  which  was  thrown  down ;  but  some 
of  it  must  be  soiled  and  rendered  disgusting,  and,  in  many  cases,  one-third  of  this 
division  of  their  food  is  wasted.  Some  of  the  oats  and  beans  are  imperfectly  chewed 
by  all  horses,  and  scarcely  at  all  by  hungry  and  greedy  ones.  The  appearance  of  the 
dung  will  sufficiently  evince  this. 

The  observation  of  this  induced  the  adoption  of  manger-feeding,  or  of  mixing  a 
portion  of  chaff  with  the  corn  and  beans.  By  this  means  the  animal  is  compelled  to 
chew  his  food  ;  he  cannot,  to  any  great  degree,  waste  the  straw  or  hay  ;  the  chaff  is 
too  hard  and  too  sharp  to  be  swallowed  without  considerable  mastication,  and,  while 
he  is  forced  to  grind  tliat  down,  the  oats  and  beans  are  ground  with  it,  and  yield  more 
nourishment;  the  stomach  is  more'  slowly  filled,  and  therefore  acts  better  on  its  con- 
tents, and  is  not  so  likely  to  be  overloaded  ;  and  the  increased  quantity  of  saliva 
thrown  out  in  the  lengthened  maceration  of  the  food,  softens  it,  and  makes  it  more  fi» 
for  digestion. 

Professor  Stewart  very  properly  remarks  that  "  many  horses  swallow  their  corn  in 
great  haste,  and  when  much  is  eaten,  that  habit  is  exceedingly  dangerous.  The  sto 
mach  is  filled — it  is  overloaded  before  it  has  time  to  make  preparation  for  acting  ou 
its  contents  —  the  food  ferments,  and  painful  or  dangerous  colic  ensues.  By  adding 
chaff  to  his  corn,  tl.j  horse  must  take  more  time  to  eat  it,  and  time  is  given  for  the 
commencement  of  digestion,  before  fermentation  can  occur.  In  this  way  chaff  is  very 
useful,  especially  after  long  fasts."* 

*  Stewart's  Stable  CEconomy,  p.  225. 


FOOD.  373 

If,  when  considerable  provender  was  wasted,  the  horse  maintained  his  condition, 
and  was  able  to  do  jiis  work,  it  was  evident  that  much  might  be  saved  to  the  farmer, 
when  lie  adopted  a  system  by  which  the  horse  ate  all  that  was  set  before  him ;  and 
by  degrees  it  was  found  out  that,  even  food  somewhat  less  nutritious,  but  a  great  deal 
cheaper,  and  which  the  horse  either  would  not  eat,  or  would  not  properly  grind  down 
in  its  natural  state,  might  be  added,  while  the  animal  would  be  in  quite  as  good  plight, 
and  always  ready  for  work. 

Chaft'may  be  composed  of  equal  quantities  of  clover  or  meadow  hay,  and  wheaten, 
oaten,  or  barley  straw,  cut  into  pieces  of  a  quarter  or  half  an  inch  in  length,  and 
mingled  well  together  ;  the  allowance  of  oats  or  beans  is  afterwards  added,  and  mixed 
with  the  chaff.  Many  farmers  very  properly  bruise  tlie  oats  or  beans.  The  whole 
oat  is  apt  to  slip  out  of  the  chaff  and  be  lost;  but  when  it  is  bruised,  and  especially 
if  the  chaff  is  a  little  wetted,  it  will  not  readily  separate ;  or,  should  a  portion  of  it 
escape  the  grinders,  it  will  be  partly  prepared  for  digestion  by  the  act  of  bruising. 
The  prejudice  against  bruising  the  oats  is,  so  far  as  the  farmer's  horse,  and  the  wagon 
horse,  and  every  horse  of  slow  draught,  are  concerned,  altogether  unfounded.  The 
quantity  of  straw  in  the  chaff  will  always  counteract  any  supposed  purgative  quality 
in  the  bruised  oats.  Horses  of  quicker  draught,  except  they  are  naturally  disposed  to 
scour,  will  thrive  better  with  bruised  than  with  whole  oats;  for  a  greater  quantity  of 
nutriment  will  be  extracted  from  the  food,  and  it  will  always  be  easy  to  apportion  the 
quantity  of  straw  or  beans  to  the  effect  of  the  mixture  on  the  bowels  of  the  horse. 
The  principal  alteration  that  should  be  made  in  the  horse  of  harder  and  more  rapid 
work,  such  as  the  post-horse,  and  the  stage-coach  horse,  is  to  increase  the  quantity 
of  hay,  and  diminish  that  of  straw.  Two  trusses  of  hay  may  be  cut  with  one  of 
straw. 

Some  gentlemen,  in  defiance  of  the  prejudice  and  opposition  of  the  coachman  or  the 
groom,  have  introduced  this  mode  of  feeding  into  the  stables  of  their  carriage-horses 
and  hackneys,  and  with  manifest  advantage.  There  has  been  no  loss  of  condition  or 
power,  and  considerable  saving  of  provender.  This  system  is  not,  however,  calculated 
for  the  hunter  or  the  race-horse.  Their  food  must  lie  in  smaller  bulk,  in  order  that 
the  action  of  the  lungs  may  not  be  impeded  by  the  distension  of  the  stomach ;  yet 
many  hunters  have  gone  well  over  the  field  who  have  been  manger-fed,  the  proportion 
of  corn,  however,  being  materially  increased. 

For  the  agricultural  and  cart  horse,  eight  pounds  of  oats  and  two  of  beans  should 
be  added  to  every  twenty  pounds  of  chaff.  Thirty-four  or  thirty-six  pounds  of  the 
mixture  will  be  sufficient  for  any  moderate-sized  horse,  with  fair,  or  even  hard  work. 
The  dray  and  wagon  horse  may  require  forty  pounds.  Hay  in  the  rack  at  night  is,  in 
this  case,  supposed  to  be  omitted  altogether.  The  rack,  however,  may  remain,  as 
occasionally  useful  for  the  sick  horse,  or  to  contain  tares  or  other  green  meat. 

Horses  are  very  fond  of  this  provender.  The  majority  of  them,  after  having  been 
accustomed  to  it,  will  leave  the  best  oats  given  to  them  alone,  for  the  sake  of  the 
mingled  chaff  and  corn.  We  would,  however,  caution  the  farmer  not  to  set  apart  too 
much  damaged  hay  for  the  manufacture  of  the  chaff.  The  horse  may  be  thus  induced 
to  eat  that  which  he  would  otherwise  refuse  ;  but  if  the  nourishing  property  of  the 
hay  has  been  impaired,  or  it  has  acquired  an  injurious  principle,  the  animal  will  either 
lose  condition,  or  become  diseased.  Much  more  injury  is  done  by  eating  damacfed 
hay  or  musty  oats  than  is  generally  imagined.  There  will  be  sufficient  saving  in  the 
diminished  cost  of  the  provender  by  the  introduction  of  the  straw,  and  the  improved 
condition  of  the  horse,  without  poisoning  him  with  the  refuse  of  the  farm.  For  old 
horses,  and  for  those  with  defective  teeth,  chaff  is  peculiarly  useful,  and  for  them  the 
grain  should  be  broken  down  as  well  as  the  fodder. 

While  the  mixture  of  chaff  with  the  corn  prevents  it  from  being  too  rapidly  de- 
voured and  a  portion  of  it  swallowed  whole,  and  therefore  the  stomach  is  not  too 
loaded  with  that  on  which,  as  containing  the  most  nutriment,  its  chief  digestive  powe- 
should  be  exerted,  yet,  on  the  whole,  a  great  deal  of  time  is  gained  by  this-  mode  ot 
feeding,  and  more  is  left  for  rest.  When  a  horse  comes  in  wearied  at  the  close  of 
the  day,  it  occupies,  after  be  has  eaten  his  corn,  two  or  three  hours  to  clear  his  rack. 
On  the  system  of  manger-feeding,  the  chaff  being  already  cut  into  small  pieces,  and 
the  beans  and  oats  bruised,  he  is  able  fully  to  satisfy  his  appetite  in  an  hour  and  a 
half.  Two  additional  hours  are  therefore  devoted  to  rest.  This  is  a  circumstance 
des(;rving  of  much  consideration  even  in  the  farmer's  stable,  and  of  immense  conse- 
32 


374  THE  GENERAL  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  HORSE. 

quence  to  the  postmaster,  the  stage-coach  proprietor,  and  the  owner  of  jvery  hard 
worked  horse. 

Mano-er  food  will  be  the  usual  support  of  the  farmer's  horse  during  the  winter,  and 
while  at  constant  or  occasional  hard  work ;  but  from  the  middle  of  April  to  the  ena 
of  July,  he  may  be  fed  with  this  mixture  in  the  day  and  turned  out  at  night,  or  he 
may  remain  out  duiing  every  rest-day.  A  team  in  constant  employ  should  not,  how- 
ever, be  suffered  to  be  out  at  night  after  the  end  of  July. 

The  farmer  should  take  care  that  the  pasture  is  thick  and  good ;  and  that  the  dis- 
tance from  the  yard  is  not  too  great,  or  the  fields  too  large,  otherwise  a  very  consid- 
erable portion  of  time  will  be  occupied  in  catching  the  horses  in  the  morning.  He 
will  likewise  have  to  take  into  consideration  the  sale  he  would  have  for  his  hay,  and 
the  necessity  for  sweet  and  untrodden  pasture  for  his  cattle.  On  the  whole,  how  ever, 
turning  out  in  this  way,  when  circumstances  will  admit  of  it,  will  be  found  to  be 
more  beneficial  for  the  horse,  and  cheaper  than  soiling  in  the  yard.* 

The  horse  of  the  inferior  farmer  is  sometimes  fed  on  hay  or  grass  alone,  and  the 
animal,  although  he  rarely  gets  a  feed  of  corn,  maintains  himself  in  tolerable  condi- 
tion, and  does  the  work  that  is  required  cf  him :  but  hay  and  grass  alone,  however 
good  in  quality,  or  in  whatever  quantity  allowed,  will  not  support  a  horse  under  hard 
work.  Other  substances  containing  a  larger  proportion  of  nutriment  in  a  smaller 
compass,  have  been  added.  They  shall  be  briefly  enumerated,  and  an  estimate  form- 
ed of  their  comparative  value. 

In  almost  every  part  of  Great  Britain,  Oats  have  been  selected  as  that  portion  of 
the  food  which  is  to  afford  the  principal  nourishment.  They  contain  seven  hundred 
and  forty-three  parts  out  of  a  thousand  of  nutritive  matter.  They  should  be  about  or 
somewhat  less  than  a  year  old,  heavy,  dry,  and  sweet.  New  oats  will  Aveigh  ten  or 
fifteen  per  cent,  more  than  old  ones ;  but  the  difference  consists  principally  in  watery 
matter,  which  is  gradually  evaporated.  New  oats  are  not  so  readily  ground  down 
by  the  teeth  as  old  ones.  They  form  a  more  glutinous  mass,  difficult  to  digest,  and, 
when  eaten  in  considerable  quantities,  are  apt  to  occasion  colic  and  even  staggers. 
If  they  are  to  be  used  before  they  are  from  tliree  to  five  months  old,  they  would  be 
materially  improved  by  a  little  kiln-drying.  There  is  no  fear  for  the  horses  from 
simple  drying,  if  the  corn  was  good  when  it  was  put  into  the  kiln.  The  old  oat 
forms,  when  chewed,  a  smooth  and  uniform  mass,  which  readily  dissolves  in  the  sto- 
mach, and  yields  the  nourishment  which  it  contains.  Perhaps  some  chemical  change 
may  have  been  slowly  effected  in  the  old  oat,  disposing  it  to  be  more  readily  assimi- 
lated. Oats  should  be  plump,  bright  in  colour,  and  free  from  unpleasant  smell  or 
taste.  The  musty  smell  of  wetted  or  damaged  corn  is  produced  by  a  fungus  which 
grows  upon  the  seed,  and  which  has  an  injurious  effect  on  the  urinary  organs,  and 
often  on  the  intestines,  producing  profuse  staling,  inflammation  of  the  kidneys,  colic, 
and  inflammation  of  the  bowels. 

This  musty  smell  is  removed  by  kiln-drying  the  oat ;  but  care  is  here  requisite  that 
too  great  a  degree  of  heat  is  not  emploj^ed.     It  should  be  sufficient  to  destroy  the  fun- 

*  Professor  Stewart  thus  sums  up  the  comparative  advantages  of  chaff  and  racked  feed- 
ing : — 

"  Where  the  stablemen  are  careful,  waste  of  fodder  is  diminished,  but  not  prevented,  by 
feeding  from  the  manger. 

"  Where  the  racks  are  good,  careful  stablemen  may  prevent  nearly  all  waste  of  fodder  with- 
out cutting  it. 

"  An  accurate  distribution  of  the  fodder  is  not  a  very  important  object. 

"  No  horse  seems  to  like  his  corn  the  better  for  being  mingled  with  chaff. 

"  Among  half-starved  horses  chaff-cutting  promotes  the  consumption  of  damaged  fodder. 

"  Full-fed  horses,  rather  than  eat  the  mixture  of  sound  with  unsound,  will  reject  the  whole, 
or  eat  less  than  their  work  demands. 

"  Chaff  is  more  easily  eaten  than  hay.  This  is  an  advantage  to  old  horses  and  others  work- 
ing all  day — a  disadvantage  when  the  horses  stand  long  in  the  stable. 

"  Chaft'  insures  complete  mastication  and  deliberate  digestion  of  the  corn.  It  is  of  con- 
siderable, and  of  most  importance  in  this  respect.  All  the  fodder  needs  not  to  be  mingled 
with  the  corn,  one  pound  of  chaff  being  sufficient  to  secure  the  mastication  and  slow  ingestion 
of  four  pounds  of  corn. 

"  The  cost  of  cutting  all  the  fodder,  especially  for  heavy  horses,  is  repaid  only  when  hay  is 
dear,  and  wasted  in  largo  quantities. 

"  Among  hard-workmg  horse-s  bad  food  should  never  be  cut." — Stewart's  Stable  Qlconu- 
my,  p,  225, 


FOOD.  375 

fr\is  without  injuring  the  life  of  the  seed.  Many  persons,  but  without  just  cause, 
have  considerable  fear  of  the  kiln-burnt  oat.  It  is  said  to  produce  inflammation  of 
the  bladder,  and  of  the  eyes,  and  mangy  affections  of  the  skin.  The  fact  is,  that 
many  of  the  kiln-dried  oats  that  are  given  to  horses  were  damaged  before  they  were 
dried,  and  thus  became  uniiealthy.  A  considerable  improvement  would  be  etfected 
by  cutting  the  unthreshed  oat-straw  into  chaff,  and  the  expense  of  threshing  would 
be  saved.  Oat-straw  is  better  than  that  of  barley,  but  does  not  contain  so  much  nu 
triment  as  that  of  wheal . 

When  the  horse  is  fed  on  hay  and  oats,  the  quantity  of  the  oats  must  vary  with 
his  size  and  the  work  to  be  performed.  In  winter,  four  feeds,  or  from  ten  to  fourteen 
pounds  of  oats  in  the  day,  will  be  a  fair  allowance  for  a  horse  of  fifteen  hands  one 
or  two  inches  high,  and  tiiat  has  moderate  work.  In  summer,  half  the  quantity,  with 
green  food,  will  be  suflicieiit.  Those  who  work  on  the  farm  have  from  ten  to  four- 
teen pounds,  and  the  hunter  from  twelve  to  sixteen.  Tiiere  are  no  efficient  and  safe 
substitutes  for  good  oats;  but,  on  the  contrary,  we  are  much  inclined  to  believe  that 
they  possess  an  invigorating  property  which  is  not  found  in  other  food. 

Oatmeal  will  form  a  poultice  more  stimulating  than  one  composed  of  linseed  meal 
alone — or  they  may  be  mingled  in  different  proportions,  as  circumstances  require.  In 
the  form  of  gruel  it  constitutes  one  of  the  most  important  articles  of  diet  for  the  sick 
horse — not,  indeed,  forced  upon  him,  but  a  pail  containing  it  being  slung  in  his  box, 
and  of  which  he  will  soon  begin  to  drink  wlien  water  is  denied.  Few  grooms  make 
good  gruel ;  it  is  either  not  boiled  long  enough,  or  a  sufficient  quantity  of  oatmeal  has 
not  been  used.  The  proportions  should  be,  a  pound  of  meal  thrown  into  a  gallon  of 
water,  and  kept  constantly  stirred  until  it  boils,  and  five  minutes  afterwards. 

White-water,  made  by  stirring  a  pint  of  oatmeal  in  a  pail  of  water,  the  chill  being 
taken  from  it,  is  an  excellent  beverage  for  the  thirsty  and  tired  horse. 

Barlev  is  a  common  food  of  the  horse  on  various  parts  of  the  Continent,  and, 
until  the  introduction  of  the  oat,  seems  to  have  constituted  almost  his  only  food.  It 
is  more  nutritious  than  oats,  containing  nine  hundred  and  twenty  parts  of  nutritive 
matter  in  every  thousand.  There  seems,  however,  to  be  something  necessary  be- 
sides a  great  proportion  of  nutritive  matter,  in  order  to  render  any  substance  whole- 
some, strengthening,  or  fattening ;  therefore  it  is  that,  in  many  horses  that  are  hardly 
worked,  and,  indeed,  in  horses  generally,  barley  does  not  agree  with  them  so  well  as 
oats.  They  are  occasionally  subject  to  inflammatory  complaints,  and  particularly  to 
surfeit  and  mange. 

When  barley  is  given,  the  quantity  should  not  exceed  a  peck  daily.  It  should 
always  be  bruised,  and  the  chaff  should  consist  of  equal  quanti'ies  of  hay  and  bar- 
le^'-straw,  and  not  cut  too  short.  If  the  farmer  has  a  quantity  of  spotted  or  unsale- 
able barley  that  he  wishes  thus  to  get  rid  of,  he  must  very  gradually  accustom  his 
horses  to  it,  or  he  will  probably  produce  serious  illness  among  them.  For  horses  that 
are  recovering  from  illness,  barley,  in  the  form  of  malt,  is  often  serviceable,  as  tempt- 
ing the  appetite  and  recruiting  the  strength.  It  is  best  given  in  mashes — water,  con- 
siderably below  the  boiling  heat,  being  poured  upon  it,  and  the  vessel  or  pail  kept 
covered  for  half  an  hour. 

Grains  fresh  from  the  mash-tub,  either  alone,  or  mixed  with  oats  or  chaff,  or  both, 
may  be  occasionally  given  to  horses  of  slow  draught;  they  would,  however,  afford 
very  insufficient  nourishment  for  horses  of  quicker  or  harder  work. 

Wheat  is,  in  Great  Britain,  more  rarely  given  than  barley.  It  contains  nine  hun- 
dred and  fiftj'-five  parts  of  nutritive  matter.  When  farmers  have  a  damaged  or  un- 
marketable sample  of  wheat,  they  sometimes  give  it  to  their  horses,  and,  being  at 
first  used  in  small  quantities,  they  become  accustomed  to  it,  and  thrive  and  work 
well :  it  must,  however,  always  be  bruised  and  given  in  chaff.  Wheat  contains  a 
greater  portion  of  gluten,  or  sticky,  adhesive  matter,  than  any  other  kind  of  grain. 
It  is  difficult  of  digestion,  and  apt  to  cake  and  form  obstructions  in  the  bowels.  This 
will  oftener  be  the  case  if  the  horse  is  suffered  to  drink  much  water  soon  after  feed- 
ing upon  wheat. 

Fermentation,  colic,  and  death,  are  occasionally  the  consequence  of  eating  any 
great  quantity  of  wheat.  A  horse  that  is  fed  on  wheat  should  have  very  little  hay. 
Tlie  proportion  should  not  be  more  than  one  truss  of  hay  to  two  of  straw.  Wheaten 
flour,  boiled  in  water  to  the  thickness  of  starch,  is  given  with  good  effect  in  cs^er-purg- 
ing,  and  especially  if  combined  with  chalk  and  opium. 


376  THE  GENERAL  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  HORSE. 

Bran,  or  the  ground  husk  of  the  wheat,  used  to  be  frequently  given  to  sick  horses 
on  account  of  the  supposed  advantage  derived  from  its  relaxing  the  bowels.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  it  does  operate  gently  on  the  intestinal  canal,  and  assists  in  quick- 
ening the  passage  of  its  contents,  when  it  is  occasionally  given ;  but  it  must  not  be 
a  constant,  or  even  frequent  food.  Mr.  Ernes  attended  three  mills  at  which  many 
horses  were  kept,  and  there  were  always  two  or  three  cases  of  indigestion  from  the 
accumulation  of  bran  or  pollard  in  the  large  intestines.  Bran  may,  however,  be  use- 
ful as  an  occasional  aperient  in  the  form  of  a  mash,  but  never  should  become  a  regu- 
lar article  of  food. 

Beans. — These  form  a  striking  illustration  of  the  principle,  that  the  nourishing  or 
strengthening  effects  of  the  ditferent  articles  of  food  depend  more  on  some  peculiar 
property  which  they  possess,  or  some  combination  which  they  iorm,  than  on  the  ac- 
tual quantity  of  nutritive  matter.  Beans  contain  but  live  hundred  and  seventy  parts 
of  nutritive  matter,  yet  they  add  materially  to  the  vigour  of  the  horse.  There  are 
many  horses  that  will  not  stand  hard  work  without  beans  being  mingl.  d  with  their 
food,  and  these  not  horses  whose  tendency  to  purge  it  may  be  necessary  to  restrain 
by  the  astringency  of  the  bean.  There  is  no  traveller  who  is  not  aware  of  the  ditVer- 
ence  in  the  spirit  and  continuance  of  his  horse  whether  he  allows  or  denies  him  beans 
on  his  journey.  They  afford  not  merely  a  temporary  stimulus,  but  they  may  be  daily 
used  without  losing  their  power,  or  producing  exhaustion.  They  are  indispensable 
to  the  hard-worked  coach-horse.  Washy  horses  could  never  get  through  their  work 
without  them;  and  old  horses  would  often  sink  under  the  task  imposed  upon  them. 
Tney  should  not  be  given  to  the  horses  whole  or  split,  but  crushed.  This  will  make 
a  meterial  difference  in  the  quantity  of  nutriment  that  will  be  extracted.  They  are 
sometimes  given  to  turf  horses,  but  only  as  an  occasional  stimulant.  Two  pounds 
of  beans  may,  with  advantage,  be  mixed  with  the  chaff  of  the  agricultural  horse, 
during  the  winter.  In  summer  the  quantity  of  beans  should  be  lessened,  or  they 
should  be  altogether  discontinued.  Beans  are  generally  given  whole.  This  is  very 
absurd  ;  for  the  young  horse  whose  teeth  are  strong,  seldom  requires  them ;  while  the 
old  horse,  to  whom  they  are  in  a  manner  necessary,  is  scarcely  able  to  masticate  them, 
swallows  many  of  them  which  he  is  unable  to  break,  and  drops  much  corn  from  his 
mouth  in  the  ineffectual  attempt  to  crush  them.  Beans  should  not  be  merely  split, 
but  crushed ;  they  will  even  then  give  sufficient  employment  to  the  grinders  of  the 
animal.  Some  postmasters  use  chaff  with  beans  instead  of  oats.  With  hardly- 
worked  horses  they  may  possibly  be  allowed;  but,  in  general  cases,  beans,  without 
oats,  would  be  too  binding  and  stimulating,  and  would  produce  costiveness,  and  pro- 
bably megrims  or  staggers. 

Beans  should  be  at  least  a  twelvemonth  old  before  they  are  given  to  the  horse,  and 
they  should  be  carefully  preserved  from  damp  and  niouldiness,  which  at  least  disgust 
the  horse  if  they  do  no  other  harm,  and  harbour  an  insect  that  destroys  the  inner  part 
of  the  bean. 

The  straw  of  the  bean  is  nutritive  and  wholesome,  and  is  usually  given  to  the 
horses.  Its  nutritive  properties  are  supposed  to  be  little  inferior  to  those  of  oats.  The 
small  and  plump  bean  is  generally  the  best. 

Peas  are  occasionally  given.  They  appear  to  be  in  a  slight  degree  more  nourish- 
ing than  beans,  and  not  so  heating.  They  contain  five  hundred  and  seventy-four 
parts  of  nutritive  matter.  For  horses  of  slow  work  they  may  be  used ;  but  the 
quantity  of  chaff  should  be  increased,  and  a  few  oats  added.  They  have  not  been 
found  to  answer  with  horses  of  quick  draught.  It  is  essential  that  they  should  be 
crushed ;  otherwise,  on  account  of  their  globular  form,  they  are  apt  to  escape  from 
the  teeth,  and  many  are  swallowed  whole.  Exposed  to  warmth  and  moisture  in 
the  stomach,  they  swell  considerably,  and  may  painfully  and  injuriouslj'  distend  it. 
The  peas  that  are  given  to  horses  should  be  sound,  and  at  least  a  twelvemonth  old. 

In  some  northern  counties  pea-meal  is  frequently  used,  not  only  as  an  excellent  food 
for  the  horse,  but  as  a  remedy  for  diabetes. 

Linseed  is  sometimes  given  to  sick  horses — raw,  ground,  and  boiled.  It  is  sup- 
posed to  be  useful  in  cases  of  catarrh.* 

*  "Mr.  Black,  veterinary  surgeon  of  the  14th  Dragoons,  says  that  sugar  was  tried  as  an 
article  of  food  during  the  Peninsular  War.  Ten  horses  were  selected,  each  of  which  got  8 
l)Ounds  a  day  at  four  rations.     They  took  it  very  readily,  and  their  coats  became  fine,  smooth 


FOOD.  377 

Herba>To,  jrreen  and  dr}',  constitutes  a  principal  part  of  the  food  of  the  horse.  There 
are  few  thina^s  with  regard  to  which  the  farmer  is  so  careless  as  the  mixture  of  grasses 
on  both  his  upland  and  meadow  pasture.  Hence  we  find,  in  the  same  field,  the  ray- 
grass,  coaiinir  to  perfection  only  in  a  loamy  soil,  not  fit  to  cut  until  the  middle  or  lat- 
ter part  of  .Inly,  and  yielding  little  aftermath  ;  the  meadow  fox-tail,  best  cultivated  in 
a  clayey  soil,  fit  for  the  scythe  in  the  beginning  of  June,  and  yielding  a  plentiful 
aftermath;  tlie  glauctnis  fescue-grass,  ready  at  the  middle  of  June,  and  rapidly  dete- 
riorating in  value  as  ils  seeds  ripen;  and  the  fertile  meadow-grass, increasing  in  value 
until  the  end  of  July.  These  are  circumstances  the  importance  of  which  will,  at  no 
distant  period,  be  recognised.  In  the  mean  time,  Sinclair's  account  of  the  different 
grasses,  or  the  condensation  of  the  most  important  part  of  his  work  in  Sir  Humphry 
Davy's  Agricultural  (.'hemistry,  or  Low's  Elements  of  Practical  Agriculture,  are  well 
deserving  of  the  diligent  perusal  of  the  farmer. 

Hay  is  most  in  perfection  when  it  is  about  a  twelvemonth  old.  The  horse  perhaps 
would  prefer  it  earlier,  but  it  is  neither  so  wholesome  nor  so  nutritive,  and  often  has 
a  purgative  qualitj".  When  it  is  about  a  year  old,  it  retains  or  should  retain  some- 
what of  its  green  colour,  its  agreeable  smell  and  its  pleasant  taste.  It  has  undergone 
the  slow  process  of  fermentation,  by  which  the  sugar  which  it  contains  is  developed, 
and  its  nutritive  quality  is  fully  exercised.  Old  hay  becomes  dry  and  tasteless,  and 
innutritive  and  unwholesome.  After  the  grass  is  cut,  and  the  hay  stacked,  a  slight 
degree  of  fermentation  takes  place  in  it.  This  is  necessary  for  the  development  of 
the  saccharine  principle;  but  of'casionally  it  proceeds  t^o  far  and  the  hay  becomes 
mowbur?}t,  in  which  state  it  is  injurious,  or  even  poisonous.  The  horse  soon  shows 
the  effect  which  it  has  upon  him.  He  has  diabetes  to  a  considerable  degree  —  he 
becomes  hidebound — his  strength  is  wasted — his  thirst  is  excessive,  and  he  is  almost 
worthless. 

Where  the  system  of  manger-feeding  is  not  adopted,  or  where  hay  is  still  allov.'ed 
at  night,  and  chaff  and  corn  in  the  day,  there  is  no  error  into  which  the  farmer  is  so 
apt  to  fall  as  to  give  an  undue  quantity  of  hay,  and  that  generally  of  the  worst  kind. 
If  the  manger  system  is  good,  there  can  be  no  necessity  for  hay,  or  only  for  a  small 
quantity  of  it;  but  if  the  rack  is  overloaded,  the  greedy  horse  will  be  eating  all  night, 
instead  of  taking  his  rest  —  when  the  time  for  the  morning  feed  arrives,  his  stomach 
will  be  already  filled,  and  he  will  be  less  capable  of  work  from  the  want  of  sleep,  and 
from  the  long-continued  distension  of  the  stomach  rendering  it  impossible  for  the  food 
to  be  properly  digested. 

It  is  a  good  practice  to  sprinkle  the  hay  with  water  in  which  salt  has  been  dis- 
solved. It  is  evidently  more  palatable  to  the  animal,  who  will  leave  the  best  unsalted 
hay  for  that  of  an  inferior  quality  that  has  been  moistened  with  brine ;  and  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  the  salt  verj'  materially  assists  the  process  of  digestion.  The  pre- 
ferable way  of  salting  the  hay  is  to  sprinkle  it  over  the  different  layers  as  the  rick  is 
formed.  From  its  attraction  for  water,  it  would  combine  with  that  excess  of  moisture 
which,  in  wet  seasons,  is  the  cause  of  too  rapid  and  violent  fermentation,  and  of  the 
hay  becoming  mowburnt,  or  the  rick  catching  fire,  and  it  would  become  more  incor- 
porated with  the  hay.  The  only  objection  to  its  being  thus  used  is,  that  the  colour 
of  the  hay  is  not  so  bright;  but  this  will  be  of  little  consequence  for  home  consump- 
tion. 

Of  the  value  of  Tares,  as  forming  a  portion  of  the  late  spring  and  summer  food  of 
the  stabled  and  agricultural  horse,  there  can  be  no  doubt.  They  are  cut  after  the  pods 
are  formed,  but  a  considerable  time  before  the  seeds  are  ripe.  They  supply  a  larger 
quantity  of  food  for  a  limited  time  than  almost  any  other  forage-crop.  The  vicia  sntiva 
is  the  most  profitable  variety  of  the  tare.  It  is  very  nutritive,  and  acts  as  a  gentle 
aperient.  When  surfeit-lumps  appear  on  the  skin,  and  the  horse  begins  to  rub  him 
self  against  the  divisions  of  the  stall,  and  the  legs  swell,  and  the  heels  threaten  to 
crack,  a  few  tares,  cut  up  with  the  chaff,  or  given  instead  of  a  portion  of  the  hay,  will 
afford  considerable  relief.     Ten  or  twelve  pounds  may  be  allowed  daily,  and  half  thai 

and  fflossy.  They  got  no  corn,  and  only  7  pounds  of  hay,  instead  of  the  ordinary  allowance, 
which  is  i2  pounds.  The  sugar  seemed  to  sujiply  the  place  of  the  corn  so  well,  that  it  would 
have  been  probably  given  abroad;  but  peace  came,  and  the  circumstances  that  rendered  the 
use  of  sucrar  for  corn  desirable  ceased,  and  the  horses  returned  to  their  usual  diet.  That  the 
BUgar  iniuht  not  be  appropriated  to  other  purposes  it  was  shghtly  scented  with  assafcEtida, 
which  did  not  produce  any  apparent  effect  upon  them." 
32*  2x 


378  THE  GENERAL  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  HORSE. 

weight  of  hay  subtracted.     It  is  an  erroneous  notion,  that,  given  in  moderate  cjuanti- 
ties,  they  either  roughen  the  coat  or  lessen  the  capability  for  hard  work. 

Rye  Grass  aflbrds  a  valuable  article  of  food,  but  is  inferior  to  the  tare.  It  is  no! 
so  nutritive.  It  is  apt  to  scour  and,  occasionally,  and  late  in  the  spring,  it  has  ap 
peared  to  be  injurious  to  the  horse. 

Clover,  for  soiling  the  horse,  is  inferior  to  the  tare  and  the  rye  grass,  but  neverthe- 
less, is  useful  when  they  cannot  be  obtained.  Clover  hay  is,  perhaps,  preferable  to 
meadow  hay  for  chaff.  It  will  sometimes  tempt  the  sick  horse,  and  may  be  given 
with  advantage  to  those  of  slow  and  heavy  work ;  but  custom  seems  properly  to  have 
forbidden  it  to  the  hunter  and  the  hackney. 

LucERN,  where  it  can  be  obtained,  is  preferable  even  to  tares,  and  sain-foin  is  supe- 
rior to  lucern.  Although  they  contain  but  a  small  quantity  of  nutritive  matter,  it  is 
easily  digested,  and  perfectly  assimilated.  They  speedily  put  both  muscle  and  fat 
on  the  Jiorse  that  is  worn  down  by  labour,  and  they  are  almost  a  specific  for  hide- 
bound. Some  farmers  have  thought  so  highly  of  lucern  as  to  substitute  it  for  oats. 
This  may  be  allowable  for  tiie  agricultural  horse  of  slow  and  not  severe  work,  but  he 
from  t\hom  speedier  action  is  sometimes  required,  and  the  horse  of  all  work,  must 
have  a  propoition  of  hard  meat  within  him. 

The  .Swedish  Turnip  is  an  article  of  food  the  value  of  which  has  not  been  suffi- 
ciently appreciated,  and  particularly  for  agricultural  horses.  Although  it  is  far  from 
containing  the  quantity  of  nutritive  matter  which  has  been  supposed,  that  which  it 
has  seems  to  be  capable  of  easy  and  complete  digestion.  It  should  be  sliced  with 
chopped  straw,  and  without  hay.  It  quickly  fattens  the  horse,  and  produces  a  smooth 
glossy  coat  and  a  loose  skin.  It  will  be  good  practice  to  give  it  once  in  the  day,  and 
that  at  night  when  the  work  is  done. 

Carrots. — The  virtues  of  this  root  are  not  sufficiently  known,  whether  as  contri- 
buting to  the  strength  and  endurance  of  the  sound  horse,  or  the  rapid  recovery  of  the 
sick  one.  To  the  healthy  horse  they  should  be  given  sliced  in  his  chaff.  Half  a 
bushel  will  be  a  fair  daily  allowance.  There  is  little  provender  of  which  the  horse  is 
fonder.  The  following  account  of  the  value  of  the  carrot  is  not  exaggerated.  "This 
root  is  held  in  mucli  esteem.  There  is  none  better,  nor  perhaps  so  good.  When  first 
given  it  is  slightly  diuretic  and  laxative;  but  as  the  horse  becomes  accustomed  to  it, 
these  effects  cease  to  be  produced.  They  also  improve  the  state  of  the  skin.  They 
form  a  good  substitute  for  grass,  and  an  excellent  alterative  for  horses  out  of  condi- 
tion. To  sick  and  idle  horses  they  render  corn  unnecessary.  They  are  beneficial  in 
all  chronic  diseases  connected  with  breathing,  and  have  a  marked  influence  upon 
chronii;  cough  and  broken  wind.  They  are  serviceable  in  diseases  of  the  skin,  and 
in  combination  with  oats  they  restore  a  worn  horse  much  sooner  than  oats  alone."* 

Potatoes  have  been  given,  and  with  advantage,  in  their  raw  state,  sliced  with  the 
cbafi';  but,  where  it  has  been  convenient  to  boil  or  steam  tliem,  the  benefit  has  been 
far  more  evident.  Purging  has  then  rarely  ensued.  Some  have  given  boiled  potatoes 
alone,  and  horses,  instead  of  rejecting  them,  have  soon  preferred  them  even  to  the 
oat;  but  it  is  better  to  mix  them  with  the  usual  manger  feed,  in  the  proportion  of  one 
pound  of  potatoes  to  two  and  a  half  pounds  of  the  other  ingredients.  The  use  of  the 
potato  must  depend  on  its  cheapness,  and  the  facility  for  boiling  it.  Half  a  dozen 
horses  would  soon  repay  the  expense  of  a  steaming  boiler  in  the  saving  of  provender, 
without  taking  into  the  account  their  improved  condition  and  capability  for  work.j" 
A  horse  fed  on  potatoes  should  have  his  quantity  of  water  materially  curtailed. 

Furze  has  sometimes  been  given  during  the  winter  months.  There  is  considerable 
trouble  attending  the  preparation  of  it,  although  its  plentifulness  and  little  value  for 
other  purposes  would,  on  a  large  farm,  well  repay  that  trouble.  The  furze  is  cut 
down  at  about  three  or  four  years'  growth  ;  the  green  branches  of  that  and  the  pre- 
ceding year  are  bruised  in  a  mill,  and  then  given  to  the  horses  in  the  state  in  which 
they  come  from  the  mill,  or  cut  up  with  the  chaff.      Horses  are  very  fond  of  it.      If 

*  Stewart's  Stable  CEconomy,  p.  183. 

+  Professor  Low  says  that  15  lbs.  of  potatoes  yield  as  much  nourishment  as  four  pounds  and 
a  half  of  oats.  Von  Thayer  asserts  that  three  bushels  are  equal  to  112  lbs.  of  hay  ;  and  Cur- 
wen,  who  tried  potatoes  extensively  in  the  feeding  of  horses,  says  that  an  acre  goes  as  far  aa 
four  acres  of  hay. 


FOOD.  379 

twenty  pounds  of  the  furze  are  given,  five  pounds  of  straw,  the  beans,  and  three 
pounds  of  the  oats,  may  be  withdrawn. 

It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  conchido  this  catak)gue  of  the  different  articles  of 
horse-food  with  a  list  of  the  quantities  of  nutritive  matter  contained  in  each  of  them ; 
for  although  these  quantities  cannot  be  considered  as  expressing  the  actual  value  of 
each,  because  other  circumstances  besides  the  simple  quantity  of  nutriment  seem  to 
influence  their  effect  in  supporting  the  strength  and  condition  of  the  horse,  yet  many 
a  useful  hint  may  be  derived  when  the  farmer  looks  over  the  produce  of  his  soil,  and 
inquires  what  other  grasses  or  vegetables  might  suit  his  land.  Tlie  list  is  partly 
taken  from  Sir  Humphry  Davy's  Agricultural  Chemistry : — 1000  parts  of  wheat  con- 
tain 955  parts  of  nutritive  matter  ;  barley,  920  ;  oats,  743  ;  peas,  574  ;  beans,  570 ; 
potatoes,  230;  red  beet,  118;  parsneps,  99  ;  carrots,  98.  Of  the  grasses,  1000  parts 
of  the  meadow  cat's-tail  contain,  at  the  time  of  seeding,  98  parts  of  nutiitive  matter; 
narrow-leaved  meadow  grass  in  seed,  and  sweet-scented  soft  grass  in  flower,  95; 
narrow-leaved  and  flat-stalked  meadow  grass  in  flower,  fertile  meadow  grass  in  seed, 
and  tall  fescue  in  flower,  93 ;  fertile  meadow  grass,  meadow  fescue,  reed-like  fescue, 
and  creeping  soft  grass  in  flower,  78  ;  sweet-scented  soft  grass  in  flower,  and  the 
aftermath,  77;  florin,  cut  in  the  winter,  76;  tall  fescue,  in  the  aftermath,  and  meadow 
soft  grass  in  flower,  74 ;  cabbage,  73 ;  crested  dog's-tail  and  brome,  when  flowering, 
71;  yellow  oat,  in  flower,  66;  Swedish  turnips,  64;  narrow-leaved  meadow  grass, 
creeping  beet,  round-headed  cocksfoot,  and  spiked  fescue,  59 ;  roughish  and  fertile 
meadow  grass,  flowering,  56  ;  florin,  in  summer,  54 ;  common  turnips,  4'2  ;  sain-foin, 
and  broad-leaved  and  long-rooted  clover,  39;  white  clover,  32;  and  lucern,  23. 

The  times  of  feeding  should  be  as  equally  divided  as  convenience  will  permit;  and 
when  it  is  likely  that  the  horse  will  be  kept  longer  than  usual  from  home,  the  nose- 
bag should  invariably  be  taken.  The  small  stomach  of  the  horse  is  emptied  in  a  few 
hours ;  and  if  he  is  suffered  to  remain  hungry  much  beyond  his  accustomed  time,  he 
will  afterwards  devour  his  food  so  voraciously  as  to  distend  the  stomach  and  endanger 
an  attack  of  staggers.  When  this  disease  appears  in  tlie  farmer's  stable,  he  may 
attribute  it  to  various  causes;  the  true  one,  in  the  majority  of  instances,  is  irregularity 
in  feeding.  If  the  reader  will  turn  back  to  page  97,  he  will  be  convinced  that  this 
deserves  more  serious  attention  than  is  generally  given  to  it. 

When  extra  work  is  required  from  the  animal,  the  system  of  management  is  often 
injudicious,  for  a  double  feed  is  put  before  him,  and  as  soon  as  he  has  swallowed  it, 
he  is  started.  It  would  be  far  better  to  give  him  a  double  feed  on  the  previous  eve- 
ning, which  would  be  digested  before  he  is  wanted,  and  then  he  might  set  out  in  the 
morning  after  a  very  small  portion  of  corn  has  been  given  to  him,  or  perhaps  only  a 
little  hay.  One  of  the  most  successful  methods  of  enabling  a  horse  to  get  well 
through  a  long  journey,  is  to  give  him  only  a  little  at  a  time  while  on  the  road,  and 
at  night  to  indulge  him  with  a  double  feed  of  corn  and  a  full  allowance  of  beans. 

Water.  —  This  is  a  part  of  stable  management  little  regarded  by  the  farmer.  He 
lets  his  horses  loose  morning  and  night,  and  they  go  to  the  nearest  pond  or  brook  and 
drink  their  fill,  and  no  harm  results,  for  they  obtain  that  kind  of  water  which  nature 
designed  them  to  have,  in  a  manner  prepared  for  them  by  some  unknown  influence 
of  the  atmosphere,  as  well  as  by  the  deposition  of  many  saline  admixtures.  The  dif- 
ference between  hard  and  soft  water  is  known  to  every  one.  In  hard  water,  soap  will 
curdle,  vegetables  will  not  boil  soft,  and  the  saccharine  matter  of  the  malt  cannot  be 
fully  obtained  in  the  process  of  brewing.  There  is  nothing  in  which  the  different 
effect  of  hard  and  soft  water  is  so  evident,  as  in  the  stomach  and  digestive  organs  of 
the  horse.  Hard  water,  drawn  fresh  from  the  well,  will  assuredly  make  the  coat  of  a 
horse  unaccustomed  to  it  stare,  and  it  will  not  unfrequently  gripe  and  otherwise  injure 
him.  Instinct  or  experience  has  made  even  the  horse  himself  conscious  of  this,  for 
he  will  never  drink  hard  water  if  he  has  access  to  soft,  and  he  will  leave  the  most 
transparent  and  pure  water  of  the  well  for  a  river,  although  the  stream  may  be  turbid, 
and  even  for  the  muddiest  pool.*  He  is  injured,  however,  not  so  much  by  the  hard- 
ness of  the  well-water  as  by  its  coldness  —  particularly  by  its  coldness  in  summer, 
snd  when  it  is  many  degrees  below  the  temperature  of  the  atmosphere.     The  water 

*  Some  trainers  have  so  much  fear  of  hard  or  strange  water,  that  they  carry  with  them  to 
the  different  courses  the  water  that  the  animal  has  been  accustomed  to  drink,  and  that  which 
they  know  agrees  with  it. 


380  THE  GENERAL  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  HORSE. 

in  the  br-^ok  and  the  pond  being-  warmed  by  long  exposure  to  the  air,  as  well  as  having 
become  soft,  the  horse  drinks  freely  of  it  without  danger. 

If  the  horse  were  watered  three  times  a  day,  and  especially  in  summer,  he  would 
often  be  saved  from  the  sad  torture  of  thirst,  and  from  many  a  disease.  Whoever  has 
observed  the  eagerness  with  which  the  over-worked  horse,  hot  and  tired,  plunges  his 
muzzle  into  the  pail,  and  the  difficulty  of  stopping  him  until  he  has  drained  the  last 
drop,  may  form  some  idea  of  what  he  had  previously  suffered,  and  will  not  wonder  at 
the  violent  spasms,  and  inflammation,  and  sudden  death,  that  often  result. 

There  is  a  prejudice  in  the  minds  of  many  persons  against  the  horse  being  fully 
supplied  with  water.  They  think  that  it  injures  his  wind,  and  disables  him  for  quick 
and  hard  work.  If  he  is  galloped,  as  he  too  often  is,  immediately  after  drinking,  his 
wind  may  be  irreparably  injured;  but  if  he  were  oftener  suffered  to  satiate  his  thirst 
at  the  intervals  of  rest,  he  would  be  happier  and  better.  It  is  a  fact  unsuspected  by 
those  who  have  not  carefully  observed  the  horse,  that  if  he  has  frequent  access  to 
water,  he  will  not  drink  so  much  in  the  course  of  the  day  as  another  will  do,  who,  to 
cool  his  parched  mouth,  swallows  as  fast  as  he  can,  and  knows  not  when  to  stop. 

On  a  journey,  a  horse  should  be  liberally  supplied  with  water.  When  he  is  a  little 
cooled,  two  or  three  quarts  may  be  given  to  him,  and  after  that,  his  feed.  Before  he 
has  finished  his  corn,  two  or  three  quarts  more  may  be  offered.  He  will  take  no 
harm  if  this  is  repeated  three  or  four  times  during  a  long  and  hot  day. 

It  is  a  judicious  rule  with  travellers,  that  when  a  horse  begins  to  refuse  his  food, 
he  should  be  pushed  no  farther  that  day.  It  may,  however,  be  worth  while  to  try 
whether  this  does  not  proceed  from  thirst,  as  much  as  from  exhaustion,  for  in  many 
instances  his  appetite  and  his  spirits  will  return  soon  after  he  has  partaken  of  the 
refreshing  draught. 

Management  of  the  Feet. — This  is  the  only  division  of  stable  management 
that  remains  to  be  considered,  and  one  sadly  neglected  by  the  carter  and  groom. 
The  feet  should  be  carefully  examined  every  morning,  for  the  shoes  may  be  loose 
and  the  horse  would  have  been  stopped  in  the  middle  of  his  work;  or  the  clenches 
may  be  raised,  and  endanger  the  wounding  of  his  legs ;  or  the  shoe  may  begin 
to  press  upon  the  sole  or  the  heel,  and  bruises  of  the  sole,  or  corn,  may  be  the 
result;  and,  the  horse  having  stood  so  lon^  in  the  stable,  every  little  increase  of  heat 
in  the  foot,  or  lameness,  will  be  more  readily  detected,  and  serious  disease  may  often 
be  prevented. 

Wiien  the  horse  comes  in  at  night,  and  after  the  harness  has  been  taken  off  and 
stowed  away,  the  heels  should  be  we.,  brushed  out.  Hand-rubbing  will  be  prefer- 
able to  washing,  especially  in  the  agricultural  horse,  whose  heels,  covered  with  long 
hair,  can  scarcely  be  dried  again.  If  the  dirt  is  suffered  to  accumulate  in  that  long 
hair,  the  heels  will  become  sore,  and  grease  will  follow;  and  if  the  heels  are  washed, 
and  particularly  during  the  winter,  grease  will  result  from  the  coldness  occasioned  by 
the  slow  evaporation  of  the  moisture.  The  feet  should  be  stopped — even  the  feet  of 
the  farmer's  horse,  if  he  remains  in  the  stable.  Very  little  clay  should  be  used  in 
the  stopping,  for  it  will  get  hard  and  press  upon  the  sole.  Cowdung  is  the  best  stop- 
ping to  preserve  the  feet  cool  and  elastic;  but,  before  the  stopping  is  applied,  the 
picker  should  be  run  round  the  whole  of  the  foot,  between  the  shoe  and  the  sole,  in 
order  to  detect  any  stone  that  may  have  insinuated  itself  there,  or  a  wound  on  any 
other  part  of  the  sole.  For  the  hackney  and  hunter,  stopping  is  indispensable.  After 
several  days'  hard  work  it  will  afford  very  great  relief  to  take  the  shoes  off,  having 
put  plenty  of  litter  under  the  horse,  or  to  turn  him,  if  possible,  into  a  loose-box ;  and 
the  shoes  of  every  horse,  whether  hardly  worked  or  not,  should  be  removed  or  changed 
once  in  every  three  weeks. 


THE   SKIN   AND    ITS   DISEASES.  381 

CHAPTER    XXI. 
THE    SKIN    AND    ITS    DISEASES. 

The  skin  of  the  horse  resembles  in  construction  that  of  other  animals.  It  consists 
of  three  layers,  materially  differing  in  their  structure  and  office.  Externally  is  the 
CUTICLE  —  the  epidermis  or  scarf-skin  —  composed  of  innumerable  thin,  transparent 
scales,  and  extending  over  the  whole  animal.  If  the  scarf-skin  is  examined  by 
means  of  a  microscope,  the  existence  of  scales  like  those  of  a  fish,  is  readily  detect- 
ed. In  the  action  of  a  blister  they  are  raised  from  the  skin  beneath  in  the  form  of 
pellucid  bladders,  and,  in  some  diseases,  as  in  mange,  they  are  thrown  off  in  hard, 
dry,  white  scales,  numerous  layers  of  which  are  placed  one  above  another.  In 
every  part  of  the  body  the  scarf-skin  is  permeated  by  innumerable  pores,  some  of 
which  permit  the  passage  of  the  hair — through  others  the  perspirable  matter  finds 
a  passage  —  others  are  perforated  by  tubes  through  which  various  unctuous  secre- 
tions  make  their  escape,  while,  through  a  fourth  variety,  numerous  fluids  and  gases 
are  inhaled.  It  is  destitute  of  nerves  and  blood-vessels,  and  its  principal  use  seems 
to  be  to  protect  the  cutis  from  injury,  and  to  restrain  and  moderate  its  occasional  mor 
bid  sensibility. 

There  is  at  all  times  a  singular  change  taking  place  in  this  outer  covering  of 
the  animal.  There  is  a  constant  alteration  and  renewal  of  every  part  of  it,  but  it 
adheres  to  the  true  skin  through  the  medium  of  the  pores,  and  also  numerous  little 
eminenry'.s,  or  projections,  which  seem  to  be  prolongations  of  the  nerves  of  the  skin. 
The  cuticle  is  in  itself  insensible ;  but  one  of  its  most  important  functions  is  to  pro- 
tect and  defend  the  parts  beneath,  which  are  so  often  exposed  to  the  effects  of  a  mor- 
bid sensibility. 

Beneath  the  cuticle  is  a  thin,  soft  substance,  through  which  the  pores  and  eminences 
of  the  true  skin  pass.  It  is  termed  the  rete  mucosiim,  from  its  web-like  structure, 
and  its  soft  mucous  consistence.  Its  office  is  to  cover  the  minute  vessels  and  nerves 
in  their  way  from  the  cutis  to  the  cuticle.  It  is  also  connected  with  the  colour  of  the 
skin.  In  horses  with  white  hair  the  rete  mucosum  is  white ;  it  is  brown  in  those  of 
a  brown  colour — black  in  the  black,  and  in  patches  of  different  colours  with  those 
the  hue  of  whose  integument  varies.  Like  the  cuticle  it  is  reproduced  after  abrasion, 
or  other  injury. 

The  cutis,  or  true  skin,  lies  beneath  the  rete  mucosum.  It  is  decidedly  of  a  fibrous 
texture,  elastic,  but  with  difficulty  lacerated — exceedingly  vascular,  and  highly  sen- 
sitive. It  is  the  substance  which  is  converted  into  leather  when  removed  from  the 
bodv,  and  binds  together  the  different  parts  of  the  frame.  In  some  places  it  does  this 
literally  and  clings  so  closely  to  the  substance  beneath  that  it  scarcely  admits  of  any 
motion :  this  is  the  case  about  the  forehead  and  the  back,  while  upon  the  face,  the 
sides  and  flanks,  it  hangs  in  loosened  folds.  In  the  parts  connected  with  progression 
it  is  folded  into  various  duplicatures,  that  the  action  of  the  animal  may  admit  of  the 
least  possible  obstruction.  The  cutis  is  thinnest,  and  most  elastic,  on  those  parts  that 
are  least  covered  with  hair,  or  where  the  hair  is  altogether  deficient,  as  the  lips,  the 
muzzle,  and  the  inside  of  the  flanks. 

Whatever  is  the  colour  of  the  rete  mucosum,  the  true  skin  is  of  a  pale  white ;  in 
fact,  the  cutis  has  no  connection  with  the  colour  of  the  hair.  Of  its  general  char- 
acter, Mr.  Percivall  gives  a  very  accurate  description : — "  It  appears  to  consist  of 
a  dense  substratum  of  cellular  tissue,  with  which  are  interwoven  fibres  of  a  liga- 
mentous nature,  in  such  a  manner  that  innumerable  areolae,  like  the  meshes  of  a 
net,  are  formed  in  it.  These  areolae  open,  through  correspondent  pores  in  the  cuti- 
cle, upon  the  external  surface,  and  are  for  the  purpose  of  transmitting  thither  blood- 
vessels and  absorbents,  giving  passage  to  the  hair,  and  lodging  the  various  secretory 
organs  of  the  skin."* 

Over  a  great  part  of  the  frame  lies  a  singular  muscle  peculiar  to  quadrupeds,  and 
more  extensive  and  powerful  in  the  thin-skinned  and  thin-haired  animals,  than  in 

*  Percivall's  Anatomy  of  the  Horse,  p.  400. 


382  THE   SKIN    AND    ITS   DISEASES. 

those  with  thicker  hides.  It  reaches  from  the  poll  over  the  whole  of  the  carcase,  and 
down  to  the  arm  before,  and  the  stifle  behind.  By  its  contraction  the  skin  is  pucker- 
ed in  every  direction ;  and  if  it  acts  strongly  and  rapidly,  the  horse  is  not  only  ena- 
bled to  shake  otV  any  insect  or  fly  that  may  annoy  him,  but  sometimes  to  displace  a 
great  part  of  his  harness,  and  to  render  it  difficult  for  the  most  expert  rider  to  keep 
his  seat.  This  muscle  also  assists  the  skin  in  bracing  that  part  of  the  frame  which 
It  covers,  and,  perhaps,  gives  additional  strength  to  the  muscles  beneath.  It  is  called 
the  panniculus  carnosus,  or  fleshy  panicle  or  covering. 

The  skin  answers  the  double  purpose  of  protection  and  strength.  Where  it  is 
necessary  that  the  parts  should  be  bound  and  knit  together,  it  adheres  so  tightly  that 
we  can  scarcely  raise  it.  Thus  the  bones  of  the  knees  and  the  pasterns  and  the  ten- 
dons of  the  legs,  on  which  so  much  stress  is  frequently  thrown,  are  securely  tied 
down  and  kept  in  their  places.  It  is  in  order  to  take  additional  advantage  of  this 
binding  and  strengthening  power  that  we  fire  the  legs  of  overworked  horses,  in  whom 
the  sinews  have  begun  to  start,  and  the  ligaments  of  the  joints  to  swell,  or  be  dis- 
placed. The  skin  is  tight  along  the  muscles  of  the  back  and  loins,  and  down  the 
yet  more  powerful  muscles  of  the  quarters ;  but  in  other  places  it  is  loosely  attached, 
that  it  may  not  interfere  with  the  motions  of  the  animal.  About  the  brisket,  and 
within  the  arms  and  at  the  flanks,  it  hangs  even  in  folds. 

Of  its  strength  we  have  abundant  proof,  both  in  the  living  and  dead  animal.  Its 
fibres  are  interlaced  in  a  most  curious  and  intricate  manner,  so  as,  when  living,  to  be 
scarcely  lacerable,  and  converted  into  leather  after  death. 

It  is,  while  the  animal  is  alive,  one  of  the  most  elastic  bodies  with  which  we  are 
acquainted.  It  not  only  perfectly  adapts  itself  to  the  slow  growth  or  decrease  of  the 
body,  and  appears  equally  to  fit,  whether  the  horse  is  in  the  plumpest  condition  oi 
reduced  to  a  skeleton  ;  but,  when  a  portion  of  it  is  distended  to  an  extraordinary  de- 
gree, in  the  most  powerful  action  of  the  muscles,  it,  in  a  moment,  again  contracts  to 
its  usual  dimensions. 

It  is  principally  indebted  for  this  elasticity  to  almost  innumerable  minute  glands 
which  pour  out  an  oily  fluid  that  softens  and  supples  it.  When  the  horse  is  in  health, 
and  every  organ  discharges  its  proper  functions,  a  certain  quantity  of  this  unctuous 
matter  is  spread  over  the  surface  of  the  skin,  and  is  contained  in  all  the  pores  that 
penetrate  its  substance ;  and  the  skin  becomes  pliable,  easily  raised  from  the  texture 
beneath,  and  presenting  that  peculiar  yielding  softness  and  elasticity  which  experi- 
ence has  proved  to  be  the  best  proofs  of  the  condition,  or,  in  other  words,  the  general 
health  of  the  animal.  Then,  too,  from  the  oiliness  and  softness  of  the  skin,  the  hair 
lies  in  its  natural  and  proper  direction,  and  is  smooth  and  glossy.  When  the  system 
is  derano-ed,  and  especially  the  digestive  system,  and  the  vessels  concerned  in  the 
nourishment  of  the  animalfeebly  act,  those  of  the  skin  evidently  sympathize.  This 
oily  secretion  is  no  more  thrown  out;  the  skin  loses  its  pliancy;  it  seems  to  cling  to 
the  animal,  and  we  have  that  peculiar  appearance  which  we  call  hide-bound.  This, 
however,  requires  attentive  consideration. 

We  observe  a  horse  in  the  summer.  We  find  him  with  a  thin,  smooth,  glossy 
coat,  and  his  extremities  clean  and  free  almost  from  a  single  rough  or  misplaced  hair. 
We  meet  with  him  again  towards  the  winter,  when  the  thermometer  has  fallen  almost 
or  quite  to  the  freezing  point,  and  we  scarcely  recognize  him  in  his  thick,  rough, 
coarse,  colourless  coat,  and  his  legs  enveloped  in  long,  shaggy  hair.  The  health  of 
the  horse  is,  to  a  certain  degree,  deranged.  He  is  dull,  languid,  easily  fatigued.  He 
will  break  into  a  sweat  with  the  slightest  exertion,  and  it  is  almost  impossible  tho- 
roughly to  dry  him.  He  may  perhaps  feed  as  well  as  usual,  although  that  will  not 
generally  be  the  case,  but  he  is  not  equal  to  the  demands  which  we  are  compelled  to 
make  upon  him. 

This  process  goes  on  for  an  uncertain  time,  depending  on  the  constitution  of  the 
animal,  until  nature  has  eflfected  a  change,  and  then  he  once  more  rallies :  but  a  great 
alteration  has  taken  place  in  him — the  hair  has  lost  its  soft  and  glossy  character,  and 
IS  become  dry  and  staring.  The  skin  ceases  to  secrete  that  peculiar  unctuous  matter 
which  kept  it  soft  and  flexible,  and  becomes  dry  and  s.-Uy  ;  and  the  exhalents  on  the 
surfece,  having  become  relaxed,  are  frequently  pouring  out  a  profuse  perspiration, 
without  any  apparent  adequate  cause  for  it. 

So  passes  the  approach  to  winter,  and  the  owner  complains  sadly  of  the  appear- 
ance of  his  steed,  and,  according  to  the  old  custom,  gives  him  plenty  of  cordis' 


HIDE-BOUND.  383 

balls,  —  perhaps  too  many  of  them,  —  on  the  whole  not  being  unserviceable  at  this 
critical  period,  yet  not  productive  of  a  great  deal  of  good.  At  length  the  animal 
rallies  of  himself,  and  although  not  so  strong  and  full  of  spirits  as  he  ought  to  be,  is 
hardier  and  more  lively  than  he  was,  and  able  to  struggle  with  the  cold  of  the  coming 
winter.* 

What  a  desideratum  in  the  management  of  the  horse  would  be  a  course  of  treat- 
ment that  would  render  all  this  unnecessary  !  This  desideratum  has  been  found — 
a  free  escape  of  perspiration,  a  moist  and  softened  state  of  the  skin,  an  evident  in- 
crease of  health  and  capability  of  enduring  fatigue,  and  working  on  shorter  supply 
of  food  than  he  could  before.  This  is  said  to  be  perfomied  by  the  clipping  and  singe- 
ing systems. 

.Mr.  Thomas  Turner,  who  was  almost  one  of  the  earliest  advocates  of  these  sys- 
tems, states  that  during  the  months  of  October  and  November  an  inordinate  growth 
ef  hair  is  observed  over  the  whole  surface  of  the  body,  and  in  many  horses  as  early 
as  the  beginning  of  September,  and  almost  invariably  prevails,  more  or  less,  in  every 
horse  that  is  not  thorough-bred.  The  debilitating  etfects  thereby  induced  are  profuse 
perspiration  on  the  least  possible  exertion — depression  of  the  animal  spirits,  and  tem- 
porary loss  of  appetite.  The  immediate  removal  of  all  the  superfluous  hair  by  close 
clipping,  instantly  proves  so  powerful  a  tonic  to  the  animal,  that  he  unhesitatingly 
aflirms  it  to  be  inferior  to  none  at  present  known  in  our  pharmacopoeia.  ]Mr.  Turner 
adds. — "  Now,  signal  as  the  success  of  clipping  has  been,  I  do  entertain  a  hope,  and 
am  of  opinion  that,  in  the  majority  of  instances,  it  may  be  superseded  by  singeing 
under  certain  modifications.""!" 

We  may  not,  perhaps,  be  able  satisfactorily  to  explain  the  apparently  magical 
effects  of  clipping  and  singeing  on  the  general  constitution,  and  particularlv  the  wind 
of  the  horse,  or  the  respiratory  functions  generally,  but  there  is  no  doubt  of  their  ex- 
istence. An  increased  tone  is  given  to  the  system  generally  ;  and  probably,  in  some 
way  not  yet  sufEcienlly  developed,  the  increased  current  of  the  electric  fluid  may 
have  much  to  do  with  it. 

Mr.  Snewing  gives  an  interesting  account  of  the  effect  of  clipping  on  two  horses 
in  his  establishment.  He  had  a  cob,  with  a  fixed  catarrh  of  several  months'  stand- 
ingr.  It  did  not  interfere  with  the  animal's  general  health,  but  was  a  source  of  con- 
siderable annoyance.  At  length  the  owner  determined  to  sell  him ;  but  first  he  had 
him  clipped.  After  a  few  days  his  attention  was  drawn  to  the  circumstance,  that 
either  the  horse's  cou^h  must  have  left  him,  or,  from  repeatedly  hearing^  it,  he  had 
ceased  to  regard  it.  He  watched  the  animal,  and,  truly  enough,  he  found  that  the 
rough  had  entirely  disappeared.  He  rode  him  through  the  winter  and  the  following 
summer,  and  there  was  no  return  of  it. 

The  other  instance  was  in  a  mare  which  he  had  after  this  one  was  sold.  In  the 
months  of  August,  September,  and  October,  18-il,  she  was  continually  the  subject  of 
intermittent  cough.  He  had  her  clipped,  and  in  a  few  days  she  ceased  to  couo-h,  and 
has  not  been  heard  to  cough  from  that  time. 

HIDE.  BOUND. 

This  is  not  so  much  a  diminution  of  the  cellular  or  fatty  substance  between  the 
skin  and  the  muscles  beneath,  as  it  is  an  alteration  in  the  skin  itself.  It  is  a  hard- 
ness and  unyieldingness  of  the  skin  from  the  want  of  the  oily  matter  on  its  surface 

*  Mr.  E.  Gabriel,  V.  S.,  on  the  Treatment  of  the  Horse  in  Autumn. —  Veierhiarian.  vol. 
xiii.  627. 

t  Veterinarian,  vol.  xiv.,  IS. 

In  justice,  however,  to  an  excellent  sportsman,  Ximrod,  we  must  quote  another  opinion, 
and  with  that  the  subject  shall  be  left  to  the  consideration  of  our  readers.  "  On  the  subject 
of  clipping.  I  cannot  agree  with  ^Ir.  Gabriel  as  to  the  call  for  it,  much  less  admit  its  almost 
universal  adoption.  I  would  clip  road-coach  horses,  and  a  hunter  that  had  been  summered 
entirety  at  grass,  despairing  of  condition  on  any  other  terms.  It  is  a  mere  substitute  for  good 
grooming.  As  for  its  almost  universal  adoption,  such  is  far  from  being  the  case.  I  did'noi 
see  three  clipped  horses  last  year  (1840) ;  at  Melton,  in  the  Quorn  stables,  not  one,  nor  in 
Mr.  Foljambe's.  Singed  ones  I  did  see  to  a  certain  extent ;  but  a  hardy-riding  Meltonian 
told  me  that  he  would  have  no  more  spirits  of  wine  charged  in  his  groom's  book.  '  A  mere 
substitute,'  said  he.  '  in  rny  stable  for  the  old-fashioned  elbow-grease.'  In  my  opinion  thft 
norse  is  not  yet  foaled  which  cannot  be  got  into  perfect  condition  without  this  outrage  on  na- 
ture."—-TXe  Veterinarian,  voj".  xiv.,  p.  35. 


384  THE   SKIN    AND    ITS   DISEASES. 

and  in  its  substance.     It  is  the  difference  that  is  presented  to  the  feeling  by  wojI  cur 
lied  and  supple  leather,  and  that  which  has  become  dry  and  unyielding. 

The  surface  of  the  skin  becoming  dry  and  hard,  the  scales  of  the  cutii-le  are  no 
lonu"er  penetrated  by  the  hair,  but,  separating  themselves  in  evory  direction,  give  that 
peculiar  roughness  to  the  coat  which  accompanies  want  of  condition.  It  betokens 
impaired  function  o:  \he  vessels  everywhere,  and  particularly  those  of  the  stomach 
and  bowels.  Hide-bound  is  not  so  much  a  disease  as  a  syinjitom  of  disease,  and 
particularly  of  the  digestive  organ«"  and  our  remedies  must  be  applied  not  so  nmch  to 
the  skin — iilthough  we  have,  in  friction  and  in  warmth,  most  valuable  agents  in  pro- 
ducing a  healthy  condition  of  the  integuments  —  as  to  the  cause  of  the  hide-bound, 
and  the  state  of  the  constitution  generally.  Every  disease  that  can  affect  the  general 
system  may  produce  this  derangement  of  the  functions  of  the  skin.  Glanders,  when 
become  constitutional,  is  strongly  indicated  by  the  unthrifty  appearance  of  the  coat. 
Chronic  cough,  grease,  farcy,  and  founder,  are  accompanied  by  hide  bound :  and  diet 
too  sparing,  and  not  adequate  to  the  work  exacted,  is  an  unfailing  source  of  it.  If 
the  cause  is  removed,'  the  effect  will  cease. 

Should  the  cause  be  obscure,  as  it  frequently  is — should  the  horse  wear  an  unthrifty 
coat,  and  his  hide  cling  to  his  ribs,  without  any  apparent  disease,  we  shall  generally 
be  warranted  in  tracing  it  to  sympathy  with  the  actual,  although  not  demonstrable, 
suspension  of  some  important  secretion  or  function,  either  of  the  alimentury  canal  or 
the  respiratory  functions.  A  few  mashes,  and  a  mild  dose  of  physic,  are  first  indi 
cated,  and,  simple  as  they  appear  to  be,  they  often  have  a  very  beneficial  effect.  The 
regular  action  of  the  bowels  being  re-established,  that  of  all  the  organs  of  the  frame 
will  speedily  follow.  If  the  horse  cannot  be  spared  for  physic,  alteratives  may  be 
administered.  There  is  no  better  alterative  for  hide-bound  and  an  unthrifty  coat,  than 
that  which  is  in  common  use,  levigated  antimony,  nitre,  and  sulphur.  I'he  peculiar 
effect  of  the  antimony  and  sulphur,  and  electric  influence  on  the  skin,  with  that  of  the 
sulphur  on  the  bowels,  and  of  the  nitre  on  the  urinary  organs,  will  be  here  advan 
tageously  combined. 

Should  the  horse  not  feed  well,  and  there  is  no  indication  of  fever,  a  slight  tonio 
may  be  added,  as  gentian,  or  ginger;  but  in  the  majority  of  cases,  attended  by  loss 
of  condition,  and  an  unthrifty  coat,  and  hide-bound,  tonics  and  aromatics  should  be 
carefully  avoided. 

The  cause  of  the  im^iaired  action  of  the  vessels  being  removed,  the  powers  of 
nature  will  generally  be  suffif'ient,  and  had  better  be  left  to  themselves.  Theni  are 
not  any  more  dangerous  medicines  in  common  use  in  the  stable,  and  especially  in 
cases  like  these,  than  tonics  and  cordials.  They  often  arouse  to  fatal  action  a  ten- 
dency to  fever  that  would  otherwise  have  slept,  or  they  produce  a  state  of  excitement 
near  akin  to  fever,  and  apt  to  degenerate  into  it.  By  the  stimulus  of  a  cordial,  the 
secretions  may  be  suddenly  roused,  and  among  them,  this  unctuous  secretion  from  the 
pores  of  the  skin,  so  necessary  to  apparent  condition ;  but  the  effect  soon  passes  ov(>r, 
and  a  repetition  of  the  stimulus  is  necessary  —  the  habit  is  soon  formed  — the  doso 
must  be  gradually  increased,  and  in  the  mean  time  the  animal  is  kept  in  a  state  of 
dangerous  excitement,  by  which  the  powers  of  nature  must  be  eventually  impaired. 

Friction  may  be  employed  with  advantage  in  the  removal  of  hide-bound.  It  ha? 
repeatedly  been  shown  that  this  is  one  of  the  most  efficacious  instruments  we  can 
use,  to  call  into  exercise  the  suspended  energies  either  of  the  absorbent  or  secreting 
vessels.  Warmth  may  likewise  be  had  recourse  to  —  not  warmth  of  stable,  which 
has  been  shown  to  be  so  injurious,  but  warmth  arising  from  exercise,  and  the  salu- 
tary, although  inexplicable,  influence  of  clipping  and  singeing.  Before  this  can  be 
fully  considered,  the  hair  by  which  the  skin  is  covered  must  be  described. 

The  base  of  the  bulb  whence  the  hair  proceeds  being  beneath  the  tnie  skin,  it  is 
easy  to  perceive  that  the  hair  will  grow  again,  although  the  cuticle  may  have  been 
destroyed.  A  good  blister,  although  it  may  remove  the  cuticle,  and  seemingly  for  a 
while  the  hair  with  it,  leaves  no  lasting  trace.  Even  firing,  lightly  and  skilfully  per- 
formed, and  not  penetrating  through  the  skin,  leaves  not  much  blemish ;  but  when,  in 
broken  knees,  the  true  skin  is  cut  through,  or  destroyed,  there  will  always  remain  s 
spot  devoid  of  hair.  The  method  of  hastening  and  perfecting  the  re-production  of  the 
hair,  has  been  described  in  page  367. 


PORES    OF    THE   SKI  N  .  — M  0  U  LTI  NG.  385 

PORES  OF  THE  SKIN. 

Besides  the  openings  already  mentioned,  through  which  proceeds  the  unctuous  fluid 
that  supplies  and  softens  the  skin,  there  are  others  more  numerous,  by  means  of  which 
a  vast  quantity  of  aqueous  fluid  escapes,  and  perspiration  is  carried  on.  As  in  the 
human  being,  this  actually  exists  in  a  state  of  health  and  quietness,  although  imper- 
ceptible; but  when  the  animal  is  excited  by  exercise,  or  labours  under  some  stages 
of  disease,  it  becomes  visible,  and  appears  in  the  form  of  drops. 

This  process  of  perspiration  is  not,  however,  so  far  under  the  control  of  medicine  as 
in  the  human  being. 

We  are  not  aware  of  any  drugs  that  will  certainly  produce  it.  Warm  clothing 
seems  occasionally  to  effect  it,  but  this  is  more  in  appearance  than  reality.  The 
insensible  perspiration  cannot  escape  through  the  mass  of  clothing,  and  assumes  a 
visible  form.  This,  perhaps,  is  the  case  when  sheep-skins  are  applied  over  the  back 
and  loins  in  "  locked  jaw."  They  produce  a  good  effect,  acting  as  a  warm  poultice 
over  the  part,  and  so  contributing  to  relax  the  muscular  spasms.  There  are,  how- 
ever, a  few  medicines,  as  antimony  and  sulphur,  that  have  an  evident  and  very  con- 
siderable effect  on  the  skin  in  opening  its  pores  and  exciting  its  vessels  to  action. 

Of  the  existence  of  absorbent  vessels  on  the  skin,  or  those  w^hich  take  up  seme 
fluid  or  substance,  and  convey  it  into  the  circulation,  we  have  satisfactory  proof.  A 
horse  is  even  more  easily  salivated  than  the  human  being.  Salivation  has  been  pro- 
duced by  rubbing  a  splint  with  mercurial  ointment,  previous  to  blistering;  and  a  very 
few  drachms  rubbed  on  the  inside  of  the  thighs,  will  probably  produce  a  greater  effect 
than  the  practitioner  desires. 

From  some  parts  of  the  skin,  there  are  peculiar  secretions,  as  that  of  grease  in  the 
heel,  and  mallenders  in  the  knee. 

MOULTING. 

Twice  in  the  year,  the  hair  of  the  body  of  the  horse  is  changed.  The  short,  fine 
coat  of  summer  would  afford  little  protection  against  the  winter,  and  that  of  the  winter 
would  be  oppressive  to  the  animal,  if  it  appeared  during  the  summer.  The  hair  of  the 
mane  and  tail  remains.  The  bulbous  root  of  the  hair  does  not  die,  but  the  pulpy 
matter  seems  to  be  removed  from  the  root  of  the  hair,  which,  thus  deprived  of  its 
nourishment,  perishes  and  drops  off,  and  a  new  hair  springs  at  its  side  from  the  same 
bulb.  The  hair  which  is  produced  in  the  autumn,  is  evidently  diflferent  from  that 
which  grows  in  the  spring ;  it  is  coarser,  thicker,  and  not  so  glossy  as  the  other.  As 
moulting  is  a  process  extending  over  the  whole  of  the  skin,  and  requiring  a  very  con- 
siderable expenditure  of  vital  power,  the  health  of  the  animal  is  generally  aflfected  at 
these  times.  That  energy,  and  nervous  and  vital  influence,  which  should  support  the 
whole  of  the  frame,  is  to  a  great  degree  determined  to  the  skin,  and  the  animal  is  lan- 
guid, and  unequal  to  much  hard  work.  He  perspires  greatly  with  the  least  unusual 
exertion,  and  if  he  is  pressed  beyond  his  strength,  becomes  seriously  ill. 

The  treatment  which  the  groom  in  this  case  adopts,  is  most  absurd  and  dangerous. 
The  horse,  from  the  deranged  distribution  of  vital  power,  is  disposed  to  fever,  or  he 
labours  under  a  slight  degree  of  fever,  sufficiently  indicated  by  the  increased  quick- 
ness of  pulse,  redness  of  nose,  and  heat  of  mouth.  The  lassitude  and  want  of  appe- 
tite which  are  the  accompaniments  of  this  febrile  state,  are  mistaken  for  debility;  and 
cordials  of  various  kinds,  some  of  them  exceedingly  stimulating,  are  unsparingly 
administered.  At  length,  with  regard  to  the  hunter,  the  racer,  and  even  in  the  hack- 
ney and  the  carriage  horse,  the  scissors  or  the  lamp  are  introduced,  and  a  new  method 
is  established  of  guarding  against  this  periodical  debility,  setting  at  defiance  the  occa- 
sional exposure  to  cold,  and  establisliing  a  degree  of  health  and  strength  previously 
unknown.  Friction  may  be  allowed,  to  assist  the  falling  oflT  of  the  old  hair,  and  to 
loosen  the  cuticle  for  the  appearance  of  the  new  hair,  but  it  is  somewhat  more  gently 
applied  than  it  used  to  be.  The  curry-comb  is  in  a  great  measure  banished,  and  even 
the  brush  is  not  applied  too  hard  or  too  long.  The  old  hair  is  not  forced  off  before 
the  young  hair  is  ready  to  take  its  place. 

Nature  adapts  the  coat  to  the  climate  and  to  the  season.      The  Shelti*  has  one  as 

long  and  thick  as  that  of  a  bear;  and,  as  the  summer  is  short  and  cold  in  those 

northern  islands,  the  coat  is  rough  and  shagsy  during  the  whole  of  the  year.     In  the 

southern  parts  of  our  country,  the  short,  and  light  and  glossy  coat  of  summer  gradu 

33  2y 


386  THE   SKIN    AND    ITSDISEASES. 

ally  yields  to  the  close  and  heavy,  and  warm  clothing  of  winter.  In  the  deserts  of 
Arabia,  where  the  winter  is  rarely  cold,  the  coat  remains  short  and  glossy  throughout 
the  year.    These  are  wise  and  kind  provisions  of  nature,  and  excite  our  admiration. 

COLOUR. 

The  colour  of  the  hair  admits  of  every  variety,  and  each  colour  becomes  in  turn 
fashionable.  Like  that  of  the  skin,  it  is  influenced  by,  or  depends  on,  the  mucous 
mesh-work  under  the  cuticle.  There  are  comparatively  few  perfectly  white  horses 
now  remaining.  The  snow-white  palfrey,  with  its  round  carcass  and  barb  head, 
originally  from  Spain,  or  perhaps  from  Barbary,  and  rarely  exceeding  the  size  of  a 
galloway,  is  nearly  extinct.  Some,  however,  yet  remain  in  the  possession  of  the 
Duke  of  Montrose.  They  are  of  good  constitution,  and  pleasant  in  their  paces.  The 
majority  of  white  horses  are  those  that  have  become  so.  Light-grey  colts  begin  to 
grow  white  before  they  are  five  years  old,  especially  if  they  have  not  much  dark  mix- 
ture about  the  joints. 

Grey  horses  are  of  different  shades,  from  the  lightest  silver  to  a  dark  iron-grey. 
The  silver-grey  reminds  the  observer  of  the  palfrey,  improved  by  an  admixture  of 
Arab  blood.  He  does  not  often  exceed  fourteen  hands  and  a  half  in  height,  and  is 
round  carcassed — thin-legged — with  oblique  pasterns,  calculated  for  a  light  carriage, 
or  for  a  lady's  riding —  seldom  subject  to  disease  —  but  not  very  fleet,  or  capable  of 
hard  work. 

The  iron-grey  is  usually  a  larger  horse;  higher  in  the  withers,  deeper  and  thinner 
in  the  carcass,  more  angular  in  all  his  proportions,  and  in  many  cases  a  little  too  long 
in  the  legs.  Some  of  these  greys  make  good  hackneys  and  hunters,  and  especially 
the  Irish  horses ;  but  they  are  principally  used  for  the  carriage.  They  have  more 
endurance  than  the  flatness  of  their  chest  would  promise  ;  but  their  principal  defect  is 
their  feet,  which  are  liable  to  contraction,  and  yet  that  contraction  not  so  often  accom- 
panied by  lameness  as  in  many  other  horses. 

The  dappled  grey  is  generally  a  handsomer  and  a  better  horse.  All  the  angular 
points  of  the  iron-grey  are  filled  up,  and  with  that  which  not  only  adds  to  symmetry, 
but  to  use.  Whether  as  a  hackney,  or,  the  larger  variety,  a  carriage  horse,  there  are 
few  better,  especially  since  his  form  has  been  so  materially  improved,  and  so  much  of 
his  heaviness  got  rid  of,  by  the  free  use  of  foreign  blood.  There  are  not,  however,  so 
many  dappled  greys  as  there  used  to  be,  since  the  bays  have  been  bred  with  so  much 
care.     The  dappled  grey,  if  dark  at  first,  generally  retains  his  colour  to  old  age. 

Some  of  the  greys  approach  to  a  nutmeg,  or  even  bay  colour.  Many  of  these  are 
handsome,  and  most  of  them  are  hardy. 

The  roans,  of  every  variety  of  colour  and  form,  are  composed  of  white  mixed  with 
bay,  or  red,  or  black.  In  some  it  seems  to  be  a  natural  mixture  of  the  colours;  in 
others  it  appears  as  if  one  colour  was  powdered  or  sprinkled  over  another.  They  are 
pretty  horses  for  ladies  or  light  carriages,  and  many  of  them  easy  in  their  paces,  but 
they  do  not  usually  display  much  blood,  nor  are  they  celebrated  for  endurance.  If 
they  should  have  white  fore  legs,  with  white  hoofs,  they  are  too  often  tender-footed, 
or  become  so  with  even  a  little  hard  work. 

The  strawberry  horse  is  a  mixture  of  sorrel  with  white ;  usually  handsome  and 
pleasant,  but  more  celebrated  for  these  qualities  than  for  strength  and  endurance. 

The  pied  horse  is  one  that  has  distinct  spots  or  patches  of  different  colours,  but 
generally  of  white  with  some  other  colour.  They  are  not  liked  as  hackneys,  on 
account  of  their  peculiarity  of  colour,  nor  in  teams  of  horses  ;  but  they  look  well  when 
tolerably  matched  in  a  phaeton  or  light  carriage.  Tiieir  value  must  depend  on  theii 
breed.  Of  themselves  they  have  no  peculiar  character,  except  that  a  white  leg  and 
foot  is  as  suspicious  in  them  as  it  is  in  the  roan. 

The  dun,  of  the  Galloway  size,  and  with  considerable  bbod,  is  often  attaclied  to 
the  curricle  or  the  phaeton.  The  larger  variety  is  a  true  fiirmer's  or  miller's  horse, 
with  no  great  speed  or  extraordinary  strength,  yet  a  good-tempered,  good-feeding, 
good-conslitutioned,  useful  horse  enough.  Varieties  of  the  dun,  shaded  with  a  darker 
colour,  or  dappled,  and  with  some  breeding,  and  not  standing  too  high,  are  beautiful 
animals,  and  much  sought  after  for  light  carriages. 

The  cream-colour,  of  Hanoverian  extraction,  with  his  white  iris  and  red  pupil,  is 
appropriated  to  royal  use.  Attached  to  the  state-carriage  of  the  monarch,  he  is  a 
superb  animal.     His  bulky,  yet  perfectly-formed  body,  his  swelling  crest,  and  his 


SURFEIT.  387 

proud  and  lofty  action,  as  if  conscious  of  his  office,  qualify  him  for  the  service  that  is 
exacted  from  him,  but  we  have  little  experience  how  far  he  would  suit  other  purposes. 

Of  the  chestnuts  there  are  three  varieties — the  pale  red  or  the  sorrel,  usually  with 
some  white,  either  on  the  face  or  the  legs — generally  lightly  made,  yet  some  of  them 
bulky  enough  for  the  heaviest  loads.  Their  colour  is  generally  objectionable,  and 
they  are  supposed  to  be  somewhat  deficient  in  endurance. 

The  light  chestnut,  with  less  red  and  a  little  more  bay  or  brown,  is  considered  a 
preferable  animal,  especially  if  he  has  little  or  no  white  about  him;  yet  even  he, 
although  pleasant  to  ride,  is  sometimes  irritable,  and  generally  weak.  We  must 
except  one  variety,  the  Sutfolk  punch;  a  heavy  horse,  and  adapted  for  slow  work,  but 
perfect  of  his  kind — whom  no  labour  can  daunt,  no  fatigue  overcome.  This  is  a  breed 
now,  unfortunately,  nearly  extinct.  The  present  variety,  however  crossed,  is  not 
equal  to  the  old  Suffolk. 

The  dark  chestnut  is  as  different  a  horse  from  the  hackney-like  chestnut  as  can  he 
well  imagined;  round  in  the  carcase;  powerful  in  the  quarters,  hut  rather  fine  in  the 
legs ;  possessed  of  great  endurance,  and  with  a  constitution  that  rarely  knows  an  ail- 
ment, except  that  the  feet  are  small  and  disposed  to  contraction,  and  the  horse  is  occa- 
sionally of  a  hot  and  unmanageable  temper. 

Of  the  bays,  there  are  many  varieties,  and  they  include  the  very  best  of  our  horses 
of  every  description.  The  bright  yellow  bay,  although  very  beautiful,  and  especially 
if  his  mane  and  tail  are  black,  is  the  least  valuable — the  lightness  of  his  colour  seems 
to  give  him  some  tenderness  of  constitution.  The  pure  bay,  with  no  white  about  him, 
and  black  from  the  knees  and  hocks  to  the  feet,  is  the  most  desirable  of  all.  He  has 
generally  a  good  constitution,  and  good  feet ;  and,  if  his  conformation  is  not  faulty, 
will  turn  out  a  valuable  horse  for  almost  every  purpose. 

The  bay-brown  has  not  always  so  much  show  and  action,  but,  generally,  more 
strength  and  endurance,  and  usefulness.  He  has  greater  substance  than  the  lighter 
bay,  and  more  depth  of  leg;  and,  if  he  had  the  same  degree  of  breeding,  he  would  be 
as  handsome,  and  more  valuable. 

When,  however,  we  arrive  at  the  browns,  it  is  necessary  to  examine  the  degree  of 
breeding.  This  colour  is  not  so  fashionable,  and  therefore  these  horses  have  been 
considerably  neglected.  There  are  many  good  ones,  and  those  that  are  good  are 
valuable ;  others,  probably,  are  only  a  half  or  a  quarter  bred,  and  therefore  compara- 
tively coarse,  yet  useful  for  the  saddle  and  for  harness — for  slow  work,  and,  occasion- 
ally, for  that  which  is  more  rapid. 

The  black-brown  is  generally  more  neglected  so  far  as  its  breed  is  concerned,  and 
should  be  more  carefully  examined.  It  is  valuable  if  it  retains  the  goodness  of  con- 
stitution of  the  brown  and  bay-brown. 

Of  the  black,  greater  care  has  been  taken.  The  heavy  black  of  Lincolnshire  and 
the  midland  counties  is  a  noble  animal,  and  would  be  almost  beyond  price  if  he  could 
be  rendered  more  active.  The  next  in  size  constitute  the  majority  of  our  wagon- 
horses,  and  perhaps  our  best;  and,  on  a  smaller  breed,  and  to  the  improvement  of 
which  much  attention  has  been  devoted,  many  of  our  cavalrj'  are  mounted.  A  few 
black  thorough-bred  horses  and  black  hunters  are  occasionally  seen,  but  the  improve- 
ment of  horses  of  this  colour  has  not  been  studied,  except  for  the  purposes  that  have 
been  mentioned.  Their  peculiar  high  action,  while  not  objectionable  for  draught,  and 
desirable  for  the  parade,  would  be  unbearable  in  the  roadster.  Black  horses  have 
been  said  to  be  more  subject  to  vice,  disease,  and  blindness,  than  those  of  any  other 
colour.  This  charge  is  not  true  to  its  full  extent ;  but  there  certainly  are  a  great  many 
worthless  black  horses  in  every  part  of  the  country. 

After  all,  there  is  an  old  saying,  that  a  good  horse  cannot  be  of  a  bad  colour;  and 
that  it  is  far  more  necessary  to  attend  to  the  conformation  and  points  of  the  animal 
than  to  his  colour.  The  foregoing  observations,  however,  although  they  admit  of 
many  exceptions,  may  be  useful  in  guiding  to  the  judicious  purchase  of  the  horse. 

SURFEIT. 

Large  pimples  or  eruptions  often  appear  suddenly  on  the  skin  of  the  horse,  and 
especially  in  the  spring  of  the  year.  Occasionally  they  disappear  as  quickly  as  they 
came.  Sometimes  they  seem  to  be  attended  with  great  itching,  but.  at  other  times, 
the  annoyance  is  comparatively  little.  When  these  eruptions  have  remained  a  few 
."lays,  the  cuticle  frequently  peels  off,  and  a  small  scaly  spot — rarely  a  sore — is  left. 


388  THE   SKIN    AND    ITS   DISEASES. 

This  is  called  a  surfeit,  from  its  resemblance  to  some  eruptions  en  the  skin  of  the 
human  being  when  indigestible  or  unwholesome  food  has  been  taken.  The  surfeit  is, 
in  so:i.e  eases,  confined  to  the  neck ;  but  it  oftener  spreads  over  the  sides,  back,  loins, 
and  quarters.  The  cause  is  enveloped  in  some  obscurity.  The  disease  most  fre- 
quently appears  when  the  skin  is  irritable  during  or  after  the  process  of  moulting,  or 
when  it  sympathises  with  any  disorder  of  the  stomach.  It  has  been  known  to  follow 
the  eating  of  poisonous  herbs  or  mowburnt  hay,  but,  much  oftener,  it  is  to  be  traced 
to  exposure  to  cold  when  the  skin  was  previously  irritable  and  the  horse  heated  by 
exercise.  It  has  also  been  attributed  to  the  immoderate  drinking  of  cold  water  when 
the  animal  was  hot.  It  is  obstruction  of  some  of  the  pores  of  the  skin  and  swelling 
of  the  surrounding  substance,  either  from  primary  affection  of  the  skin,  or  a  plethoric 
state  of  the  system,  or  sympathy  with  the  digestive  organs. 

The  state  of  the  patient  will  sufficiently  guide  the  surgeon  as  to  the  course  he 
should  pursue.  If  there  is  simple  eruption,  without  any  marked  inflammatory  action, 
alteratives  should  be  resorted  to,  and  particularly  those  recommended  for  hidebound 
in  page  476.  They  should  be  given  on  several  successive  nights.  The  night  is  bet- 
ter than  the  morning,  because  the  warmth  of  the  stable  will  cause  the  antimony  and 
sulphur  to  act  more  powerfully  on  the  skin.  The  horse  should  be  warmly  clothed — 
half  an  hour's  walking  exercise  should  be  given,  an  additional  rug  being  thrown  over 
him — such  green  meat  as  can  be  procured  should  be  used  in  moderate  quantities,  and 
the  chill  should  be  taken  from  the  water. 

Should  the  eruption  continue  or  assume  a  more  virulent  character,  bleeding  and 
aloetic  physic  must  be  had  recourse  to,  but  neither  should  be  carried  to  any  extreme. 
The  physic  having  set,  the  alteratives  should  again  be  had  recourse  to,  and  attention 
should  be  paid  to  the  comfort  and  diet  of  the  horse. 

If  the  eruption,  after  several  of  these  alternate  appearances  and  disappearances, 
should  remain,  and  the  cuticle  and  the  hair  begin  extensively  to  peel  off,  a  worse 
affection  is  to  be  feared,  for  surfeit  is  too  apt  to  precede,  or  degenerate  into,  mange. 
This  disorder,  therefore,  must  next  be  considered. 

MANGE 

Is  a  pimpled  or  vesicular  eruption.  After  a  while  the  vesicles  break,  or  the  cuticle 
and  the  hair  fall  off,  and  there  is,  as  in  obstinate  surfeit,  a  bare  spot  covered  with 
scurf — some  fluid  oozing  from  the  skin  beneath,  and  this  changing  to  a  scab,  which 
likewise  soon  peels  off,  and  leaves  a  wider  spot.  This  process  is  attended  by  consi- 
derable itching  and  tenderness,  and  thickening  of  the  skin,  which  soon  becomes  more 
or  less  folded,  or  puckered.  The  mange  generally  first  appears  on  the  neck  at  the 
root  of  the  mane,  and  its  existence  may  be  suspected  even  before  the  blotches  appear, 
and  when  there  is  only  considerable  itchiness  of  the  part,  by  the  ease  with  which  the 
short  hair  at  the  root  of  the  mane  is  plucked  out.  From  the  neck  it  spreads  upward 
to  the  head,  or  downward  to  the  withers  and  back,  and  occasionally  extends  over  the 
whole  carcass  of  the  horse. 

One  cause  of  it,  although  an  unfrequent  one,  has  been  stated  to  be  neglected  oi 
inveterate  surfeit.  Several  instances  are  on  record  in  which  poverty  of  condition,  and 
general  neglect  of  cleanliness,  preceded  or  produced  the  most  violent  mange.  A 
remark  of  Mr.  Blaine  is  very  important: — "Among  the  truly  healthy,  so  far  as  my 
experience  goes,  it  never  arises  spontaneously,  but  it  does  readily  from  a  spontaneous 
origin  among  tlie  unhealthy."  The  most  common  cause  is  contagion.  Amidst  the 
whole  list  of  diseases  to  which  the  horse  is  exposed,  there  is  not  one  more  highly 
contagious  than  mange.  If  it  once  gets  into  a  stable,  it  spreads  through  it,  for  the 
slightest  contact  seems  to  be  sufficient  for  the  communication  of  this  noisome  com- 
plaint. 

If  the  same  brush  or  currycomb  is  used  on  all  the  horses,  the  propagation  of  mange 
is  assured  ;  and  horses  feeding  in  the  same  pasture  with  a  mangy  one  rarely  escape, 
from  the  propensity  they  have  to  nibble  one  another.  Mange  in  cattle  has  been  pro- 
pagated to  the  horse,  and  from  the  horse  to  cattle.  There  are  also  some  well-authen- 
ticated instances  of  the  same  disease  being  communicated  from  the  dog  to  the  horse, 
but  not  from  the  horse  to  the  dog. 

Mange  has  been  said  to  origiuate  in  want  of  cleanliness  in  the  management  of  the 
stable.  The  comfort  and  the  health  of  the  horse  demand  the  strictest  cleanliness 
The  eyes  and  the  lungs  frequently  suffer  from  the  noxious  fumes  of  the  putrefying 


MANGE.  389 

dung  and  urine ;  but,  in  defiance  of  common  prejudice,  there  is  no  authentic  instance 
of  manjre  being  the  result.  It  may,  however,  proceed  from  poverty.  When  the  ani- 
mal is  half  starved,  and  the  functions  of  digestion  and  the  power  of  the  constitution 
are  weakened,  the  skin  soon  sympathises,  and  mange  is  occasionally  produced  instead 
of  surfeit  and  hide-bound.  Every  farmer  has  proof  enough  of  this  being  the  case. 
If  a  horse  is  turned  on  a  common  where  there  is  scarcely  sufficient  herbage  to  satisfy 
his  appetite,  or  if  he  is  placed  in  one  of  those  straw-yards  that  are  under  the  manage- 
ment of  mercenary  and  unfeeling  men,  and  are  the  very  abodes  of  misery,  the  ani- 
mal comes  up  a  skeleton,  and  he  comes  up  mangy  too.  Poverty  and  starvation  are 
fruitful  sources  of  mange,  but  it  does  not  appear  that  filth  has  much  to  do  with  it, 
although  poverty  and  filth  generally  go  hand  in  hand. 

The  propriety  of  bleeding  in  cases  of  mange  depends  on  the  condition  of  the  pa- 
tient. If  mange  is  the  result  of  povert}",  and  the  animal  is  much  debilitated,  bleed- 
ing will  increase  the  evil,  and  will  probably  deprive  the  constitution  of  the  power  of 
rallying.  Physic,  however,  is  indispensable  in  every  case.  It  is  the  first  step  in  the 
progress  towards  cure.  A  mercurial  ball  will  be  preferable  to  a  common  aloetic  one, 
as  more  certain  and  effectual  in  its  operation,  and  the  mercury  probably  having  some 
influence  in  mitigating  the  disease.  In  this,  however,  mange  in  the  horse  resembles 
itch  in  the  human  being — medicine  alone  will  never  effect  a  cure.  There  must  be 
some  local  application.  There  is  this  additional  similarity — that  which  is  most  effec- 
tual in  curing  the  itch  in  the  human  being  must  form  the  basis  of  every  local  appli- 
cation for  the  cure  of  mange  in  the  horse.  Sulphur  is  indispensable  in  every 
unguent  for  mange.  It  is  the  sheet-anchor  of  the  veterinary  surgeon.  In  an  early  and 
not  very  acute  state  of  mange,  equal  portions  of  sulphur,  turpentine,  and  train-oil, 
gently  but  well  rubbed  on  the  part,  will  be  applied  with  advantage.  Farriers  are  fond 
of  the  black  sulphur,  but  that  which  consists  of  earthy  matter,  with  the  mere  dregs 
of  various  substances,  cannot  be  so  effectual  as  the  pure  sublimed  sulphur.  A  toler- 
ably stout  brush,  or  even  a  currj-comb,  lightly  applied,  should  be  used,  in  order  to 
remove  the  dandriff  or  scurf,  wherever  there  is  any  appearance  of  mange.  After  that, 
the  horse  should  be  washed  with  strong  soap  and  water  as  far  as  the  disease  has  ex- 
tended ;  and,  when  he  has  been  thoroughly  dried,  the  ointment  should  be  well  rubbed 
in  with  the  naked  hand,  or  with  a  piece  of  flannel.  More  sfood  will  be  done  by  a 
little  of  the  ointment  being  well  rubbed  in,  than  by  a  great  deal  being  merely  smeared 
over  the  part.     The  rubbing  should  be  daily  repeated. 

The  sulphur  seems  to  have  a  direct  influence  on  the  disease — the  turpentine  has  an 
indirect  one,  by  exciting  some  irritation  on  the  skin  of  a  different  nature  from  that 
produced  by  the  mange,  and  under  the  influence  of  which  the  irritation  of  mange  will 
be  diminished,  and  the  disease  more  easily  combated.  During  the  application  of  the 
ointment,  and  as  soon  as  the  physic  has  set,  an  alterative  ball  or  powder,  similar  to 
those  recommended  for  the  other  affections  of  the  skin,  should  be  daily  given.  If, 
"after  some  days  have  passed,  no  procrress  should  appear  to  have  been  made,  half  a 
pound  of  sulphur  should  be  well  mixed  with  a  pint  of  oil  of  tar,  or,  if  that  is  not  to 
be  obtained,  a  pint  of  Barbadoes  tar,  and  the  atTected  parts  rubbed,  as  before.  On 
every  fifth  or  sixth  day  the  ointment  should  be  washed  off  with  warm  soap  and  wa- 
ter. The  progress  towards  cure  will  thus  be  ascertained,  and  the  skin  will  be  cleans- 
ed, and  its  pores  opened  for  the  more  effectual  application  of  the  ointment. 

The  horse  should  be  well  supplied  with  nourishing,  but  not  stimulating  food.  As 
much  green  meat  as  he  will  eat  should  be  given  to  him,  or,  what  is  far  better,  he 
should  be  turned  out,  if  the  weather  is  not  too  cold.  It  may  be  useful  to  add,  that, 
after  the  horse  has  been  once  well  dressed  with  either  of  these  liniments,  the  danger 
of  contagion  ceases.  It  is  necessary,  however,  to  be  assured  that  every  mangy  place 
has  been  anointed.  It  will  be  prudent  to  give  two  or  three  dressings  after  the  horse 
has  been  apparently  cured,  and  to  continue  the  alteratives  for  ten  days  or  a  fortnight. 

The  cure  being  completed,  the  clothing  of  the  horse  should  be  well  soaked  in  wa- 
ter, to  which  a  fortieth  part  of  the  saturated  solution  of  the  chloride  of  lime  has  been 
added ;  after  which  it  should  be  washed  with  soap  and  water,  and  again  washed  and 
soaked  in  a  solution  of  the  chloride  of  lime.  Every  part  of  the  harness  should  un- 
dergo a  similar  purification.  The  curr\'comb  may  be  scoured,  but  the  brush  should 
be  burned.  The  rack,  and  manger,  and  partitions,  and  every  part  of  the  stable  which 
the  horse  could  possibly  have  touched,  should  be  well  washed  with  a  hair-broom — a 
pint  of  the  chloride  of  lime  being  added  to  three  gallons  of  water.  All  the-  wood- 
33* 


390  SOUNDNESS   AND    UNSOUNDNESS. 

work  should  then  be  scoured  with  soap  and  water,  after  which  a  second  washing  with 
the  chloride  of  lime  will  render  all  secure.  Some  farmers  have  pulled  down  their 
stables,  when  they  have  been  thoroughly  infected  with  mange.  This  is  being  unne 
cessarily  cautious.  The  efficacy  of  the  chloride  of  lime  was  not  then  known ;  but 
if  that  is  carefully  and  sufficiently  applied  to  every  part  of  the  stable  and  its  furni 
lure,  there  cannot  afterwards  be  danger. 

Every  case  of  itchiness  of  the  skin  should  be  regarded  with  suspicion.  When  a 
horse  is  seen  to  rub  the  root  of  his  tail,  or  his  head,  or  neck,  against  the  manger,  the 
xiarts  should  be  carefully  examined.  Some  of  the  hair  may  have  been  rubbed  or  torn 
ufT,  but  if  the  roots  remain  firmly  adherent,  and  there  is  only  redness  and  not  scurfi- 
ness  of  the  skin,  it  probably  is  not  mange,  but  only  inflammation  of  the  skin,  from 
too  great  fulness  of  blood.  A  little  blood  should  be  abstracted — a  purgative  admin- 
istered  and  the  alteratives  given.     The  mange  ointment  cannot  do  harm,  and  may 

possibly  prevent  this  heat  of  the  skin  from  degenerating  into  mange,  or  arrest  the 
proo-ress  of  mange  if  it  has  commenced.  If  a  scurfiness  of  skin  should  appear  on 
any  of  the  points  that  are  pressed  upon  by  the  collar  or  harness,  the  veterinary  sur- 
geon will  do  right  to  guard  against  clanger  by  alterative  medicine  and  the  use  of  the 
ointment. 

WARTS. 

These  are  tumours  of  variable  size,  arising  from  the  cuticle,  and  afterwards  con- 
nected with  the  true  skin  by  means  of  the  vessels  which  supply  the  growth  of  the 
tumours.  They  are  found  on  the  eyelids,  the  muzzle,  the  ears,  the  belly,  the  neck, 
the  penis,  and  the  prepuce.  There  are  some  caustics  available,  but  frequently  they 
must  be  removed  by  an  operation.  If  the  root  is  very  small,  it  may  be  snipped  asun- 
der, close  to  the  skin,  with  a  pair  of  scissors,  and  touched  with  the  lunar  caustic.  If 
the  pedicle  or  stem  is  somewhat  larger,  a  ligature  of  waxed  silk  should  be  passed 
firmly  round  it,  and  tightened  every  day.  The  source  of  nutriment  being  thus  re- 
moved, the  tumour  will,  in  a  short  time,  die  and  drop  off.  If  the  warts  are  large,  or 
in  considerable  clusters,  it  will  be  necessary  to  cast  the  horse,  in  order  to  cut  them 
off  close  to  the  skin :  the  root  should  then  be  seared  with  a  red-hot  iron.  Unless 
these  precautions  are  used,  the  warts  will  speedily  sprout  again. 

VERMIN. 

Both  the  biped  and  the  quadruped  are 'Subject  to  the  visitation  of  insects,  that  fasten 
on  the  skin,  and  are  a  constant  nuisance  from  the  itchiness  which  they  occasion.  If 
the  horse,  after  being  turned  out  for  the  winter,  is  taken  up  in  the  spring,  long  and 
rough  in  his  coat,  and  poor  in  condition,  and  with  evident  hide-bound,  he  will  almost 
invariably  be  afflicted  with  vermin. 

In  our  present  imperfect  acquaintance  with  natural  history,  it  is  difficult  to  account 
for  the  appearance  of  certain  insects,  and  of  those  alone,  on  the  integument  of  one 
animal,  while  others  of  an  altogether  different  character  are  found  on  its  neighbour. 
Each  one  has  a  tormentor  peculiar  to  itself. 

The  vermin  of  the  horse  is  destroyed  by  an  infusion  of  tobacco,  or  a  solution  of 
corrosive  sublimate,  the  latter  requiring  the  greatest  caution.  The  skin  being  once 
cleansed  of  them,  an  attention  to  cleanliness  will  prevent  their  reappearance. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 
ON  SOUNDNESS,  AND  THE  PURCHASE  AND  SALE  OF  HORSES. 

There  are  few  sources  of  greater  annoyance  both  to  the  purchaser  and  the  seller 
of  the  horse  than  disputes  with  regard  to  the  soundness  of  the  animal.  Although, 
in  describing  the  various  parts  of  the  horse,  we  have  glanced  at  the  connexion  of  cer- 
tain natural  conformations,  and  some  alterations  of  structure,  and  accidents,  and  dis- 
eases, with  the  question  of  soundness  or  unsoundness,  it  may  not  be  uninteresting  to 
those  for  whom  our  work  is  designed,  if  we  now  bring  into  one  point  of  view  the 
substance  of  that  which  has  been  scattered  over  many  pages. 

That  horse  is  sound  in  whom  there  is  no  disease,  and  no  alteration  of  structure  that 


LNSOUNDNESS.  391 

impairs,  or  is  likely  to  impair,  his  natural  usefulness.  The  horse  is  unsound  that 
labours  under  disease,  or  has  some  alteration  of  structure  which  does  interfere,  or  is 
likely  to  interfere,  with  his  natural  usefulness.*  The  term  "  natural  usefulness^''  must 
be  borne  in  mind.  One  horse  may  possess  great  speed,  but  is  soon  knocked  up;  an- 
other will  work  all  day,  but  cannot  be  got  beyond  a  snail's  pace  :  a  third  with  a  heavy 
forehand  is  liable  to  stumble,  and  is  continually  putting  to  hazard  the  neck  of  his 
rider;  another,  with  an  irritable  constitution  and  a  loose,  washy  form,  loses  his  appe- 
tite and  begins  to  scour  if  a  little  extra  work  is  exacted  from  him.  The  term  un- 
soundness must  not  be  applied  to  either  of  these ;  it  would  be  opening  far  too  widely 
a  door  to  disputation  and  endless  wrangling.  The  buyer  can  discern,  or  ought  to 
know,  whether  the  form  of  the  horse  is  that  which  will  render  him  likely  to  suit  his 
purpose,  and  he  should  tr}'  him  sufficiently  to  ascertain  his  natural  strength,  endur- 
ance, and  manner  of  going.  Unsoundness,  we  repeat,  has  reference  only  to  disease, 
or  to  that  alteration  of  structure  which  is  connected  with,  or  will  produce  disease,  and 
lessen  the  usefulness  of  the  animal. 

These  principles  will  be  best  illustrated  by  a  brief  consideration  of  the  usually  sup- 
posed appearances  or  causes  of  unsoundness. 

Broken  knees  certainly  do  not  constitute  unsoundness,  after  the  wounds  are  healed, 
unless  they  interfere  with  the  action  of  the  joint ;  for  the  horse  may  have  fallen  from 
mere  accident,  or  through  the  fault  of  the  rider,  without  the  slightest  damage  more 
than  the  blemish.  No  person,  however,  would  buy  a  horse  with  broken  knees,  until 
he  had  thoroughly  tried  him,  and  satisfied  himself  as  to  his  form  and  action. 

Capped  hocks  may  be  produced  by  lying  on  an  unevenly  paved  stable,  with  a 
scanty  supplv  of  litter,  or  by  kicking  generally,  in  neither  of  which  cases  would  they 
constitute  unsoundness,  although  in  the  latter  they  would  be  an  indication  of  vice ; 
but,  in  the  majority  of  instances,  they  are  the  consequence  of  sprain,  or  of  latent 
injury  of  the  hock,  and  accompanied  by  enlargement  of  it,  and  would  constitute  un- 
soundness.    A  special  warranty  should  always  be  taken  against  capped  hocks. 

Contraction  is  a  considerable  deviation  from  the  natural  form  of  the  foot,  but  not 
necessarily  constituting  unsoundness.  It  requires,  however,  a  most  careful  examina- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  purchaser  or  veterinary  surgeon,  in  order  to  ascertain  that  there 
is  no  heat  about  the  quarter,  or  ossification  of  the  cartilage — that  the  frog,  although 
diminished  in  sizF,  is  not  diseased — that  the  horse  does  not  step  short  and  go  as  if 
the  foot  were  tender,  and  that  there  is  not  tTi"e  slig-htest  trace  of  lameness.  Unless 
these  circumstances,  or  some  of  them,  are  detected,  a  horse  must  not  be  pronounced 
to  be  unsound  because  his  feet  are  contracted ;  for  many  horses  with  strangely  con- 
tracted feet  do  not  suffer  at  all  in  their  action.  A  special  warranty,  however,  should 
be  required  where  the  feet  are  at  all  contracted. 

Corns  manifestly  constitute  unsoundness.  The  portion  of  the  foot  in  which  bad 
corns  are  situated  will  not  bear  the  ordinary  pressure  of  the  shoe ;  and  accidental 
additional  pressure  from  the  growing  down  of  the  horn,  or  the  introduction  of  dirt  or 
gravel,  will  cause  serious  lameness.  They  render 'it  necessary  to  wear  a  thick  and 
heavy  shoe,  or  a  bar  shoe,  in  order  to  protect  the  weakened  and  diseased  part ;  and 
they  are  very  seldom  radically  cured.  There  may  be,  however,  and  frequently  is,  a 
difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  actual  existence  or  character  of  the  corn.  A  veterinary 
surgeon  may  consider  it  so  slight  and  insignificant  as  not  apparently  to  injure  the  horse, 
and  he  pronounces  the  animal  to  be  sound ;  but  he  should  be  cautious,  for  there  are 
corns  of  every  shade  and  degree,  from  the  slightest  degree  to  the  most  serious  evil. 
They  may  be  so  slight  and  manaa-pable  as,  though  ranginsf  under  the  class  of  morbid 
alteration  of  structure,  yet  not  to  diminish  the  natural  usefulness  of  the  horse  in  any 
degree.  Slight  corns  will  disappear  on  the  horse  being  shod  with  ordinary  skill  and 
care,  even  without  any  alteration  in  the  shoe. 

*  vince  the  publication  of  our  first  edition,  this  definition  or  rule  as  to  soundness  or  unsound- 
nesp  has  received  very  high  judicial  sanction.  Coates  v.  Stepheris,  2  Moody  and  Robinson, 
157  .  Scholefield  v.  Eohb,  id.  2iO.  We  shall  adhere  to  it  as  our  test  of  soundness  or  unsound- 
ness" thro-jphout  this  chapter,  not  forgetting  what  is  said  in  the  following  extract  from  a  note 
to  one  of  these  cases.  "  As  it  may  now  be  considered  as  settled  law,  that  the  breach  of  a 
warranty  of  soundness  does  not  entitle  the  purchaser  to  return  the  horse,  but  only  to  recover 
the  difference  of  value  of  the  horse  with  or  without  the  particular  unsoundness,  the  question 
of  temporary  maladies,  producing  no  permanent  deterioration  of  the  animal,  would,  gener- 
ally speaking,  only  involve  a  right  to  damages  merely  nominal." 


392  UNSOUNDNESS. 

Cough. — This  is  a  disease,  and  consequently  unsoundness.  However  slight  may 
be  its  degTee,  and  of  whatever  short  standing  it  may  be,  although  it  may  soinetiines 
scarcely  seem  to  interfere  with  the  usefulness  of  the  horse,  yet  a  change  of  stabling, 
or  slight  exposure  to  wet  and  cold,  or  the  least  over-exertion,  may,  at  other  times, 
cause  it  to  degenerate  into  many  dangerous  complaints.  A  horse,  therefore,  should 
never  be  purchased  with  a  cough  upon  him,  without  a  special  warranty  ;  or  if — the 
cough  not  being  observed — he  is  purchased  under  a  general  warranty,  that  warranty 
is  thereby  broken.  It  is  not  law,  that  a  horse  may  be  returned  on  breach  of  the  \\  ar- 
ranty.  The  seller  is  not  bound  to  take  him  back,  unless  he  has  contracted  so  to  do; 
but  he  is  liable  in  damages.  Lord  Ellenborough  has  completely  decided  this  matter. 
"  I  have  always  held,"  said  he,  "  that  a  warranty  of  soundness  is  broken,  if  the  ani- 
mal, at  the  time  of  sale,  had  any  infirmity  upon  him  that  rendered  him  less  fit  for 
present  service.  It  is  not  necessary  that  the  disorder  should  be  permanent  or  incura- 
ble. While  he  has  a  cough,  he  is  unsound,  although  that  may  either  be  temporary 
or  prove  mortal."* 

Roaring,  Wheezing,  W^histling,  High-blowing,  and  Grunting,  being  the  result 
of  alteration  of  structure,  or  disease  in  some  of  the  air-passages,  and  interfering  with 
the  perfect  freedom  of  breathing,  especially  when  the  horse  is  put  on  his  speed,  witii- 
out  doubt  constitute  unsoundness.  There  are  decisions  to  the  contrary,  which  are 
now  universally  admitted  to  be  erroneous.  Broken  wind  is  still  more  decidedly 
unsoundness. 

Crib-biting. — Although  some  learned  judges  have  asserted  that  crib-biting  is  sim- 
ply a  trick  or  bad  habit,  it  must  be  regarded  as  unsoundness.  This  unnatural  sucking 
in  of  the  air  must  to  a  certain  degree  injure  digestion.  It  must  dispose  to  colic,  and 
so  interfere  with  the  strength,  and  usefulness,  and  health  of  the  horse.  Some  crib 
biters  are  good  goers,  but  they  probably  would  have  possessed  more  endurance  hud 
they  not  acquired  this  habit;  and  it  is  a  fact  well  established,  that,  as  soon  as  a  horsf 
becomes  a  crib-biter,  he,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  loses  condition.  He  is  not  to  th( 
experienced  eye  the  horse  he  was  before.  It  may  not  lead  on  to  strongly-marked  dis- 
ease, or  it  may  rarely  do  so  to  any  considerable  degree ;  but  a  horse  that  is  morbidlji 
deficient  in  condition  must,  to  that  extent,  have  his  capability  for  extraordinary  work 
diminished,  and  so  be  brought  within  our  definition  of  unsoundness.  In  its  very  early 
stage  it  may  be  a  mere  trick — confirmed,  it  must  have  produced  morbid  deterioration. 
The  wear  of  the  front  teeth,  and  the  occasional  breaking  of  them,  make  a  horse  old 
before  his  time,  and  sometimes  render  it  difficult  or  almost  impossible  for  him  to  graze, 
when  the  state  of  the  animal  or  the  convenience  of  the  owner  requires  that  he  should 
be  turned  out. 

Curb  constitutes  unsoundness  while  it  lasts,  and  perhaps  while  the  swelling 
remains,  although  the  inflammation  may  have  subsided ;  for  a  horse  that  has  once 
♦brown  out  a  curb  is,  for  a  while  at  least,  very  liable  to  do  so  again,  to  get  lame  in 
Ihe  same  place  on  the  slightest  extra  exertion ;  or,  at  all  events,  he  would  there  firs* 


*  In  deciding  on  another  case,  the  same  judge  said,  "  I  have  always  held  it  that  a  cough 
SI  a  breach  of  the  warranty.  On  that  understanding  I  have  always  acted,  and  think  it  quite 
clear."  It  was  argued  on  the  other  hand  that  two-thirds  of  the  horses  in  London  had  coughs, 
yet  still  the  judge  maintained  that  the  cough  was  a  breach  of  warranty.  When  it  was  farther 
argued  that  the  horse  had  been  hunted  the  day  after  the  purchase,  and  the  cough  miiiht  have 
been  increased  by  this,  the  reply  was  singular,  but  decisive.  "  There  is  no  proof  that  he 
would  have  got  well  if  he  had  not  been  hunted."  This  doctrine  is  confirmed  by  Parke,  B., 
in  the  first  case  cited  in  p.  391.  .   .        . 

In  p.  194,  it  is  very  properly  stated  that  roaring  is  unsoundness,  because  it  impairs  the  lunc- 
tion  of  respiration.  Tliis  was  not  always,  however,  the  law  of  the  bench.  "  Lord  Ellenbo- 
rough," quoting  from  Sir  James  Mansfield,  says,  "  It  has  been  held  by  very  high  authority 
that  roaring  is  not  necessarily  unsoundness,  and  I  entirely  concur  in  that  opinion.  If  the  horse 
emits  a  loud  noise,  which  is  offensive  to  the  ear,  merely  from  a  bad  habit  which  he  has  con- 
tracted, or  from  any  cause  that  does  not  interfere  with  his  general  health,  or  muscular  powers, 
he  is  still  to  be  considered  a  sound  horse.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  roaring  proceeds  from 
any  disease  or  organic  infirmity,  which  renders  him  incapable  of  performing  the  usual  func- 
tions of  a  horse,  then  h  does  constitute  unsoundness.  The  plaintiff  has  not  done  enough  ir. 
showing  that  this  horse  was  a  roarer.  To  prove  a  breach  of  the  warranty  he  must  go  on  to 
show  that  the  roaring  was  symptomatic  of  disease."  These  extracts  are  taken  from  a  singu- 
lar work,  not  always  correct,  vet  from  which  much  amusement,  and  instruction  too,  may  be 
derived—"  The  Adventures  of  a  Gentleman  in  Search  of  a  Horse,  by  Caveat  Emptor." 


UNSOUNDNESS.  393 

fail  on  extraordinary  exertion.  A  horse,  however,  is  not  returnable,  although  he 
ihould  spring-  a  curb  five  minutes  after  the  purchase ;  for  it  is  done  in  a  moment,  and 
ioes  not  necessarily  indicate  any  previous  unsoundness  or  weakness  of  the  part. 

Cutting,  as  rendering  a  horse  liable  to  serious  injury  of  the  legs,  and  indicating 
that  he  L>  either  weak,  or  lias  an  awkwardness  of  gait  inconsistent  with  safety,  pro- 
duces, rather  than  is,  unsoundness.  Many  horses  go  lame  for  a  considerable  period 
after  cutting  themselves  severely;  and  others  have  dropped  from  the  sudden  agony 
and  endangered  themselves  and  their  riders.  As  some  doubt,  however,  exists  on  thia 
subject,  and  as  it  is  a  very  materia]  objection  to  a  horse,  cutting,  when  evident,  should 
nave  its  serious  consequences  provided  against  by  a  special  warranty. 

ExLARGED  Glands. — The  enlargement  of  the  glands  under  the  jaw  has  not  been  so 
much  considered  as  it  ought  to  have  been  in  our  estimate  of  the  soundness  of  the 
horse.  Simple  catarrh  will  occasionally,  and  severe  affection  of  the  chest  will  gene- 
rally, be  accompanied  by  swelling  of  these  glands,  which  does  not  subside  for  a  con- 
siderable time  after  tlie  cold  or  fever  has  apparently  been  cured.  To  slight  enlarge- 
ments of  the  glands  under  the  jaw  much  attention  need  not  be  paid ;  but  if  they  are  of 
considerable  size,  and  especially  if  they  are  tender,  and  the  glands  at  the  root  of  the 
ear  partake  of  the  enlargement,  and  the  membrane  of  the  nose  is  redder  than  it  should 
be,  we  should  hesitate  in  pronouncing  that  horse  to  be  sound.  We  must  consider  the 
swelling  as  a  symptom  of  disease. 

ExLARGED  Hock.  —  A  horse  with  enlarged  hock  is  unsound,  the  structure  of  thia 
complicated  joint  being  so  materially  affected  that,  although  the  horse  may  appear  for 
a  considerable  time  to  be  capable  of  ordinary  work,  he  will  occasionally  fail  even  in 
that,  and  a  few  days'  hard  Avork  will  always  lame  him. 

The  Eyes. — That  inflammation  of  the  e3-e  of  the  horse  which  usually  terminates  in 
blindness  of  one  or  both  eyes,  has  the  peculiar  character  of  receding  or  disappearing 
for  a  time,  once  or  twice,  or  thrice,  before  it  fully  runs  its  course.  The  eye,  after  an 
attack  of  inflammation,  regains  so  nearly  its  former  natural  brilliancy  that  a  person 
even  well  acquainted  with  horses  will  not  always  recognise  the  traces  of  former  dis- 
ease. After  a  time,  however,  the  inflammation  returns,  and  the  result  is  inevitable. 
A  horse  that  has  had  one  attack  of  this  complaint,  is  long  afterwards  unsound,  how- 
ever perfect  the  eye  may  seem  to  be,  because  he  carrier  about  with  him  a  disease  thai 
will  probably  again  break  out,  and  eventually  destroy  the  sight.  Whether,  therefore, 
he  may  be  rejected  or  not,  depends  on  the  possibility  of  proving  an  attack  of  inflam- 
mation of  the  eye,  prior  to  the  purchase.  Next  to  direct  evidence  of  this  are  appear- 
ances about  the  eye,  of  which  the  veterinary  surgeon  at  least  ought  not  to  be  ignorant. 
Allusion  has  been  made  to  them  in  page  89.  They  consist  chiefly  of  a  puckerinw 
of  the  lids  towards  the  inner  corner  of  one  or  both  eyes  —  a  difference  in  the  size  of 
the  eyes,  although  perhaps  only  a  slight  one,  and  not  discovered  except  it  be  looked 
for — a  gloominess  of  the  eye — a  dulness  of  the  iris — a  little  dulness  of  the  transparent 
part  of  the  ej-e  generally — a  minute,  faint,  dusky  spot,  deep  in  the  eye,  and  generally 
with  little  radiations  of  white  lines  proceeding  from  it.  If  these  symptoms,  or  the 
majority  of  them,  existed  at  the  time  of  purchase,  the  animal  had  assuredly  been  dis- 
eased before,  and  was  unsound.  Starting  has  been  considered  as  an  equivocal  proof. 
It  is  usually  an  indication  of  defective  sight,  but  it  is  occasionally  a  trick.  Connect- 
ed, however,  with  the  appearances  just  described,  it  is  a  very  strong  corroborative 
proof. 

Lamexess,  from  whatever  cause  arising,  is  unsoundness.  However  temporary  it 
may  be,  or  however  obscure,  there  must  be  disease  which  lessens  the  utility  of  the 
horse,  and  renders  him  unsound  for  the  time.  So  says  common  sense,  but  there  are 
conlradictory  decisions  on  the  case.  "  A  horse  labouring  under  a  temporary  injury  of 
hurt,  which  is  capable  of  being  speedilj*  cured  or  removed,  is  not,  according  to  Chief 
Justice  Eyre,  an  unsound  horse ;  and  where  a  warranty  is  made  that  such  a  horse  is 
sound,  it  is  made  without  any  view  to  such  an  injury;  nor  is  a  horse  so  circumstanced 
within  the  meaning  of  the  warranty.  To  vitiate  the  warranty,  the  injury  the  horse 
had  sustained,  or  the  malady  under  which  he  laboured,  ought  to  be  of  a  pfimanent 
nature,  and  not  such  as  may  arise  from  a  temporary  injur}'  or  accident."* 

On  the  contrary.  Lord  Ellenborouffh  says:  "•!  have  always  held,  and  now  hold, 
that  a  warranty  of  soundness  is  broken,  if  the  animal  at  the  time  of  sale  has  any 


2  Espin.  Rep.  673,  Garment  v,  Barrs. 
2z 


294.  UNSOUNDNESS. 

nfirmity  upon  him  which  renders  him  less  fit  for  present  service.  It  is  not  necessa  y 
that  the  disorder  should  be  permanent  or  incurable.  While  a  horse  has  a  couifh  he 
IS  unsound,  although  it  may  either  be  temporary  or  may  prove  mortal.  The  horse  in 
question  having  been  lame  at  the  time  of  sale,  when  he  was  warranted  to  be  sound, 
his  condition  subsequently  is  no  defence  to  the  action."*  The  decisions  of  Mr. 
Baron  Parke,  already  referred  to,  confirm  this  doctrine. 

Neurotomy. — A  question  has  arisen  liow  far  a  horse  that  has  undergone  the  opera 
tion  of  the  division  of  the  nerve  of  the  leg  (see  p.  Ill),  and  has  recovered  from  the 
lameness  with  which  he  was  before  aflected,  and  stands  his  work  well,  may  be  con 
sidered  to  be  sound.  Chief  .Justice  Best  held  such  a  horse  to  be  unsound,  and  in  our 
opinion  there  cannot  be  a  doubt  about  the  matter.  The  operation  of  neurotomy  does 
not  remove  the  disease  causing  the  lameness,  but  only  the  sensation  of  pain.  A  horse 
on  whom  this  operation  has  been  performed  may  be  improved  by  it — may  cease  to  be 
lame — may  go  well  for  many  years ;  but  there  is  no  certainty  of  this,  and  he  is  unsound, 
within  our  definition,  unless  nature  gave  the  nerve  for  no  useful  purpose. 

Ossification  ok  the  lateral  cartilages  constitutes  unsoundness,  as  interfering 
with  the  natural  expansion  of  the  foot,  and,  in  horses  of  quick  work,  almost  invariably 
producing  lameness. 

Pumiced-foot. — When  the  union  between  the  horny  and  sensible  laminae,  or  little 
plates  of  the  foot  (see  p.  301),  is  weakened,  and  the  coffin-bone  is  let  down,  and 
presses  upon  the  sole,  and  the  sole  yields  to  this  unnatural  weight,  and  becomes 
rounded,  and  is  brought  in  contact  with  the  ground,  and  is  bruised  and  injured,  that 
horse  must  be  unsound,  and  unsound  for  ever,  because  there  are  no  means  by  which 
we  can  raise  the  coffin-bone  again  into  its  place. 

QuiDDiNG. — If  the  mastication  of  the  food  gives  pain  to  the  animal,  in  consequence 
of  soreness  of  the  mouth  or  throat,  he  will  drop  it  before  it  is  perfectly  chewed.  This, 
as  an  indication  of  disease,  constitutes  unsoundness.  Quidding  sometimes  arises  from 
irregularity  in  the  teeth,  which  wound  the  cheek  with  their  sharp  edges ;  or  a  protrud- 
ing tooth  renders  it  impossible  for  the  horse  to  close  his  jaws  so  as  to  chew  his  food 
thoroughly.  Quidding  is  unsoundness  for  the  time;  but  the  unsoundness  will  cease 
when  the  teeth  are  properly  filed,  or  the  soreness  or  other  cause  of  this  imperfect 
chewing  removed. 

Quittor  is  manifestly  unsoundness. 

Ring-bone. — Although  when  the  bony  tumour  is  small,  and  on  one  side  only,  there 
is  little  or  no  lameness  —  and  there  are  a  few  instances  in  which  a  horse  with  ring- 
bone has  worked  for  many  years  without  its  return — yet  from  the  action  of  the  foot, 
and  the  stress  upon  the  part,  the  inflammation  and  the  formation  of  bone  may  acquire 
a  tendency  to  spread  so  rapidly,  that  we  must  pronounce  the  slightest  enlargement  of 
the  pasterns,  or  around  the  coronet,  to  be  a  cause  of  unsoundness. 

Sandcrack  is  manifestly  unsoundness.  It  may,  however,  occur  without  the  slight- 
est warning,  and  no  horse  can  be  rejected  on  account  of  a  sandcrack  that  has  sprung 
after  purchase.  Its  usual  cause  is  too  great  brittleness  of  the  crust  of  the  hoof;  but 
there  is  no  infallible  method  of  detecting  this,  or  the  degree  in  which  it  must  exist  in 
order  to  constitute  unsoundness.  W  hen  the  horn  round  the  bottom  of  the  frot  has 
chipped  oflfso  much  that  only  a  skilful  smith  can  fasten  the  shoe  without  pricking  the 
horse,  or  even  when  there  is  a  tendency  in  the  horn  to  chip  and  break  in  a  much  less 
degree  than  this,  the  horse  is  unsound,  for  this  brittleness  of  the  crust  is  a  disease  of 
the  part,  or  it  is  such  an  altered  structure  of  it  as  to  interfere  materially  with  the  use- 
fulness of  the  animal. 

Spavin. — Bone  spavin,  comprehending  in  its  largest  sense  every  bony  tumour  en 
the  hock,  is  not  necessarily  unsoundness.  If  the  tumour  affects  in  the  slightest  degree 
the  action  of  the  horse,  it  is  unsoundness;  —  even  if  it  does  not,  it  is  seldom  safe  to 
pronounce  it  otherwise  than  unsoundness.  But  it  may  possibly  be  (like  splint  in  the 
fore-leg)  so  situated  as  to  have  no  tendency  to  affect  the  action.  A  veterinary  surgeon 
consulted  on  the  purchase  will  not  always  reject  a  horse  because  of  such  a  tumour 
His  evidence  on  a  question  of  soundness  will  depend  on  the  facts.  The  situation  and 
history  of  the  tumour  may  be  such  as  to  enable  him  to  give  a  decisive  opinion  in  a 
norse  going  sound,  but  not  often. 

BoG  or  Blood  Spavin  is  unsoundness,  because,  although  it  may  not  bo  productive 

*  4  Campbell,  251,  Elton  v.  Brogden. 


UNSOUNDNESS.  395 

of  lameness  at  slow  work,  the  rapid  and  powerful  action  of  the  hock  in  quicker  motion 
will  produce  permanent,  yet  perhaps  not  considerable  lameness,  which  can  scarcely 
ever  be  with  certainty  removed. 

Splint. — It  depends  entirely  on  the  situation  of  the  bony  tumour  on  the  shank-bone, 
whether  it  is  to  be  considered  as  unsoundness.  If  it  is  not  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
any  joint,  so  as  to  interfere  with  its  action,  and  if  it  does  not  press  upon  any  ligament 
or  tendon,  it  may  be  no  cause  of  unsoundness,  although  it  is  often  very  unsightly. 
In  many  cases  it  may  not  lessen  the  capability  and  value  of  the  animal.  This  has 
been  treated  on  at  considerable  length  in  page  2G8. 

Stringhalt. — This  singular  and  very  unpleasant  action  of  the  hind  leg  is  decided- 
ly an  unsoundness.  It  is  an  irregular  communication  of  nervous  energy  to  some 
muscle  of  the  thigh,  obsenfable  when  the  horse  lirst  comes  from  the  stable,  and  gra- 
dually ceasing  on  exercise.  It  has  usually  been  accompanied  by  a  more  than  com- 
mon degree  of  strength  and  endurance.  It  must,  however,  be  traced  to  some  morbid 
alteration  of  structure  or  function;  and  it  rarely  or  never  fails  to  deteriorate  and  gra- 
dually wear  out  the  animal. 

Thickening  of  the  Back  Sinews. — Sufficient  attention  is  not  always  paid  to  the 
fineness  of  the  legs  of  the  horse.  If  the  flexor  tendons  have  been  sprained,  so  as  to 
produce  considerable  thickening  of  the  cellular  substance  in  which  their  sheaths  are 
enveloped,  they  will  long  afterwards,  or  perhaps  always,  be  liable  to  sprain,  from 
causes  by  which  they  would  otherwise  be  scarcely  aftected.  The  continuance  of  any 
considerable  thickness  around  the  sheaths  of  the  tendons  indicates  previous  and  vio- 
lent sprain.  This  very  thickening  will  fetter  the  action  of  the  tendons,  and,  alter 
much  quick  work,  will  occasionally  renew  the  inflammation  and  the  lameness;  there- 
fore, such  a  horse  cannot  be  sound.  It  requires,  however,  a  little  discrimination  to 
distinguish  this  from  the  gumminess  or  roundness  of  leg,  peculiar  to  some  breeds. 
There  should  be  an  evident  diff'erence  between  the  injured  leg  and  the  other. 

Thoroughpin,  except  it  is  of  great  size,  is  rarely  productive  of  lameness,  and  there- 
fore cannot  be  termed  unsoundness ;  but  as  it  is  the  consequence  of  hard  work,  and 
now  and  then  does  produce  lameness,  the  hock  should  be  most  carefully  examined, 
and  there  should  be  a  special  warranty  against  it. 

Thrush. — There  are  various  cases  on  record  of  actions  on  account  of  thrushes  in 
horses,  and  the  decisions  have  been  much  at  variance,  or  perfectly  contradictory. 
Thrush  has  not  been  always  considered  by  legal  men  as  unsoundness.  We,  how- 
ever, decidedly  S'O  consider  it;  as  being  a  disease  interfering  and  likely  to  interfere 
with  the  usefulness  of  the  horse.  Thrush  is  inflammation  of  the  lower  surftice  of  the 
inner  or  sensible  frog — and  the  secretion  or  throwing  out  of  pus — almost  invariably 
accompanied  by  a  slight  degree  of  tenderness  of  the  frog  itself,  or  of  the  heel  a  little 
above  it,  and,  if  neglected,  leading  to  diminution  of  the  substance  of  the  frog,  and 
separation  of  the  horn  from  parts  beneath,  and  underrunning,  and  the  production  of 
fungus  and  canker,  and,  ultimately,  a  diseased  state  of  the  foot,  destructive  of  the 
present,  and  dangerous  to  the  future  usefulness  of  the  horse. 

WiNDGALLS. — There  are  fev/  horses  perfectly  free  from  windgalls,  but  they  do  not 
interfere  with  the  action  of  the  fetlock,  or  cause  lameness,  except  when  they  are  nu- 
merous or  large.  They  constitute  unsoundness  only  when  they  cause  lameness,  or 
are  so  large  and  numerous  as  to  render  it  likely  that  they  will  cause  it. 

In  the  purchase  of  a  horse  the  buyer  usually  receives,  embodied  in  the  receipt, 
what  is  termed  a  warranty.     It  should  be  thus  expressed  :— 

"Received  of  A.  B.  forty  pounds  for  a  grey  mare,  warranted  only  five  years  old,  sound, 
free  from  vice,  and  quiet  to  ride  and  drive. 

'' £A0.  "CD." 

A  receipt,  including  merely  the  word  "warranted,"  extends  only  to  soundness, — 
warranted  sound"  ^oes  no  farther;  the  age,  freedom  from  vice,  and  quietness  to 
ide  and  drive,  should  be  especially  named.  This  warranty  comprises  every  cause 
of  unsoundness  that  can  be  detected,  or  that  lurks  in  the  constitution  at  the  time  of 
jale,  and  to  every  vicious  habit  that  the  animal  has  hitherto  shown.  To  establish  a 
>reach  of  the  warranty,  and  to  be  enabled  to  tender  a  return  of  the  horse  and  recover 
the  difference  of  price,  the  purchaser  must  prove  that  it  was  unsound  or  viciously  dis- 
posed at  the  time  of  sal".  In  case  of  cough,  the  horse  must  have  been  heard  to  cough 
immediately  after  the  purchase,  or  as  he  was  led  home,  or  as  soon  as  he  had  entered 


396  UNSOUNDNESS. 

the  stable  of  the  purchaser.  Coughing,  even  on  the  following  morning-,  will  not  be 
sufficient;  for  it  is  possible  that  he  might  have  caught  cold  by  change  of  stabling. 
If  he  is  lame,  it  must  be  proved  to  arise  from  a  cause  that  existed  before  the  animal 
was  in  the  purchaser's  possession.  No  price  will  imply  a  warranty,  or  be  equivalent 
to  one ;  there  must  be  an  express  warranty.  A  fraud  nmst  be  proved  in  the  seller,  in 
order  that  the  buyer  may  be  enabled  to  return  the  horse  or  maintain  an  action  for  the 
price.  The  warranty  should  be  given  at  the  time  of  sale.  A  warranty,  or  a  promise 
to  warrant  the  horse  given  at  any  period  antecedent  to  the  sale,  is  invalid ;  for  horse- 
flesh is  a  very  perishable  commodity,  and  the  constitution  and  usefulness  of  the  ani- 
mal may  undergo  a  considerable  change  in  the  space  of  a  few  days.  A  warranty 
after  the  sale  is  invalid,  for  it  is  given  without  any  legal  consideration.  In  order  to 
complete  the  purchase,  there  nmst  be  a  transfer  of  the  antmal,  or  a  memorandum  of 
agreement,  or  the  payment  of  earnest-money.  The  least  sum  will  suffice  for  earnest. 
No  verbal  promise  to  buy  or  to  sell  is  binding  without  one  of  these.  The  momen 
either  of  these  is  effected,  the  legal  transfer  of  property  or  delivery  is  made,  and  what- 
ever may  happen  to  the  horse,  the  seller  retains,  or  is  entitled  to  the  money.  If  the 
purchaser  exercises  any  act  of  ownership,  by  using  the  animal  without  leave  of  the 
vendor,  or  by  having  any  operation  performed,  or  any  medicines  given  to  him,  he 
makes  him  his  own.  The  warranty  of  a  servant  is  considered  to  be  binding  on  the 
master.* 

If  the  horse  should  be  afterwards  discovered  to  have  been  unsound  at  the  time  of 
warranty,  the  buyer  may  tender  a  return  of  it,  and,  if  it  be  not  taken  back,  may  bring 
his  action  for  the  price ;  but  the  seller  is  not  bound  to  rescind  the  contract,  unless  he 
hap  agreed  so  to  do. 

Although  there  is  no  legal  compulsion  to  give  immediate  notice  to  the  seller  of  the 
discovered  unsoundness,  it  will  be  better  for  it  to  be  done.  The  animal  should  then 
be  tendered  at  the  house  or  stable  of  the  vendor.  If  he  refuses  to  receive  him,  the 
animal  may  be  sent  to  a  livery-stable  and  sold ;  and  an  action  for  the  difference  in 
orice  may  be  brought.  The  keep,  however,  can  be  recovered  only  for  the  time  that 
necessarily  intervened  between  the  tender  and  the  determination  of  the  action.  It  is 
not  legally  necessary  to  tender  a  return  of  the  horse  as  soon  as  the  unsoundness  is 
discovered.  The  animal  may  be  kept  for  a  reasonable  time  afterwards,  and  even  pro- 
per medical  means  used  to  remove  the  unsoundness ;  but  courtesy,  and  indeed  jus- 
tice, will  require  that  the  notice  should  be  given  as  soon  as  possible.  Although  it  is 
stated,  on  the  authority  of  Lord  Loughborough,  that  "no  length  of  time  elapsed 
after  the  sale  will  alter  the  nature  of  a  contract  originally  false,"  yet  it  seems  to 
have  been  once  thought  it  was  necessary  to  the  action  to  give  notice  of  the  unsound- 
ness in  a  reasonable  time.  The  cause  of  action  is  certainly  complete  on  breach  of 
the  warranty. 

It  used  to  be  supposed  that  the  buyer  had  no  right  to  have  the  horse  medically  treat- 
ed, and  that  he  would  waive  the  warranty  by  doing  so.  The  question,  however, 
would  be,  has  he  injured  or  diminished  the  value  of  the  horse  by  this  treatment?  It 
will  generally  be  prudent  for  him  to  refrain  from  all  medical  treatment,  because  the 
means  adopted,  however  skilfully  employed,  may  have  an  unfortunate  effect,  or  may 
be  misrepresented  by  ignorant  or  interested  observers. 

The  purchaser  possibly  may  like  the  horse,  notwithstanding  his  discovered  defect, 
and  he  may  retain,  and  bring  his  action  for  the  depreciation  in  value  on  account  of 
the  unsoundness.  Few^,  however,  will  do  this,  because  his  retaining  the  horse  will 
cause  a  suspicion  that  the  defect  was  of  no  great  consequence,  and  will  give  rise  to 
much  cavil  about  the  quantum  of  damages,  and  after  all,  very  slight  damages  wil' 
probably  be  obtained.  "  I  take  it  to  be  clear  law,"  says  Lord  Eldon,  "  that  if  a  per- 
son purchases  a  horse  that  is  warranted,  and  it  afterwards  turns  out  that  the  horse 
was  unsound  at  the  time  of  the  warranty,  the  buyer  may,  if  he  pleases,  keep  the 
horse,  and  bring  an  action  on  the  warranty ;  in  which  he  will  have  a  right  to  recover 
the  difference  between  the  value  of  a  sound  horse,  and  one  with  such  defects  as  ex- 
isted at  the  time  of  warranty ;  or  he  may  return  the  horse,  and  bring  an  action  to 
recover  the  full  money  paid  :  but  in  the  latter  case,  the  seller  has  a  right  to  expect 
that  the  horse  shall  be  returned  to  him  in  the  same  state  he  was  when  sold,  and  not 


'  The  weight  of  authority  decides  that  the  master  is  bound  by  the  act  of  the  servant.    Lord 
Kenyon,  however,  had  some  doubt  on  the  subject. 


UNSOUNDNESS.  39.^ 

by  any  means  diminished  in  value ;  for  if  a  person  keeps  a  warranted  article  for  any 
length  of  time  after  discovering  its  defects,  and  when  he  returns  it,  it  is  in  a  worse 
state  than  it  would  have  been  if  returned  immediately  after  such  discovery,  I  think 
the  party  can  have  no  defence  to  an  action  for  the  price  of  the  article  on  the  ground 
of  non-compliance  with  the  warranty,  but  must  be  left  to  his  action  on  the  warranty 
to  recover  the  diflerence  in  the  value  of  the  article  warranted,  and  its  value  when 
sold  "* 

Where  there  is  no  warranty,  an  action  may  be  brought  on  the  ground  of  fraud ;  but 
this  is  very  difficult  to  be  maintained,  and  not  often  hazarded.  It  will  be  necessary 
to  prove  that  the  dealer  knew  the  defect,  and  that  the  purchaser  was  imposed  upon 
by  his  false  representation,  or  other  fraudulent  means.  If  the  defect  was  evident  to 
every  eye,  the  purchaser  has  no  remedy  —  he  should  have  taken  more  care;  but  if  a 
warranty  was  given,  that  extends  to  all  unsoundness,  palpable  or  concealed.  Al- 
though a  person  should  ignorantly  or  carelessly  buy  a  blind  horse,  warranted  sound, 
he  may  reject  it — the  warranty  is  his  guard,  and  prevents  him  from  so  closely  exam- 
ining the  horse  as  he  otherwise  would  have  done;  but  if  he  buys  a  blind  horse,  think- 
ing him  to  be  sound,  and  without  a  warranty,  he  has  no  remedy.  Every  one  ought 
to  exercise  common  circumspection  and  common  sense. 

A  man  should  have  a  more  perfect  knowledge  of  horses  than  falls  to  the  lot  of 
most,  and  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  vendor  too,  who  ventures  to  buy  a  horse  without 
a  warranty. 

If  a  person  buys  a  horse  warranted  sound,  and  discovering  no  defect  in  him,  and, 
relying  on  the  v.-arranty,  re-sells  him,  and  the  unsoundness  is  discovered  by  the  second 
purchaser,  and  the  horse  returned  to  the  first  purchaser,  or  an  action  commenced 
against  him,  he  has  his  claim  on  the  first  seller,  and  may  demand  of  him  not  only  the 
price  of  the  horse,  or  the  difference  in  value,  but  every  expense  that  may  have  been 
incurred. 

Absolute  exchanges,  of  one  horse  for  another,  or  a  sum  of  money  being  paid  in 
addition  by  one  of  the  parties,  stand  on  the  same  ground  as  simple  sales.  If  there  is 
a  warranty  on  either  side,  and  that  is  broken,  an  action  may  be  maintained :  if  there 
be  no  warranty,  deceit  must  be  proved. 

The  trial  of  horses  on  sale  often  leads  to  disputes.  The  law  is  perfectly  clear,  but 
the  application  of  it,  as  in  other  matters  connected  with  horse-flesh,  attended  with 
glorious  uncertainty.  The  intended  purchaser  is  only  liable  for  damage  done  to  the 
horse  through  his  own  misconduct.  The  seller  may  put  what  restriction  he  chooses 
on  the  trial,  and  takes  the  risks  of  all  accidents  in  the  fair  use  of  the  horse  within 
such  restrictions. 

If  a  horse  from  a  dealer's  stable  is  galloped  far  and  fast,  it  is  probable  that  he  will 
soon  show  distress ;  and  if  he  is  pushed  farther,  inflammation  and  death  maj''  ensue. 
The  dealer  rarely  gets  recompensed  for  this ;  nor  ought  he,  as  he  knows  t!ie  unfitness 
of  his  horse,  and  may  thank  himself  for  permitting  such  a  trial ;  and  if  it  should  occur 
soon  after  the  sale,  he  runs  the  risk  of  having  the  horse  returned,  or  of  an  action  for 
its  price. 

In  this,  too,  he  is  not  much  to  be  pitied.  The  mischievous  and  fraudulent  practice 
of  dealers,  especially  in  London,  of  giving  their  horses,  by  overfeeding,  a  false  appear- 
ance of  muscular  substance,  leads  to  the  ruin  of  many  a  valuable  animal.  It  would 
be  a  useful  lesson  to  have  to  contest  in  an  action  or  two  the  question  whether  a  horse 
overloaded  with  fat  can  be  otherwise  than  in  a  state  of  disease,  and  consequently 
unsound. 

It  is  proper,  however,  to  put  a  limit  to  what  has  been  too  frequently  asserted  from 
the  bench,  that  a  horse  warranted  sound  must  be  taken  as  fit  for  immediate  use,  and 
capable  of  being  immediately  put  to  any  fair  work  the  owner  chooses.  A  huntei 
honestly  warranted  sound  is  certainly  warranted  to  be  in  immediate  condition  to  fol 
low  the  hounds.  The  mysteries  of  condition,  as  has  been  shown  in  a  former  part  ot 
the  work,  are  not  sufficiently  unravelled. 

In  London,  and  in  most  great  towns,  there  are  repositories  for  the  periodical  sale 
of  horses  by  auction.  They  are  of  great  convenience  to  the  seller  who  can  at  once 
get  rid  of  a  horse  with  which  he  wishes  to  part,  without  waiting  month  after  month 
before  he  obtains  a  purchaser,  and  he  is  relieved  from  the  nuisance  or  fear  of  having 

*  Curtis  V.  Hannay,  3  Esp.  83. 
34 


398  MEDICINE. 

the  anima  returned  on  account  of  breach  of  the  warranty,  because  in  these  places  only 
(wo  days  are  allowed  for  the  trial,  and  if  the  horse  is  not  returned  within  that  period, 
he  cannot  be  afterwards  returned.  They  arc  also  convenient  to  the  purchaser,  who 
can  thus  in  a  large  town  soon  find  a  horse  that  will  suit  him,  and  which,  from  this 
restriction  as  to  returning'  the  animal,  he  will  obtain  twenty  or  thirty  per  cent,  below 
the  dealers'  prices.  Although  an  auction  may  seem  to  oft'er  a  fair  and  open  competi- 
tion, there  is  no  place  ai  which  it  is  more  necessary  for  a  person  not  much  accustomed 
to  horses  to  take  with  him  an  experienced  friend,  and,  when  there,  to  depend  on  his 
own  judgment,  or  that  of  his  friend,  heedless  of  the  observations  or  manoRuvres  of  the 
bystanders,  the  exaggerated  commendation  of  some  horses,  and  the  thousand  faults 
found  with  others.  There  are  always  numerous  groups  of  low  dealers,  copers,  and 
chaunters,  whose  business  it  is  to  delude  and  deceive. 

One  of  the  regulations  of  the  Bazaar  in  King  Street  was  exceedingly  fair,  both  with 
regard  to  the  previous  owner  and  the  purchaser,  viz. — 

"  When  a  horse,  having  been  warranted  sound,  shall  be  returned  within  the  pre- 
scribed period,  on  account  of  unsoundness,  a  certificate  from  a  veterinary  surgeon, 
particularly  describing  the  unsoundness,  must  accompany  the  horse  so  returned  ;  when, 
if  it  be  agreed  to  by  tiie  veterinary  surgeon  of  the  establishment,  the  amount  received 
for  the  horse  shall  be  immediately  paid  back;  but  if  the  veterinary  surgeon  of  tlie 
establishment  should  not  confirm  the  certificate,  then,  in  order  to  avoid  further  dispute, 
one  of  the  veterinary  surgeons  of  the  college  shall  be  called  in,  and  his  decision  shall 
be  final,  and  the  expense  of  such  umpire  shall  be  borne  by  the  party  in  error." 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 


^  LIST  OF  THE  MEDICINES  USED  IN  THE  TREATMENT  OF  THE 
DISEASES  OF  THE  HORSE. 

He  will  rarely  consult  his  own  interest,  who,  not  having  had  the  advantage  of  a 
vcterinarj'  education,  undertakes  the  tieatment  of  any  of  the  serious  diseases  of  his 
horses.  Many  of  the  maladies  of  ibe  horse  nearly  resemble  each  other.  They  are 
continually  varying  their  character,  and  rtquire,  in  their  different  stages,  a  very  differ- 
ent treatment,  and  in  the  plainest  case  not  only  the  characteristic  symptoms  of  disease 
are  obscure,  but  even  the  indications  of  returning  health,  or  increasing  danger,  are 
often  scarcely  ascertainable,  consequently  the  sick  horse,  as  well  as  the  human  being, 
needs  the  care  of  one  whom  study  and  experience  have  qualified  for  the  task.  A  list 
of  the  drugs  generally  employed,  with  a  slight  account  of  their  history,  adulterations, 
and  medicinal  effects,  will  be  interesting  to  the  horsc-pioprietor  as  well  as  to  tlie 
veterinary  surgeon ;  and  may  occasionally  be  useful  when  professional  aid  cannot  be 
obtained. 

Frequent  reference  will  be  made  to  Professor  Morton's  most  valuable  Manual  of 
Pharmacy.  This  work  will  be  found  to  be  a  treasure  to  every  veterinary  surgeon. 
Mr.  W.  C.  Spooner's  Materia  Medica,  in  his  recent  compendium  of  White's  account 
of  the  horse,  will  occasionally  be  laid  under  contribution. 

Acacia  Gummi. — Many  varieties  of  gxim  arable  are  procured  from  Egypt,  Arabia, 
and  the  East  Indies.  It  is  an  exudation  from  the  trunk  and  branches  of  various  trees. 
It  is  employed  in  the  form  of  a  mucilage,  made  by  dissolving  it  in  water,  in  the  pro- 
portion of  one  part  of  the  gum  to  three  or  four  of  water.  Various  insoluble  powders 
may  be  thus  suspended,  or  oils  rendei~ed  miscible  or  emulsions  formed.  Emulsions 
composed  of  gum  arabic  are  supposed  to  be  useful  in  urinary  affections. 

AciDUM  AcETicuM,  AcF.Tic  AciD,  ViNEGAR. — Vinegar  is  a  verj'  useful  application 
for  sprains  and  bruises.  Equal  parts  of  boiling  water  and  cold  vinegar  will  form  a 
good  fomentation.  Extract  of  lead,  or  bay  salt,  may  be  added  with  some  advantage. 
As  an  internal  remedy,  vinegar  is  rarely  given,  nor  has  it,  except  in  large  doses,  any 
consideiable  medicinal  power.     The  veterinarian  and  the  horse-owner  should  manu 


I\I  E  D  I  C  I  N  E  .  399 

ficture  their  own  vinegar.  That  which  they  huy  frequently  contains  sulphuric  acid 
and  pungent  spices,  and  irritates  the  inflamed  part  to  which  it  is  applied. 

AciuuM  Arseniosu.m,  Arsenic. — Were  it  not  that  some  practitioners  continue  to 
lise  it  as  a  tonic,  in  doses  of  from  ten  to  twenty  grains  daily,  and  others  employ  it  to 
core  out  old  ulcers,  we  would  not  include  it  in  our  list,  for  we  have  little  faith  in  it. 
There  are  better  and  safer  tonics,  and  far  better  and  safer  caustics.  The  method  of 
detecting  the  presence  of  arsenic,  in  cases  of  poisoning,  has  been  described  at  page 
227. 

AtMDUM  McRiATicuM,  or  HYDROCHLORIC  AciD :  SpiRiT  OF  Salt. — This  acid  is 
formed  by  distilling  corrosive  sublimate  with  antimony.  The  butter-like  matter  which 
is  produced  (whence  the  common  name,  Butyr  of  dntimony)  has  a  strong  affinity  for 
water,  which  it  attracts  from  the  atmosphere,  and  thus  becomes  converted  into  a  fluid. 
The  less  water  it  is  suffered  to  attract  to  itself  the  more  powerful  it  remains,  and 
therefore  it  should  be  kept  in  stoppered  bottles.  The  proof  of  its  goodness  is  its 
weight.  It  is  decidedly  the  best  liquid  caustic  we  have.  It  is  most  manageable,  and 
its  effect  can  most  readily  be  ascertained.  As  soon  as  it  touches  any  muscular  or 
living  part,  a  change  of  colour  is  perceived,  and  the  effect  of  the  caustic  can  be  fairly 
judged  of  by  the  degree  of  change.  For  corns,  canker,  indisposition  in  the  sole  to 
secrete  good  horn,  wounds  in  the  foot  not  attended  by  healthy  action,  and  for  every 
case  where  the  superficial  application  of  a  caustic  is  needed,  this  acid  is  unrivalled. 

AciDUM  NiTRicuM  :  Nitric  Acid,  Aquafortis. — This  is  a  valuable  external  appli- 
cation.  It  is  both  a  caustic  and  an  antiseptic.  It  destroys  fungous  excrescences.  A 
pledget  of  tar  should  be  dipped  in  the  acid,  and  then  firmly  pressed  on  the  cankerous 
surface.  Every  part  with  which  the  acid  has  come  into  contact  will  be  deadened  and 
slough  off,  and  healthy  granulations  will  spring  up. 

AciDUM  HvDRociAMCCM  :  Prussic  Acid. — This,  in  a  concentrated  state,  is  truly  a 
deadly  poison;  a  few  drops  of  it  will  kill  a  large  animal.  In  a  diluted  form,  it  is  a 
powerful  sedative.  In  doses  of  six  drops,  largely  diluted,  it  abates  both  pulmonary 
and  gastric  irritation.  It  may  be  worth  trying  in  the  form  of  enema  in  cases  of  Te- 
tanus. It  may  also  be  given  by  the  mouth  in  the  same  disease.  Nothing  is  more 
likely  to  tranquillize  the  general  excitement  of  the  nervous  system.  The  author  of 
this  work  was  the  first  person  who  applied  the  hj'drocyanic  acid  for  the  purpose  of 
allaying  irritation  of  the  skin  in  dogs.  It  seldom  fails  of  producing  the  desired  effect, 
and  it  has  had  a  similar  good  effect  in  subduing  itchiness  and  mange  in  the  horse. 

Acidum  SuLPHURicLM,  Sl'lphuric  Acid. — When  mixed  with  tar  in  the  proportion 
of  an  ounce  to  the  pound,  it  is  a  good  application  for  thrush  and  canker:  a  smaller 
quantity  mixed  with  olive  oil  makes  a  good  stimulating  liniment.  If  too  much  sul- 
phuric acid  is  added,  either  by  mistake  or  wilfully,  it  inflames  and  corrodes  the  sto- 
mach and  bowels.  The  proper  antidotes  in  this  case  are  magnesia,  or  the  carbonate 
of  soda  or  potash,  with  soft  soap.  The  acid  might  possibly  be  neutralized  by  this 
combination. 

Adeps,  Hog's  Lard,  very  properly  forms  the  basis  of  most  of  our  ointments.  It 
is  tasteless,  inodorous,  and  free  from  everj'  stimulating  quality.  That  cannot  be  said 
of  all  the  ingredients  used  in  the  composition  of  our  unguents. 

Alcohol,  Rectified  Spirit. — This  is  necessarily  used  in  many  of  our  tinctures 
and  other  preparations,  and  is  sometimes  given  to  the  horse  in  almost  a  pure  state. 
Some  horses  that  are  compelled  to  travel  far  and  quickly,  show  CTident  fatigue  before 
they  arrive  at  the  end  of  their  journey.  A  cordial  or  carminative  tincture,  to  the  ex- 
tent of  three  or  four  ounces,  largely  diluted,  may  occasionally  be  given,  and  they 
rally,  and  cheerfully  pursue  their  course  to  the  end.  The  groom  or  the  stableman 
gives  the  gin  or  whiskey  of  the  country,  in  preference  to  any  other  stimulant.  In 
cases  of  thorough  fatiofue  the  Daffy's  Elixir  may  be  administered,  and  probably  ren- 
dered more  stimulant  by  the  addition  of  pepper.  Mr.  Bracy  Clark  recommends  four 
ounces  of  the  tincture  of  allspice  in  cases  of  gripes.  On  the  other  hand,  some  veteri- 
nary surgeons  have  preferred  simple  hot  water,  or  the  infusion  of  several  of  our  medi- 
cinal herbs,  as  peppermint,  rosemary,  &c.  We  should  be  loath,  except  on  extraordi- 
nary occasions,  to  advocate  the  use  of  any  spirituous  drink. 

Aloes. — There  are  two  kinds  used  in  horse  practice,  the  Barbadoes  and  the  Cape. 
The  Socotrine,  preferred  by  the  human  surgeon,  are  very  uncertain  in  their  effect  on 
the  horse,  and  are  seldom  to  be  met  with  pure.  Of  the  Barbadoes  and  the  Cape,  the 
first  are  much  to  be  preferred.     They  are  obtained  principally  from  the  island  of  Bar- 


400  MEDICINE. 

badces,  and  are  the  juice  of  the  large  leaves  of  the  aloe  boiled  to  a  considerable 
thickness,  and  then  poured  into  gourds  in  which  tiiey  gradually  harden.  The  true 
Cape  are  the  extract  of  a  species  of  aloes  chiefly  cultivated  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.  The  Barhadoes  aloes  are  black,  with  a  shade  of  brown,  of  an  unctuous  feel- 
ing, with  a  stronger  smell,  broken  with  difficulty,  and  the  fracture  dull.  Tlie  Cape 
are  darker  coloured,  stronger  smelling,  very  brittle,  and  the  fracture  perfectly  glossy 
Every  veterinary  surgeon  who  uses  much  aloes  should  buy  them  in  the  mass,  and 
powder  them  at  home,  and  then,  by  attending  to  Ihis  account  of  the  difference  of  the 
two,  he  can  scarcely  be  imposed  upon.  It  is,  however,  the  fact,  that  these  are  mostly 
adulterated,  by  their  being  melted  together.  Aloes  purchased  in  powder  are  too  oftei' 
sadly  adulterated. 

The  Cape  aloes  may  be  powdered  at  all  times,  and  the  Barbadoes  in  frosty  wea- 
ther, when  enough  should  be  prepared,  to  be  kept  in  closed  bottles,  for  the  year's 
consumption.  They  may  also  be  powdered  when  they  have  been  taken  from  the 
gourd,  and  exposed  to  a  gentle  heat  for  two  or  three  hours  before  they  are  put  into 
the  mortar.  In  the  proportion  of  fifteen  ounces  of  the  powder  mixed  with  one  ounce 
of  powdered  ginger,  and  beaten  up  with  eight  ounces  of  palm  oil,  and  afterwards 
divided  into  the  proper  doses,  it  will  form  a  purging  mass  more  effectual,  and  much 
less  likely  to  gripe,  than  any  that  can  be  procured  by  melting  the  drug.  If  the  phy- 
sic is  given  in  the  shape  of  a  ball,  it  more  readily  dissolves  in  the  stomach,  and  more 
certainly  and  safely  acts  on  the  bowels  when  mingled  with  some  oily  matter,  like 
that  just  recommended,  than  when  combined  with  syrup  or  honey,  which  are  apt  to 
ferment,  and  be  themselves  the  cause  of  gripes.  It  is  also  worse  than  useless  to  add 
any  diuretic  to  the  mass,  as  soap  or  carbonate  of  soda.  The  action  of  these  on  one 
set  of  organs  will  weaken  that  of  the  aloes  on  another.  A  physic  mass  should  never 
be  kept  more  than  two  or  three  months,  for,  after  that  time,  it  rapidly  loses  its  purga- 
tive property. 

Directions  for  physicking  will  be  found  at  page  237.  We  will  only  add  that,  as  a 
promoter  of  condition,  the  dose  should  alwaj's  be  mild.  A  few  fluid  stools  will  be 
suff.cient  for  every  good  purpose.     Violent  disease  will  alone  justify  violent  purging. 

The  Barbadoes  aloes  have  a  greater  purgative  power  than  the  Cape,  exclusive  of 
griping  less  and  being  safer.  In  addition  to  this,  the  action  of  the  bowels  is  kept  up 
longer  by  the  Barbadoes  aloes  than  by  the  Cape.  If  the  horse  is  well  mashed,  and 
carefully  exercised,  and  will  drink  plenty  of  warm  water,  the  Cape  may  be  ventured 
on,  or  at  least  mixed  with  equal  quantities  of  the  Barbadoes ;  but  if  there  is  any  neglect 
of  preparation  for  physic,  or  during  the  usual  operation  of  the  physic,  the  Cape  are 
not  always  to  be  depended  upon.  The  combination  of  alkaline  compounds  with  aloes 
alters  the  results  of  the  medicine.  Their  action  is  quickened,  but  their  purgative  pro- 
perties are  impaired,  and  they  cease  to  operate  specifically  on  the  larger  intestines. 
Such  is  the  opinion  of  Professor  Morton,  and  undoubtedly  the  latter  would  be  an 
advantage  gained.  The  activity  of  the  aloes  may  be  occasionally  increased  by  a  few 
drops  of  the  croton  oil.     Mashes  are  useful  helps  when  physic  is  administered. 

Some  persons  are  fond  of  what  are  called  half-doses  of  physic.  Three  or  four 
drachms  are  given  on  one  day,  and  three  or  four  on  the  following;  and  perhaps,  if  the 
medicine  has  not  operated,  as  in  this  divided  state  it  will  not  always,  two  or  thrre 
additional  drachms  are  given  on  the  third  day.  The  consequence  is,  that  the  bowels 
having  been  rendered  irritable  by  the  former  doses,  the  horse  is  over-purged,  and 
inflammation  and  death  occasionally  ensue.  In  physicking  a  horse,  whatever  is  to 
be  done  should  be  done  at  once.  Whatever  quantity  is  intended  to  be  given  should 
be  given  in  one  dose. 

The  system  of  giving  small  doses  of  aloes  as  alteratives  is  not  good.  These  repeated 
minute  doses  lodging  in  some  of  the  folds  of  the  intestines,  and  at  length  uniting,  often 
produce  more  effect  than  is  desirable.  It  is  never  safe  to  ride  a  horse  far  or  fast,  with 
even  a  small  dose  of  aloes  within  him. 

Most  of  all  objectionable  is  the  custom  of  giving  small  doses  of  aloes  as  a  nauseant. 
in  inflammation  of  the  lungs.  There  is  so  much  sympathy  between  the  contents  of 
the  chest  and  the  belly  in  the  horse,  and  inflammation  of  one  part  is  so  likely  to  be 
transferred  to  another,  that  it  is  treading  on  very  dangerous  ground,  when,  with  mu^h 
inflammation  of  the  lungs,  that  is  given  which  will  stimulate  and  may  inflame  the 
Intestines. 


MEDICINE.  401 

Aloes  are  most  commonly,  because  most  easily,  administered  in  the  form  of  ball 
but  in  a  stale  of  solution  their  effect  is  more  speedy,  effectual,  and  safe. 

Aloes  are  useful  in  the  form  of  tincture.  Eio;ht  ounces  of  powdered  aloes,  and  one 
ounce  of  powdered  myrrh,  may  be  put  into  two  quarts  of  rectified  spirit,  diluted  with 
an  equal  quantity  of  water.  The  mixture  should  be  daily  well  shaken  for  a  fortnight, 
and  then  suffered  to  stand,  in  order  that  the  undissolved  portion  may  fall  to  the  bottom. 
This  will  constitute  a  very  excellent  application  for  wounds,  whether  recent  or  of 
lon^  standing  and  indisposed  to  heal.  It  is  not  only  a  gentle  stimulant,  but  it  forms 
a  thin  crust  over  the  wound,  and  shields  it  from  the  action  of  the  air. 

The  principal  adulteration  of  aloes  is  by  means  of  resin,  and  the  alteration  of  colour 
is  concealed  by  the  addition  of  charcoal  or  lamp-black.  This  adulteration  is  easily 
enough  detected  by  dissolving  the  aloes  in  hot  water.  All  aloes  contain  some  resin- 
ous matter,  which  the  water  will  not  dissolve  and  which  has  very  slight  purgative 
effect.  The  excess  of  this  resin  at  the  bottom  of  the  solution  will  mark  the  degree  of 
adulteration. 

Alteratives  are  a  class  of  medicines  the  nature  and  effect  of  which  are  often  much 
misunderstood,  and  liable  to  considerable  abuse.  It  is  a  very  convenient  name  in 
order  to  excuse  that  propensity  to  dose  the  horse  with  medicines,  which  is  the  dis- 
grace of  the  groom,  and  the  bane  of  the  stable. 

By  alteratives  we  understand  those  drugs  which  effect  some  slow  change  in  the 
diseased  action  of  certain  parts  without  interfering  with  the  food  or  work ;  but  by 
common  consent  the  term  seems  to  be  confined  to  medicines  for  the  diseases  of  the 
circulation,  or  of  the  digestive  organs,  or  of  the  skin.  If  a  horse  is  heavy  and  incapa- 
ble of  work  from  too  good  keep,  or  if  he  is  off  his  food  from  some  temporary  indiges- 
tion— or  if  he  has  mange  or  grease,  or  cracked  heels,  or  swelled  legs,  a  few  alteratives 
are  prescribed,  and  the  complaint  is  expected  to  be  gradually  and  imperceptibly 
removed.  For  all  skin  affections  there  is  no  better  alterative  than  that  so  often  recom- 
mended in  this  treatise,  consisting  of  black  antimony,  nitre,  and  sulphur.  If  there  is 
any  tendency  to  grease,  some  resin  may  be  added  to  each  ball.  If  the  complaint  is 
accompanied  by  weakness,  a  little  gentian  and  ginger  may  be  farther  added,  but  we 
enter  our  protest  against  the  ignorant  use  of  mercury  in  any  form,  or  any  of  the  mine- 
ral acids,  or  mineral  tonics,  or  heating  spices,  as  alteratives.  We  indeed  should  be 
pleased  if  we  could  banish  the  term  alterative  from  common  usage.  The  mode  of 
proceeding  which  reason  and  science  would  dictate  is  to  ascertain  the  nature  and 
degree  of  the  disease,  and  then  the  medicine  which  is  calculated  to  restore  the  healthy 
action  of  the  part,  or  of  the  frame  generally. 

Alum  is  occasionally  used  internally  in  cases  of  super-purgation  in  the  form  of 
alum-whey,  two  drachms  of  the  powder  being  added  to  a  pint  of  hot  milk ;  but  there 
are  much  better  astringents,  although  this  may  sometimes  succeed  when  others  fail. 
If  alum  is  added  to  a  vegetable  astringent,  as  oak-bark,  the  power  of  both  is  dimin- 
ished. Its  principal  use  is  external.  A  solution  of  two  drachms  to  a  pint  of  water 
forms  alone,  or  with  the  addition  of  a  small  quantity  of  white  vitriol,  a  very  useful 
■wash  for  cracked  heels,  and  for  grease  generall  \' ;  and  also  for  those  forms  of  swelled 
legs  attended  with  exudation  of  moisture  through  the  skin.  Some  add  the  Goulard 
lotion,  forgetting  the  chemical  decomposition  that  takes  place;  the  result  of  which  is, 
that  the  alumine,  possessing  little  astringency,  is  detached,  and  two  salts  with  no 
astringrency  at  all,  the  sulphate  of  lead  and  the  sulphate  of  potash,  are  formed. 

The  BcR_\T  Alum  is  inferior  to  the  common  alum  for  the  purposes  mentioned,  and 
we  have  better  stimulants,  or  caustics,  to  apply  to  wounds. 

Ammonia  is,  to  the  annoyance  of  the  horse,  and  the  injury  of  his  eyes  and  his  lungs, 
lentifully  extricated  from  the  putrefying  dung  and  urine  of  the  stable;  but,  when 
combined  with  water  in  the  common  form  of  hartshorn,  it  is  seldom  used  in  veterinary 
practice.  It  has  been  given,  and  with  decided  benefit,  and  when  other  things  have 
failed,  in  flatulent  colic;  and  is  best  administered  in  the  form  of  the  aromatic  spirit  of 
ammonia,  and  in  doses  of  one  or  two  ounces,  in  warm  water. 

Chloride  of  Ammonia,  or  sal  ammoniac,  is  scarcely  deserving  of  a  place  in  oui 
list.  It  is  not  now  used  internally  ;  and  as  an  astringent  embrocation,  it  must  yield 
to  several  that  are  more  effectual,  and  less  likely  to  blemish. 

Anisi  Semina,  Anise-seed. — This  seed  is  here  mentioned  principally  as  a  record  of 
old  times,  when  it  was  one  of  the  sheet-anchors  of  the  farrier.     It  i?  not  yet  ^uit« 
Jiscarded  from  his  shop  as  a  stimulant,  a  carminative,  and  a  cordial. 
34*  3  a 


402  MEDICINE. 

Anodvnes. — Of  these  there  is  but  one  in  horse  practice :  Opium  is  the  only  drug 
that  will  hill  pain.  It  may  be  given  as  an  anodyne,  but  it  will  also  be  an  astringent 
in  doses  of  one,  two,  or  three  drachms. 

Antimony. — There  are  several  valuable  preparations  of  this  metal. 

The  Black  Sesqui-Sulphuret  of  Antimony,  a  compound  of  sulphur  and  antimony, 
is  a  good  alterative.  It  is  given  with  more  sulphur  and  with  nitre,  in  varying  doses, 
according  to  the  disease,  and  the  slow  or  rapid  effect  intended  to  be  produced.  It 
should  never  be  bought  in  powder  whatever  trouble  there  may  be  in  levigating  it.  for 
It  is  often  grossly  adulterated  with  lead,  manganese,  forge-dust,  and  arsenic.  The 
adulteration  may  be  detected  by  placing  a  little  of  the  powder  on  a  red-hot  iron  plate. 
The  pure  sulphuret  will  evaporate  without  the  slightest  residue — so  will  the  arsenic: 
l)ut  there  will  be  an  evident  smell  of  garlic.  A  portion  of  the  lead  and  tlie  manga- 
nese will  be  left  behind. 

Antimonii  Potassio  Tartras,  Emetic  Tartar. — ^The  tartrate  of  potash  and  anti- 
mony, or  a  combination  of  super-tartrate  of  potash  and  oxide  of  antimony,  is  a  very 
useful  nauseant,  and  has  considerable  effect  on  the  skin.  It  is  particularly  valuable 
in  inflammat'-on  of  the  lungs,  and  in  every  catarrhal  affection.  It  is  given  in  doses 
of  from  one  drachm  to  a  drachm  and  a  half,  and  combined  with  nitre  and  digitalis. 
It  is  also  beneficial  in  the  expulsion  of  worms.  It  should  be  given  in  doses  of  two 
drachms,  and  M^ith  some  mechanical  vermifuge,  as  tin  filings,  or  ground  glass,  and 
administered  on  an  empty  stomach,  and  for  several  successive  days.  Although  it 
may  sometimes  fail  to  expel  the  worms,  it  will  materially  improve  the  condition  of 
the  horse,  and  produce  sleekness  of  the  coat.  To  a  slight  degree  the  emetic  tartar  is 
decomposed  by  the  action  of  light,  and  should  be  kept  in  a  jar,  or  green  bottle.  It  is 
sometimes  adulterated  with  arsenic,  which  is  detected  by  the  garlic  smell  when  it  is 
placed  on  hot  iron,  and  also  by  its  not  giving  a  beautiful  gold-coloured  precipitate 
when  sulphuret  of  ammonia  is  added  to  a  solution  of  it.  It  has  also  been  externally 
applied  in  chest  affections,  in  combination  with  lard,  and  in  quantities  of  from  one 
drachm  to  two  drachms  of  the  antimony,  to  an  ounce  of  the  lard  ;  but,  except  in  ex- 
treme  cases,  recourse  should  not  be  had  to  it,  on  account  of  the  extensive  sloughing 
which  it  sometimes  produces. 

PuLvis  Antimonii  Compositus,  The  Compound  Powder  of  Antimony.  —  Com- 
monly known  by  the  name  of  Jameses  Powder.  It  is  employed  as  a  sudori/ic  in  fever, 
either  alone  or  in  combination  with  mercurials.  The  dose  is  from  one  to  two  drachms. 
The  late  Mr.  Bloxam  used  to  trust  to  it  alone  in  the  treatment  of  Epidemic  Catarrh 
in  the  horse.  It  is,  however,  decidedly  inferior  to  Emetic  Tartar.  It  is  often  adulte- 
rated with  chalk  and  burnt  bones,  and  other  white  powders,  and  that  to  so  shameful 
a  degree,  that  little  dependence  can  be  placed  on  the  antimonial  powder  usually  sold 
by  druggists.    The  muriatic  or  sulphuric  acids  will  detect  most  of  these  adulterations. 

Anti-spasmodics. — Of  these  our  list  is  scanty,  for  the  horse  is  subject  only  to  a 
few  spasmodic  diseases,  and  there  are  fewer  medicines  which  have  an  anti-spasmodic 
effect.  Opium  stands  first  for  its  general  power,  and  that  exerted  particularly  in 
locked-jaw.  Oil  of  turpentine  is  almost  a  specific  for  spasm  of  the  bowels.  Cam- 
phor, assafcetida,  and  various  other  medicines,  used  on  the  human  subject,  have  a  verj' 
doubtful  effect  on  the  horse,  or  may  be  considered  as  almost  inert. 

Argentum,  vSiLVER. — One  combination  only  of  this  metal  is  used,  and  that  as  a 
manageable  and  excellent  caustic,  viz.,  the  Lunar  Cmislic.  It  is  far  preferable  to  the 
hot  iron,  or  to  any  acid,  for  the  destruction  of  the  part  if  a  horse  should  have  been 
bitten  by  a  rabid  dog;  and  it  stands  next  to  the  butyr  of  antimony  for  the  removal  of 
fungus  generally.     It  has  not  yet  been  administered  internally  to  the  horse. 

Arsenicum,  Arsenic. — This  drug  used  to  be  employed  as  a  tonic,  in  order  to  core 
out  old  ulcers;  but  it  is  now  seldom  employed,  for  there  are  better  and  safer  tonics, 
and  far  better  and  safer  caustics.  The  method  of  detecting  the  presence  of  arsenic 
in  cases  of  poisoning  has  been  described  at  page  227. 

Balls. — The  usual  and  the  most  convenient  mode  of  administering  veterinary 
medicines  is  in  the  form  of  balls,  compounded  with  oil,  and  not  with  honey  or  syrup, 
on  account  of  their  longer  keeping  soft  and  more  easily  dissolving  in  the  stomach. 
Balls  should  never  weigh  more  than  an  ounce  and  a  half,  otherwise  they  will  be  so 
large  as  not  to  pass  without  difficulty  down  the  gullet.  They  should  not  be  more 
(han  an  inch  in  diameter  and  three  inches  in  length.  The  mode  of  delivering  balls 
is  not  difficult  to  acquire ;  but  the  balling-iron,  while  it  often  wounds  and  permanently 


MEDICINE.  403 

injures  the  bars,  occasions  the  horse  to  struggle  more  than  he  otherwise  would  against 
the  administration  of  the  medicine.  The  horse  should  be  backed  in  the  stall ; — the 
tongue  should  be  drawn  gently  out  with  the  left  hand  on  the  off  side  of  the  mouth, 
and  there  fixed,  not  by  continuing  to  pull  at  it,  but  by  pressing  the  fingers  against  the 
side  of  the  lower  jaw.  The  ball,  being  now  taken  between  the  tips  of  the  fingers 
of  the  right  hand,  is  passed  rapidly  up  the  mouth,  as  near  to  the  palate  as  poss'ble, 
until  it  reaches  the  root  of  the  tongue.  It  is  then  delivered  with  a  slight  jerk,  and 
the  hand  being  immediately  withdrawn  and  the  tongue  liberated,  the  ball  is  forced 
through  the  pharynx  into  the  cssophagus.  Its  passage  should  be  watched  down  the 
left  side  of  the  throat ;  and  if  the  passage  of  it  is  not  seen  going  down,  a  sliglit  tap 
or  blow  under  the  chin  will  generally  cause  the  horse  to  swallow  it,  or  a  few  gulps 
of  water  will  convey  it  into  the  stomach.  Very  few  balls  should  be  kept  ready  made, 
for  they  become  so  hard  as  to  be  incapable  of  passing  down  the  gullet,  or  dissolving 
in  the  stomach,  and  the  life  of  the  horse  may  be  endangered  or  lost.  This  is  pecu- 
liarly liable  to  be  the  case  if  the  ball  is  too  large,  or  wrapped  in  thick  paper. 

Bark,  Peruvian. — A  concentrated  preparation  of  this  is  entitled  the  Sulphate  of 
Quinine.  The  simple  bark  is  now  seldom  used.  If  it  has  any  good  etfect,  it  is  in 
diabetes.  The  quinine,  however,  is  strongly  recommended  by  Professor  Morton  as 
singularly  efficacious  in  the  prostration  of  strength  which  is  often  tiie  consequence  of 
influenza. 

Basilicon  is  a  valuable  digestive  ointment,  composed  of  resin,  bees'-wax,  and 
olive-oil.  If  it  is  needed  as  a  stimulant,  a  little  turpentine  and  verdigris  may  be 
added. 

Belladonn.'E  Extractum,  Extract  of  Deadly  Nightshade. — The  inspissated 
Juice  is  principally  used  as  a  narcotic  and  sedative,  and  indicated  where  there  is  un- 
due action  of  the  nervous  and  vascular  systems,  as  in  tetanus,  carditis,  and  nervous 
affections  generally.     Externally,  it  is  beneficially  applied  to  the  eye. 

Blisters  are  applications  to  the  skin  which  separate  the  cuticle  in  the  form  of  vesi- 
cles containing  a  serous  fluid.  They  excite  increased  action  in  the  vessels  of  the 
skin,  by  means  of  which  this  fluid  is  thrown  out.  The  part  or  neighbouring  parts 
are  somewhat  relieved  by  the  discharge,  but  more  by  the  inflammation  and  pain  that 
are  produced,  and  lessen  that  previously  existing  in  some  contiguous  part.  On  this 
principle  we  account  for  the  decided  relief  often  obtained  by  blisters  in  inflammation 
of  the  lungs,  and  their  efficacy  in  abating  deeply-seated  disease,  as  that  of  the  ten- 
dons, ligaments,  or  joints ;  and  also  the  necessity  of  previously  removing,  in  these 
latter  cases,  the  superficial  inflammation  caused  by  them,  in  order  that  one  of  a  dif- 
ferent kind  may  be  excited,  ond  to  which  the  deeply-seated  inflammation  of  the  part 
will  be  more  likely  to  yield.  The  blisters  used  in  horse-practice  are  composed  of 
cantharides  or  the  oil  of  turpentine,  to  which  some  have  added  a  tincture  of  the  cro- 
ton-nut. 

For  some  important  remarks  on  the  composition,  application  and  management  of 
the  blister,  see  page  346. 

Bole  Armenian  is  an  argillaceous  earth  combined  with  iron,  and  is  supposed  to 
possess  some  astringent  property.  The  propriety  of  its  being  administered  inwardly 
is  doubtful;  for  it  may  remain  in  the  intestinal  canal,  and  become  the  nucleus  of  a 
calculus.  On  account  of  its  supposed  astringency,  it  is  employed  externally  to  give 
consistence  to  ointments  for  grease.  Even  the  bole  Armenian  has  not  escaped  the 
process  of  adulteration,  and  is  largely  mixed  with  inferior  earths.  The  fraud  may  he 
suspected,  but  not  satisfactorily  detected,  by  the  colour  of  the  powder,  which  should 
be  a  bright  red. 

Calamine. — See  Zinc. 

Calomel. — See  Mercury. 

Camphor  is  the  produce  of  one  of  the  laurus  species,  a  native  of  Japan,  and  too 
often  imitated  by  passing  a  stream  of  chlorine  through  oil  of  turpentine.  According 
to  Professor  Morton,  it  is  a  narcotic.  It  diminishes  the  frequency  of  the  pulse,  and 
softens  its  tone.  When  long  exhibited,  it  acts  on  the  kidneys.  Externally  applied, 
it  is  said  to  be  a  discutient  and  an  anodyne  for  chronic  sprains,  bruises,  and  tumours. 
The  camphor  ball  is  a  favourite  one  with  the  groom,  and  occasionally  administered 
by  the  veterinary  surgeon.  Mr.  W.  C.  Spooner  uses  it,  mixed  with  opium,  in  cases 
of  locked-jaw,  and  in  doses  of  from  one  to  two  drachms.  In  the  form  of  camphorated 
oil,  it  promotes  the  absorption  of  fluids  thrown  out  beneath  the  skin,  the  removal  of 


404  MEDICINE. 

old  callus,  and  the  suppling  of  joints  stiff  from  labour.     Combined  with  oil  of  turpen 
tine  it  is  more  effective,  but  in  this  combination  it  occasionally  blemishes. 

Cantharides  are  the  basis  of  the  most  approved  and  useful  veterinary  blisters. 
The  cantharis  is  a  fly,  the  native  of  Italy  and  the  south  of  France.  It  is  destroyed 
by  sulphur,  dried  and  powdered,  and  mixed  with  palm  oil  and  resin  in  the  proportion 
directed  at  page  225.  Its  action  is  intense,  and  yet  superficial ;  it  plentifully  raises 
the  cuticle,  yet  rarely  injures  the  true  skin,  and  therefore  seldom  blemishes.  The 
application  of  other  acrid  substances  is  occasionally  followed  by  deeply-seated  ulcera- 
tions; but  a  blister  composed  of  the  Spanish  fly  alone,  while  it  does  its  duty,  leaves, 
after  a  few  weeks  have  passed,  scarcely  a  trace  behind. 

The  art  of  blistering  consists  in  cutting,  or  rather  shaving,  the  hair  perfectly  close; 
then  well  rubbing  in  the  ointment,  for  at  least  ten  minutes;  and,  afterwards,  and  what 
is  of  the  greatest  consequence  of  all,  plastering  a  little  more  of  the  ointment  lightly 
over  the  part,  and  leaving  it.  As  soon  as  the  vesicles  have  perfectly  risen,  which  will 
be  in  twenty  or  twenty-four  hours,  the  torture  of  the  animal  may  he  somewhat  relieved 
by  the  application  of  olive  or  neat's-foot  oil,  or  any  emollient  ointment. 

When  too  extensive  a  blister  has  been  employed,  or,  from  the  intensity  of  the  origi- 
nal inflammation,  the  blister  has  not  risen,  (for  no  two  intense  inflammations  can  exist 
in  neighbouring  parts  at  the  same  time),  strangury — great  diflRculty  in  passing  urine, 
and  even  suppression  of  it — has  occurred.  The  careful  washing  off  of  the  blister,  and 
the  administration  of  plenty  of  warm  water,  with  opium,  and  bleeding  if  the  symp- 
toms run  high,  will  generally  remove  this  unpleasant  effect. 

An  infusion  of  two  ounces  of  the  flies  in  a  pint  of  oil  of  turpentine,  for  several  days, 
is  occasionally  used  as  a  liquid  blister;  and,  vi'hen  suflficiently  lowered  with  common 
oil,  it  is  called  a  sweatino;  oil,  for  it  maintains  a  certain  degree  of  irritation  and  inflam- 
mation on  the  skin,  yet  not  sufficient  to  blister,  and  thus  gradually  abates  or  removes 
some  old  or  deep  inflammation,  or  cause  of  lameness. 

Of  late  cantharides  have  come  into  more  general  use.  They  vi^ere  recommended 
by  Mr.  Vines,  in  combination  with  vegetable  bitters,  as  a  stimulating  tonic,  in  cases 
of  debility.  He  next  applied  them  for  the  cure  of  Glanders,  and  with  considerable 
success.  The  Veterinary  public  is  much  indebted  to  Mr.  Vines,  for  the  steadiness 
■with  which  he  has  followed  up  the  employment  of  the  Spanish  fly.  The  dose  is  from 
five  to  eight  grains  given  daily,  but  withheld  for  a  day  or  two  when  diuresis  super- 
venes. 

Capsici  Baccje,  Capsicum  Berries.^- They  are  valuable  as  stimulants  affecting 
the  system  generally,  yet  not  too  much  accelerating  the  pulse.  Their  beneficial  effect 
in  cases  of  cold,  has  seldom  been  properly  estimated.  The  dose  is  from  a  scruple  to 
half  a  drachm. 

Carui  Semina,  Caraway  Seeds. — ^These  and  Ginger,  alone  or  combined,  are  the 
best  stimulants  used  in  horse-practice. 

CAScARiLLiE  CoRTEX,  Cascarilla  Bark. — Tonic  as  well  as  aromatic.  It  must  not, 
however,  be  used  with  the  sulphates  of  iron  or  zinc. 

Castor  Oil,  Oleum  Ricini. — An  expensive  medicine.  It  must  be  given  in  large 
doses,  and  even  then  it  is  uncertain  in  its  effects.  Mild  as  is  its  operation  in  most 
animals,  it  sometimes  gripes  and  even  endangers  the  horse. 

Catechu,  Japan  Earth,  yet,  no  earth,  but  extracted  from  the  wood  of  one  of  the 
acacia  trees,  is  a  very  useful  astringent.  It  is  given  in  super-purgation,  in  doses  of 
one  or  two  drachms,  with  opium,  as  a  yet  more  powerful  astringent;  chalk,  to  neu- 
tralize any  acid  in  the  stomach  or  bowels  ;  and  powdered  gum,  to  sheath  the  ovor-irri- 
tated  mucous  coat  of  the  intestines.  It  is  not  often  adulterated  in  our  country,  bu<, 
grossly  so  abroad — fine  sand  and  aluminous  earth  being  mixed  with  the  extract.  It 
is  seldom  given  with  any  alkali,  yet  the  prescription  just  recommended  contains 
chalk  :  but,  although  tlie  chalk,  as  an  alkali,  may  weaken  the  astringency  of  the  cate 
chu,  it  probably  neutralizes  some  acid  in  the  stomach  or  bowels,  that  would  have 
diminished  the  power  of  the  catechu  to  a  greater  degree.  It  must  not  be  given  ir 
conjunction  with  any  metallic  salt,  for  the  tannin  or  gallic  acid,  on  which  its  powei 
chiefly  or  entirely  depends,  has  an  affinity  for  all  metals,  and  will  unite  with  them, 
and  form  a  gallate  of  them,  possessing  little  astringent  energy.  Common  ink  is  the 
union  of  this  tannin  principle  with  iron. 

A  tincture  of  catechu  is  sometimes  made  by  macerating  three  ounces  of  the  powder 
m  a  quart  of  spirit  for  a  fortnight.     It  is  an  excellent  application  for  wounds  ;  and. 


MEDICINE.  40r> 

with  the  aloes,  constitutes  all  that  we  want  of  a  balsamic  nature  for  the  purpose  of 
nastening  the  healing  process  of  wounds. 

Caustics  are  substances  that  burn  or  destroy  the  parts  to  Avhich  they  are  applied. 
First  among  them  stands  the  red-hot  iron,  or  actual  cautery,  and  then  pure  alkalies, 
potash,  and  soda,  and  the  sulphuric  and  nitrous  acids.  Milder  caustics  are  found  in 
the  sulphate  of  copper,  red  precipitate,  burnt  alum,  and  verdigris..  They  are  princi- 
pally used  to  destroy  fungous  excrescences,  or  stimulate  indolent  tumours,  or  remove 
portions  of  cellular  substance,  or  muscle  infected  by  any  poison. 

Creta  Preparata,  Chalk,  is  principally  used  in  combination  with  catechu  and 
opium  in  cases  of  super-purgation.  All  adventitious  matters  are  removed  by  washing, 
and  the  prepared  or  levigated  chalk  remains  in  the  form  of  an  impalpable  powder.  It 
is  usually  administered  in  doses  of  two  or  three  ounces.  It  is  externally  applied  over 
ulcers  that  discharge  a  thin  and  ichorous  matter. 

Chamomile,  Anthejiis. — The  powder  of  the  flower  is  a  useful  vegetable  tonic,  and 
the  mildest  in  our  list.  It  is  given  in  doses  of  one  or  two  drachms,  and  is  exhibited 
in  the  early  stage  of  convalescence  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  the  febrile  stage  of 
the  disease  is  passed,  and  to  prepare  the  \\ay  for  a  more  powerful  tonic,  the  gentian. 
If  no  acceleration  of  pulse,  or  heat  of  mouth,  or  indication  of  return  of  fever,  accom- 
panies the  cautious  use  of  the  chamomile,  the  gentian,  with  carbonate  of  iron,  may 
be  safely  ventured  upon;  but  if  the  gentian  had  been  first  used,  and  a  little  too  soon, 
there  might  have  been  considerable,  and  perhaps  dangerous  return  of  fever. 

Charcoal  is  occasionally  used  as  an  antiseptic,  being  made  into  a  poultice  with 
linseed  meal,  and  applied  to  foul  and  offensive  ulcers,  and  to  cracked  heels.  It  re- 
moves the  foetid  and  unwholesome  smell  that  occasionally  proceeds  from  them. 

Charges  are  thick,  adhesive  plasters  spread  over  parts  that  have  been  strained  or 
weakened,  and,  being  applied  to  the  skin,  adhere  for  a  considerable  time.  The  fol- 
lowing mixture  makes  a  good  charge — Burgundy  or  common  pitch,  five  ounces ;  tar, 
six  ounces ;  yellow  wax,  one  ounce,  melted  together,  and  when  they  are  becoming 
cool,  half  a  drachm  of  powdered  cantharides  well  stirred  in.  This  must  be  partially 
melted  afresh  when  applied,  and  spread  on  the  part  with  a  large  spatula,  as  hot  as 
can  be  done  without  giving  the  animal  too  much  pain.  Flocks  of  tow  should  be 
scattered  over  it  while  it  is  warm,  and  thus  a  thick  and  adhesive  covering  will  be 
formed  that  cannot  be  separated  from  the  skin  for  many  months.  It  is  used  for  old 
sprains  of  the  loins,  and  also  strains  of  the  back  sinews.  The  charge  acts  in  three 
ways  —  by  the  slight  stimulant  power  which  it  possesses  it  gradually  removes  all 
deep-seated  inflammation — by  its  stimulus  and  its  pressure  it  promotes  the  absorption 
of  any  callus  or  thickening  beneath ;  and,  acting  as  a  constant  bandage,  it  gives  tone 
and  strength  to  the  part. 

Clysters. — These  are  useful  and  too  often  neglected  means  of  hastening  the  evac- 
uation of  the  bowels  when  the  disease  requires  their  speedy  action.  The  old  ox- 
bladder  and  wooden  pipe  may  still  be  employed,  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  fluid 
thrown  into  the  intestine;  but  the  patent  stomach  and  clyster  pump  of  Mr.  Reid  is 
far  preferable,  as  enabling  the  practitioner  to  inject  a  greater  quantity  of  fluid,  and  in 
a  less  time. 

Two  ounces  of  soft  or  yellow  soap,  dissolved  in  a  gallon  of  w^arm  water,  will  form 
a  useful  aperient  clyster.  It  will  detach  or  dissolve  many  irritating  substances  that 
may  have  adhered  to  the  mucous  coat  of  the  bowels.  For  a  more  active  aperient, 
half  a  pound  of  Epsom  salts,  or  even  of  common  salt,  may  be  dissolved  in  the  same 
quantity  of  water.  A  stronger  injection,  but  not  to  be  used  if  much  purgative  medi- 
cine has  been  previously  given,  may  be  composed  of  an  ounce  of  Barbadoes  aloes, 
dissolved  in  two  or  three  quarts  of  warm  water.  If  nothing  else  can  be  procured, 
warm  water  may  be  employed ;  it  will  act  as  a  fomentation  to  the  inflamed  and  irri- 
table surface  of  the  bowels,  and  will  have  no  inconsiderable  effect  even  as  an  ape- 
rient. 

In  cases  of  over-purging  or  inflammation  of  the  bowels,  the  injection  must  be  of  a 
soothing  nature.  It  may  consist  of  gruel  alone,  or,  if  the  purging  is  considerable, 
and  difficult  to  stop,  the  gruel  must  be  thicker,  and  four  ounces  of  prepared  or  pow- 
dered chalk  well  mixed  with  or  suspended  in  it,  with  two  scruples  or  a  drachm  ot 
powdered  opium. 

No  oil  should  enter  into  the  composition  of  a  clyster,  except  that  linseed  oil  may 
13  used  for  the  expulsion  of  the  ascarides,  or  needle-worms. 


406  MEDICINE. 

In  epidemic  catarrh,  when  the  horse  sometimes  obstinately  refuses  to  eat  or  to  drink, 
his  strength  may  be  supported  by  nourishing  clysters ;  but  they  should  consist  of  thick- 
gruel  only,  and  not  more  than  a  quart  should  be  administered  at  once.  A  greater 
quantity  would  be  ejected  soon  after  the  pipe  is  withdrawn.  Strong  broths,  and  more 
particularly  ale  and  wine,  are  dangerous  ingredients.  They  may  rapidly  aggravate 
the  fever,  and  should  never  be  administered,  except  under  the  superintendence,  or  by 
the  direction,  of  a  veterinary  surgeon. 

The  principal  art  of  administering  a  clyster  consists  in  not  frightening  the  horse. 
The  pipe,  well  oiled,  should  be  very  gently  introduced,  and  the  fluid  not  too  hastily 
thrown  into  the  intestine ;  its  heat  being  as  nearly  as  possible  that  of  the  intestine, 
or  about  96°  of  Fahrenheit's  thermometer. 

CoLLYRiA,  Lotions  for  the  Eves. — These  have  been  sufficiently  described  when 
inflammation  of  the  eyes  was  treated  of. 

Copaiba,  Balsam  of  Capivi. — The  resin  is  obtained  from  a  tree  growing  in  South 
America  and  the  West  India  Islands.  It  is  expensive,  much  adulterated,  and  seldom 
used ;  for  its  properties  differ  but  little  from  those  of  common  diuretics. 

Copper. — There  are  two  combinations  of  this  metal  used  in  veterinary  practice  : 
the  verdicrris  or  snbacetate,  and  the  blue  vitriol  or  sulphate. 

Verdigris  or  Suhaceiale  of  Copper  is  the  common  rust  of  that  metal  produced  by 
subjecting  it  to  the  action  of  acetic  acid.  It  is  given  internally  by  some  practitioners, 
in  doses  of  two  or  three  drachms  daily,  as  a  tonic,  and  particularly  for  the  cure  of 
farcy.  It  is,  however,  an  uncertain  and  dangerous  medicine.  The  corrosive  subli- 
mate, with  vegetable  tonics,  as  recommended  at  page  138,  is  preferable.  Verdigris 
is,  however,  usefully  applied  externally  as  a  mild  caustic.  Either  alone,  in  the  form 
of  fine  powder,  or  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of  the  sugar  (superacetate)  of  lead, 
it  eats  down  proud  flesh,  or  stimulates  old  ulcers  to  healthy  action.  When  boiled 
with  honey  and  vinegar,  it  constitutes  the  farriers'  Egyptiacum,  certainly  of  benefit 
in  cankered  or  ulcerated  mouth,  and  no  bad  application  for  thrushes ;  but  yielding,  as 
it  regards  both,  to  better  remedies,  that  are  mentioned  under  the  proper  heads.  .Some 
practitioners  use  alum  and  oil  of  vitriol  in  making  their  Egyptiacum,  forgetting  the 
strange  decomposition  which  is  produced. 

Blue  Vitriol  or  Sulphate  of  Copper  is  the  union  of  sulphuric  acid  and  copper.  It  is 
a  favourite  tonic  with  many  practitioners,  and  has  been  vaunted  as  a  specific  for  glan- 
ders; while  others,  and  we  think  properly,  have  no  very  good  opinion  of  it  in  cither 
respect.  As  a  cure  for  glanders,  its  reputation  has  nearly  passed  away.  As  a  tonic, 
when  the  horse  is  slowly  recovering  from  severe  illness,  it  is  dangerous,  and  its 
internal  use  should  be  confined  to  cases  of  long-continued  discharge  from  the  nostril, 
when  catarrh  or  fever  has  ceased.  It  may  then  be  given  wath  benefit  in  doses  of 
from  one  to  two  drachms  twice  in  the  day,  and  always  combined  with  gentian  and 
ginger.  It  is  principally  valuable  as  an  external  application,  dissolved  in  water  in 
the'proportion  of  two  drachms  to  a  pint,  and  acting  as  a  gentle  stimulant.  If  an 
ounce  is  dissolved  in  the  same  quantity  of  water,  it  becomes  a  mild  caustic.  In  the 
former  proportion,  it  rouses  old  ulcers  to  a  healthy  action,  and  disposes  even  recent 
wounds  to  heal  more  quickly  than  they  otherwise  would  do;  and  in  the  latter  it  re- 
moves fungous  granulations  or  proud  flesh.  The  blue  vitriol  is  sometimes  reduced  to 
powder  and  sprinkled  upon  the  wound  for  this  purpose :  it  is  also  a  good  application 
for  canker  in  the  foot. 

Cordials  are  useful  or  injurious  according  to  the  judgment  with  which  they  are 
given.  When  a  horse  comes  home  thoroughly  exhausted,  and  refuses  his  food,  a 
cordial  may  be  beneficial.  It  may  rouse  the  stomach  and  the  system  generally, 
and  may  prevent  cold  and  fever ;  but  it  is  poison  to  the  animal  when  administered 
after  the  cold  is  actually  caught  and  fever  begins  to  appear.  More  to  be  reprobated 
is  the  practice  of  giving  frequent  cordials,  that  by  their  stimulus  on  the  stomach,  (the 
skin  sympathising  so  much  with  that  viscus,)  a  fine  coat  may  be  produced.  The 
artificial  excitement  of  the  cordial  soon  becomes  as  necessary  to  enable  the  horse  to 
do  even  common  work,  as  is  the  excitement  of  the  dram  to  sustain  the  animal  spirits 
of  the  drunkard. 

In  order  to  recall  the  appetite  of  the  horse  slowly  recovering  from  illness,  a  cordial 
may  sometimes  be  allowed;  or  to  old  horses  that  have  been  worked  hard  and  used 
to  these  excitements  when  young;  or  to  draught  horses,  that  have  exhibited  slight 
symptoms  of  staggers  when  their  labour  has  been  unusually  protracted  and  their  sto- 


MEDICINE.  407 

machs  left  too  long  empty ;  or  mixed  with  diuretic  medicine,  to  fine  the  legs  of  the 
over-^vorked  and  debilitated  animal ;  but  in  no  other  case  should  they  obtain  a  place 
in  the  stable,  or  be  used  at  the  discretion  of  the  carter  or  the  groom. 

Corrosive  Sublimate. — See  Mercury. 

Creasote  has  very  lately  been  introduced  into  veterinary  practice,  and  is  much 
valued  on  account  of  its  antiseptic  properties.  It  is  obtained  by  the  destructive  dis- 
tillation of  various  substances,  as  pyroligneous  acid,  tar,  wood,  smoke,  &c.  Pure 
creasote  is  colourless  and  transparent;  its  odour  is  that  of  smoked  meat,  and  its  taste 
is  caustic  and  burning.  It  coagulates  the  albumen  of  the  blood,  and  hence  has  been 
lately  employed  in  stopping  hsemorrhages.  It  acts  very  powerfully  on  the  general 
system,  and  q\iickly  destroys  small  animals.  Professor  Morton  gives  a  very  inte- 
resting and  faithful  account  of  it.  It  is,  according  to  him,  both  a  stimulant  and  a 
tonic.  In  an  undiluted  state  it  acts  as  a  caustic.  When  diluted  it  is  a  general  ex- 
citant and  an  antiseptic.  In  the  form  of  a  lotion,  a  liniment,  or  an  ointment,  it  has 
been  useful  in  farcy  and  glanders,  also  in  foot-rot,  canker,  and  thrush, — mange,  caries, 
excessive  suppuration,  and  the  repression  of  fungous  granulations.  As  a  caustic  it 
acts  as  a  powerful  stimulant,  and  it  is  an  antiseptic. 

Croton  Tiglii  Semixa,  Croton  Seeds. — The  croton-nut  has  not  been  long  intro- 
duced into  veterinary  practice,  although  it  has  been  used  from  time  immemorial  by 
the  inhabitants  of  India  as  a  powerful  purgative.  An  oil  has  been  extracted  from  it, 
and  used  by  the  surgeon ;  the  meal  is  adopted  by  the  veterinarian.  It  is  given  in 
doses  from  a  scruple  to  half  a  drachm,  and,  from  its  acrid  nature,  in  the  form  of  a  ball, 
with  an  ounce  of  linseed  meal.  ^Yhen  it  does  operate  the  eflect  is  generally  observed 
in  six  or  eight  hours,  the  stools  being  profuse  and  watery,  and  the  patient  frequently 
griped.  On  account  of  its  speedy  operation,  it  may  be  given  in  locked-jaw  and  stag- 
gers :  and  also  in  dropsy  of  the  chest  or  belly,  from  the  watery  and  profuse  stools 
■which  it  produces ;  but  it  is  often  uncertain  in  its  operation,  and  its  griping,  and  the 
debility  which  it  occasions,  are  serious  objections  to  it  as  common  physic.  ^Yhea 
placed  on  the  tongue  of  the  horse  in  quantities  varying  from  twenty  to  forty  drops,  it 
produces  purging,  but  the  membrane  of  the  mouth  frequently  becomes  violently  inflamed. 
This  likewise  happens,  but  not  to  so  great  a  degree,  when  it  is  given  in  the  form  of  a 
drink,  or  in  a  mash. 

Demulcents  are  substances  that  have  the  power  of  diminishing  the  effect  of  acri- 
monious or  stimulating  substances.  The  first,  by  some  oily  or  mucilaginous  sub- 
stance, sheaths  the  sensible  parts.  The  other  dilutes  the  stimulus,  and  diminishes  its 
power.  It  will  rarely  be  diihcult  to  determine  which  effect  should  be  produced,  and 
the  means  by  waich  it  is  to  be  effected. 

Diaphoretics  are  medicines  that  increase  the  sensible  and  insensible  perspiration 
of  the  animal.  As  it  regards  the  horse,  they  are  neither  many  nor  powerful.  Anti- 
mony in  its  various  forms,  and  sulphur,  have  some  effect  in  opening  the  pores  of  the 
_  skin,  and  exciting  its  vessels  to  action,  and  especially  when  assisted  by  warmth  of 
"  stable  or  clothing,  and  therefore  is  useful  in  those  diseases  in  which  it  is  desirable 
that  some  portion  of  the  blood  should  be  diverted  from  the  overloaded,  and  inflamed, 
and  vital  organs  of  the  chest,  to  the  skin  or  the  extremities.  The  only  diaphoretics, 
however,  on  which  much  confidence  can  be  placed,  and  especially  to  produce  condi- 
tion, are  warm  clothing  and  good  grooming. 

Digestives  are  applications  to  recent  or  old  wounds,  as  mild  stimulants,  in  order 
to  produce  a  healthy  appearance  and  action  in  them,  and  to  cause  them  more  speedily 
to  heal.  A  weak  solution  of  blue  vitriol  is  an  excellent  digestive ;  so  is  the  tincture 
of  aloes,  and  the  tincture  of  myrrh.  The  best  digestive  ointment  is  one  composed  of 
three  parts  of  calamine  ointment  (Turner's  cerate)  and  one  of  common  turpentine. 

Digitalis. — The  leaves  of  the  common  foxglove,  gathered  about  the  flowering  time, 
dried  carefully  in  a  dark  place,  and  powdered,  and  kept  in  a  close  black  bottle,  form 
one  of  the  most  valuable  medicines  in  veterinary  practice.  It  is  a  direct  and  powerful 
sedative,  diminishing  the  frequency  of  the  pulse,  and  the  general  irritability  of  the 
system,  and  acting  also  as  a  mild  diuretic :  it  is  therefore  useful  in  every  inflamma- 
tory and  febrile  complaint,  and  particularly  in  inflammation  of  the  chest.  It  is  usually 
given  in  combination  with  emetic  tartar  and  nitre.  The  average  dose  is  one  drachra 
of  digitalis,  one  and  a  half  of  emetic  tartar,  and  three  of  nitre,  repeated  twice  or  thrice 
in  the  day. 

Dio-italis  seems  to  have  an  immediate  effect  on  the  heart,  lessening  the  number  of 


408  MEDICINE. 

its  pulsations;  but  effecting  this  in  a  singular  manner — not  by  causing  the  heart  to 
beat  more  slowly,  but  producing  certain  intermissions  or  pauses  in  its  action.  When 
these  become  marlied  —  when  at  every  sixth  or  seventh  beat,  the  pulsations  are  sus- 
pended while  two  or  three  can  be  slowly  counted,  this  is  precisely  the  effect  that  is 
intended  to  be  produced,  and,  however  ill  the  horse  may  appear  to  be,  or  however 
alarming  this  intermittent  pulse  may  seem  to  the  standers-by,  from  that  moment  the 
animal  will  frequently  begin  to  amend.  The  dose  must  then  be  diminished  one-half, 
and,  in  a  few  days,  it  may  be  omitted  altogether:  but  the  emetic  tartar  and  the  nitre 
should  be  continued  during  some  days  after  the  practitioner  has  deemed  it  prudent  to 
try  the  effect  of  mild  vegetable  tonics. 

There  is  no  danger  in  the  intermittent  pulse  thus  produced ;  but  there  is  much  when 
the  digitalis  fails  to  produce  any  effect  on  the  circulation.  The  disease  is  then  too 
powerful  to  be  arrested  by  medicine.  Digitalis  requires  watching ;  but  the  only  con- 
sequence to  be  apprehended  from  an  over-dose  is,  that  the  patient  may  be  reduced  a 
attle  too  low,  and  his  convalescence  retarded  for  a  day  or  two. 

In  the  form  of  infusion  or  tincture,  digitalis  is  very  useful  in  inflannmation  of  the 
eyes.  It  is  almost  equal  in  its  sedative  influence  to  opium,  and  it  may  with  great 
advantage  be  alternated  with  it,  when  opium  begins  to  lose  its  power.  The  infusion 
is  made  by  pouring  a  quart  of  boiling  water  on  an  ounce  of  the  powder.  When  it  is 
become  cold,  a  portion  of  the  liquid  may  be  introduced  into  the  eye.  One  or  two 
drops  of  the  tincture  may  be  introduced  with  good  effect.  This  may  be  obtained  by 
macerating  three  ounces  of  the  digitalis  in  a  quart  of  spirit. 

The  infusion  has  been  serviceable  in  mange ;  but  there  are  better  applications. 

Diuretics  constitute  a  useful  but  much  abused  class  of  medicines.  They  stimu- 
late the  kidneys  to  secrete  more  than  the  usual  quantity  of 'urine,  or  to  separate  a 
greater  than  ordinary  proportion  of  the  watery  parts  of  the  blood.  The  deficiency  of 
water  in  the  blood,  thus  occasioned,  must  be  speedily  supplied  or  the  healthy  circula- 
tion cannot  be  carried  on,  and  it  is  generally  supplied  by  the  absorbents  taking  up  the 
■watery  fluid  in  some  part  of  the  frame,  and  carrying  it  into  the  circulation.  Hence 
the  evident  use  of  diuretics  in  dropsical  affections,  in  swelled  legs,  and  also  in  inflam- 
mation and  fever,  by  lessening  the  quantity  of  the  circulating  fluid,  and,  consequently, 
that  which  is  sent  to  the  inflamed  parts. 

All  this  is  effected  by  the  kidneys  being  stimulated  to  increased  action ;  but  if  this 
stimulus  is  too  often  or  too  violently  applied,  the  energy  of  the  kidney  may  be  im- 
paired, or  inflammation  may  be  produced.  That  inflammation  may  be  of  an  acute 
cliaracter,  and  destroy  the  patient ;  or,  although  not  intense  in  its  nature,  it  may  by 
frequent  repetition  assume  a  chronic  form,  and  more  slowly,  but  as  surely,  do  irre- 
parable mischief.  Hence  the  necessity  of  attention  to  that  portion  of  the  food  which 
may  have  a  diuretic  power.  Mow-burnt  hay  and  foxy  oats  are  the  unsuspected  causes 
of  many  a  disease  in  the  horse,  at  first  obscure,  but  ultimately  referable  to  injury  or 
inflammation  of  the  urinary  organs.  Hence,  too,  the  impropriety  of  suffering  medi- 
oines  of  a  diuretic  nature  to  be  at  the  command  of  the  ignorant  carter  or  groom.  In 
swelled  legs,  cracks,  grease,  or  accumulation  of  fluid  in  any  part,  and  in  those  super- 
ficial eruptions  and  inflammations  whicli  are  said  to  be  produced  by  humours  floating 
in  the  blood,  diuretics  are  evidently  beneficial ;  but  they  should  be  as  mild  as  possible, 
and  not  oftener  given  or  continued  longer  than  the  case  requires.  For  some  cautions 
as  to  the  administration  of  diuretics,  and  a  list  of  the  safest  and  best,  the  reader  is 
referred  to  page  245.  The  expensive  Castile  soap,  and  camphor,  so  often  resorted  to, 
are  not  needed,  for  the  common  liquid  turpentine  is  quite  suflicient  in  all  ordinary 
cases,  and  nitre  and  disfitalis  may  be  added  if  fever  is  suspected. 

DuiNKS. — Many  practitioners  and  horse-proprietors  have  a  great  objection  to  the 
administration  of  medicines  in  the  form  of  drinks.  A  drink  is  not  so  portable  as  a 
ball,  it  is  more  troublesome  to  give,  and  a  portion  of  it  is  usually  wasted.  If  the 
drink  contains  any  acid  substance,  it  is  apt  to  excoriate  the  mouth,  or  to  irritate  the 
throat  already  sore  from  disease,  or  the  unpleasant  taste  of  the  drug  may  unnecessa- 
rily nauseate  the  horse.  There  are  some  medicines,  however,  which  must  be  given 
in  the  form  of  drink,  as  in  colic;  and  the  time,  perhaps,  is  not  distant  when  purga- 
tives will  be  thus  administered,  as  more  speedy,  and  safer  in  their  operation.  In 
cases  of  much  debility  and  entire  loss  of  appetite,  all  medicine  should  be  given  in 
solution,  for  the  stomach  may  not  have  sufficient  power  to  dissolve  the  paper  in  which 
the  ball  is  wrapped,  or  the  substance  of  the  ball. 


MEDICINE.  409 

An  ox's  horn,  the  larger  end  being  cut  slantingly,  is  the  usual  and  best  instrument 
for  administering  drinks.  The  noose  of  a  halter  is  introduced  into  tlve  mouth,  and 
then,  by  means  of  a  stable-fork,  the  head  is  elevated  by  an  assistant  considerably 
higher  "than  for  the  delivery  of  a  ball.  Tiie  surgeon  stands  on  a  pail  or  stable-basket 
on  tlie  oif-side  of  the  norse,  and  draws  out  the  tongue  with  the  left  hand;  he  then, 
with  the  right  hand,  introduces  the  horn  gently  into  the  mouth,  and  over  the  tongue, 
and  by  a  dexterous  turn  of  the  horn  empties  the  whole  of  the  drink — not  more  than 
about  six  ounces — into  the  hack  part  of  the  mouth.  The  horn  is  now  quickly  with- 
drawn, and  the  tongue  loosened,  and  the  greater  portion  of  the  fluid  will  be  swallow- 
ed. A  portion  of  it,  however,  will  often  be  obstinately  held  in  the  mouth  for  a  long 
time,  and  the  head  must  be  kept  up  until  the  whole  is  got  rid  of,  which  a  quick,  but 
not  violent  slap  on  the  muzzle  will  generally  compel  the  horse  to  do.  The  art  of 
giving  a  drink  consists  in  not  putting  too  much  into  the  horn  at  once ;  introducing 
the  horn  far  enough  into  the  mouth,  and  quickly  turning  and  ^withdrawing  it,  without 
bruising  or  wounding  the  mouth,  the  tongue  being  loosened  at  the  same  moment.  A 
bottle  is  a  disgraceful  and  dangerous  instrument  to  use,  except  it  be  a  flat  pint  bottle, 
with  a  long  and  thick  neck. 

Ferrum,  Iron. — Of  this  metal  there  are  two  preparations  adopted  by  veterinarians. 
The  rust,  or  Carbonate,  is  a  mild  and  useful  tonic  in  doses  of  from  two  to  four  drachms. 
The  Sulphate  (green  vitriol  or  copperas)  is  more  powerful.  It  should  never  be  given 
in  the  early  stages  of  recovery,  and  always  with  caution.  The  dose  should  be  the 
same  as  that  of  the  carbonate.  The  sulphate  has  lately  been  recommended  for  the 
cure  of  that  deceitful  stage  or  form  of  glanders,  in  which  there  is  nothing  to  charac- 
terise the  disease  but  a  very  slight  discharge  from  the  nostrils.  It  is  to  be  dissolved 
in  the  common  drink  of  the  horse.  It  is  worth  a  trial,  but  too  sanguine  expectations 
must  not  be  encouraged  of  the  power  of  any  drug  over  this  intractable  malady.  The 
iron  should  be  given  in  combination  with  gentian  and  ginger,  but  never  with  any 
alkali  or  nitre,  or  soap,  or  catechu,  or  astringent  vegetable. 

Fever. — For  the  nature  and  treatment  of  the  fever,  both  pure  and  symptomatic, 
reference  may  be  made  to  page  1 87. 

Forge-water  used  to  be  a  favourite  tonic  with  farriers,  and  also  a  lotion  for  canker 
and  ulcers  in  the  mouth.  It  owes  its  power,  if  there  be  any,  to  the  iron  with  which 
it  is  impregnated. 

Fomentations  open  the  pores  of  the  skin  and  promote  perspiration  in  the  part,  and 
so  abate  the  local  swelling,  and  relieve  pain  and  lessen  inflammation.  They  are 
oftea  used,  and  with  more  benefit  when  the  inflammation  is  somewhat  deeply  seated, 
than  w'hen  it  is  superficial.  The  effect  depends  upon  the,  warmth  of  the  water,  and 
not  on  any  herb  that  may  have  been  boiled  in  it.  They  are  best  applied  by  means 
of  flannel,  frequently  dipped  in  the  hot  water,  or  on  which  the  water  is  poured,  and 
the  heat  should  be  as  great  as  the  hand  will  bear.  The  benefit  that  might  be  derived 
from  them  is  much  impaired  by  the  absurd  method  in  which  the  fomentations  are  con- 
ducted. They  are  rarely  continued  long  enough,  and  when  they  are  removed,  the 
part  is  left  wet  and  uncovered,  and  the  coldness  of  evaporation  succeeds  to  the  heat 
of  fomentation.  The  perspiration  is  thus  suddenly  checked  ;  the  animal  suffers  con- 
siderable pain,  and  more  harm  is  done  by  the  extreme  change  of  temperature  than  if 
tlie  fomentation  had  not  been  attempted. 

Gentian  stands  at  the  head  of  the  vegetable  tonics,  and  is  a  stomachic  as  well  as 
a  tonic.  It  is  equally  useful  in  chronic  debility,  and  in  that  which  is  consequent 
on  severe  and  protracted  illness.  It  is  generally  united  with  chamomile,  ginger, 
and,  when  the  patient  will  bear  it,  carbonate  of  iron.  Four  drachms  of  gentian,  two 
of  chamomile,  one  of  carbonate  of  iron,  and  one  of  ginger,  will  make  an  excellent 
tonic  ball.     An  infusion  of  gentian  is  one  of  the  best  applications  to  putrid  ulcers. 

Ginger  is  as  valuable  as  a  cordial,  as  gentian  is  as  a  tonic.  It  is  the  basis  of  the 
cordial  ball,  and  it  is  indispensable  in  the  tonic  ball.  Although  it  is  difficult  to  pow 
der,  the  veterinary  practitioner  should  always  purchase  it  in  its  solid  form.  If  the 
root  is  large,  heavy,  and  not  worm-eaten,  the  black  ginger  is  as  good  as  the  white, 
and  considerably  cheaper.  The  powder  is  adulterated  with  bean-meal  and  the  saw 
dust  of  boxwood,  and  rendered  warm  and  puncrent  by  means  of  capsicum. 

Helleborus  Albus,  White  Hellebore. — This  is  a  drastic  cathartic,  and  should 
be  used  with  great  caution.     It  is  a  powerful  nauseant,  and  lowers  both  the  force  and 
frequency  of  the  pulse,  and  is  therefore  given  with  good  effect  in  various  inflamma- 
35  3  b 


410  MEDICINE. 

lions,  and  particularly  that  of  the  lungs.  In  the  hospital  of  the  veterinary  surgeon, 
or  in  the  stable  of  the  gentleman  who  will  superintend  the  giving  and  the  operation 
of  every  medicine,  it  may  be  used  with  safety;  but  with  him  who  has  to  trust  1o 
others,  and  who  does  not  see  the  horse  more  than  once  in  twelve  or  twenty-four  hours, 
it  is  a  dangerous  drug.  If  it  is  pushed  a  little  too  far,  trembling  and  giddiness,  and 
purging  follow,  and  the  horse  is  sometimes  lost.  The  hanging  of  tiie  head,  and  the 
frothinor  of  the  mouth,  and,  more  particularly,  the  sinking  of  the  pulse,  will  give 
warning  of  danger;  but  the  medical  attendant  may  not  have  the  opportunity  of  ob- 
serving this,  and  when  he  does  observe  it,  it  may  be  too  late.  Its  dose  varies  from 
a  scruple  to  half  a  drachm.  In  doses  of  a  drachm  it  could  not  be  given  with  safety ; 
and  yet,  such  is  the  different  effect  of  medicines  given  in  different  doses,  that  in  the 
quantity  of  an  ounce  it  is  said  to  be  a  diuretic  and  a  tonic,  and  exhibited  with  advan- 
tage in  chronic  and  obstinate  grease. 

"Helleborus  Niger,  Black  Hellebore. — This  is  used  mostly  as  a  local  applica- 
tion, and  as  such  it  is  a  very  powerful  stimulant.  Mr.  K.  Stanley,  of  Banbury,  fre- 
quently resorts  to  it  in  fistulous  affections  of  the  poll  and  withers,  and  with  consider- 
able success.  The  abscess  having  formed,  and  exit  being  given  to  the  imprisoned 
fluid,  it  is  allowed  to  discharge  itself,  for  two  or  three  days,  being  dressed  with  an 
ordinary  digestive  ointment.  When  the  pus  assumes  a  laudable  character,  he  intro- 
duces a  few  portions  of  the  fibrous  part  of  the  root,  passing  them  down  to  the  bottom 
of  the  sinus,  and  letting  them  remain  for  a  fortnight  or  more;  in  the  mean  time, 
merely  keeping  the  surrounding  parts  clean.  On  examination,  it  will  be  found  that 
the  healing  process  has  commenced. 

Professor  Morton  adds,  that  an  ointment,  formed  of  the  powder  of  either  the  black 
or  white  Hellebore,  in  the  proportion  of  one  part  of  the  powder  to  eight  of  lard,  will 
be  found  exceedingly  active  for  the  dressing  of  rowels  and  setons.* 

Hemlock  is  used  by  some  praciitioners,  instead  of  digitalis  or  hellebore,  in  affec- 
tions of  the  chest,  whether  acute  or  chronic ;  but  it  is  inferior  to  both.  The  dose  of 
the  powder  of  the  dried  leaves  is  about  a  drachm. 

HvDRARfiYRUM. — This  metal  is  found  native  in  many  countries  in  the  form  of  mi 
nute  globules.  It  also  occurs  in  masses,  and  in  different  varieties  of  crj'stallization. 
It  has  the  singular  property  of  being  liquid  in  the  natural  temperature  of  our  earth. 
It  freezes,  or  assumes  a  singular  species  of  crystallization,  at  39°  below  0  of  Fah., 
and  at  G60°  above  0  of  Fah.  it  boils,  and  rapidly  evaporates.  In  its  metallic  state  it 
appears  to  have  no  action  on  the  animal  system,  but  its  compounds  are  mostly  pow- 
erful excitants,  and  some  of  them  are  active  caustics. 

The  Common  Mercurial  Ointment  may  be  used  for  ring-worm,  and  that  species  of 
acarus  which  seems  to  be  the  source,  or  the  precursor  of,  mange.  The  compound 
mercurial  ointment  is  also  useful  in  the  destruction  of  the  same  insect.  For  most 
eruptions  connected  with  or  simulating  mange,  the  author  of  this  work  has  been  ac- 
customed to  apply  the  following  ointment  with  considerable  success : — 

vSublimed  sulphur 1  pound. 

Common  turpentine 4  oz. 

Mercurial  ointment 2  oz. 

Linseed  oil 1  pint. 

The  Mercurial  Ointment  is  prepared  by  rubbing  quicksilver  with  lard,  in  the  propor- 
tion of  one  ])art  of  mercury  to  three  of  lard,  until  no  globules  appear.  The  practi- 
tioner should,  if  possible,  prepare  it  himself,  for  he  can  seldom  get  it  pure  or  of  the 
proper  strength  from  the  druggist.  It  is  employed  with  considerable  advantage  in 
preparing  splcnts,  spavins,  or  other  bony  or  callous  tumours,  for  blistering  or  firing. 
One  or  two  drachms,  according  to  the  nature  and  size  of  the  swelling,  may  be  daily 
well  rubbed  in;  but  it  should  be  watched,  for  it  sometimes  salivates  the  horse  very 
speedily.  The  tumours  more  readily  disperse,  at  the  application  of  a  stronger  stim- 
ulant, when  they  have  been  thus  prepared.  Mercurial  ointment  in  a  weaker  state  is 
sometimes  necessary  for  the  cure  of  mallenders  and  sallenders;  and  in  very  obstinate 
cases  of  mange,  one-eighth  part  of  mercurial  ointment  may  be  added  to  the  ointment 
recommended  at  page  .381. 

Calomel,  the  submuriate  or  protochloride  of  mercury,  may  be  given,  combined  will 

♦  Morton's  Manual  of  Pharmacy,  p.  IT."). 


MEDICINE.  4ll 

aloes,  in  mange,  surfeit,  or  worms.  It  is  also  useful  in  some  cases  of  chronic  couoh, 
in  farcy,  and  in  jaundice.  Alone  it  has  little  purcrative  effect  on  the  horse,  but  it 
assists  the  action  of  other  aperients.  It  is  ^iven  in  doses  from  a  scruple  to  a  drachm. 
As  soon  as  the  gums  become  red,  or  the  animal  begins  to  quid  or  drop  his  hav,  it 
must  be  discontinued.  Calomel  has  lately  gained  much  repute  in  arrestins^  the  "pro- 
gress of  epidemic  catarrh  in  the  horse.  Mr.  Percivall  has  succeeded  in  this  attempt 
to  a  very  considerable  extent.  In  fact,  the  influence  of  calomel  in  veterinary  practice 
seems  to  have  been  far  too  much  undervalued.* 

Currosive  Sub/imate,  the  oxymuriate  or  bichloride  of  mercury,  combined  with  chlo- 
rine in  a  double  proportion,  is  a  useful  tonic  in  farcy.  It  should  be  given  in  doses 
of  ten  grains  daily,  and  gradually  increased  to  a  scruple,  until  the  horse  is  purged 
or  the  mouth  becomes  sore,  when  it  may  be  omitted  for  a  few  days,  and  resumed 
Some  have  recommended  it  as  a  diuretic,  but  it  is  too  dangerous  a  medicine  for 
this  purpose.  It  is  used  externally  in  solution;  in  substance  in  quittor,  as  a  stimu- 
lant to  foul  ulcers;  and  in  the  proportion  of  five  grains  to  an  ounce  of  rectified  spirit 
in  obstinate  mange,  or  to  destroy  vermin  on  the  skin.  It  is,  hoM'ever,  too  uncertaiL- 
and  too  dangerous  a  medicine  for  the  horse-proprietor  to  venture  on  its  use. 

JElhiiip's  Wneral,  the  black  sulphuret  of  mercury,  is  not  often  used  in  horse-prac- 
tice, but  it  is  a  good  alterative  for  obstinate  surfeit  or  foulness  of  the  skin,  in  doses 
of  three  drachms  daily.  Four  drachms  of  cream  of  tartar  may  be  advantageously 
added  to  each  dose. 

Infusions — The  active  matter  of  some  vegetable  substances  is  partly  or  entirely 
extracted  by  water.  Dried  vegetables  yield  their  properties  more  readily  and  per- 
fectly than  when  in  their  green  state.  Boiling  water  is  poured  on  the  substance 
to  be  infused,  and  which  should  have  been  previously  pounded  or  powdered,  and  the 
vessel  then  covered  and  placed  near  a  fire.  In  five  or  six  hours  the  transparent  part 
may  be  poured  off,  and  is  ready  for  use.  In  a  few  days,  however,  all  infusions  be- 
come thick,  and  lose  their  virtue,  from  the  decomposition  of  the  vegetable  matter. 

The  infusion  of  chamomile  is  advantageously  used  instead  of  water  in  compound- 
ing a  mild  tonic  drench.  The  infusion  of  catechu  is  useful  in  astringent  mixtures; 
that  of  linseed  is  used  instead  of  common  water  in  catarrh  and  cold ;  and  the  infu- 
sion of  tobacco  in  some  injections. 

Iodine. — This  substance  has  not  been  long  introduced  into  veterinary  practice. 
The  first  object  which  it  seemed  to  accomplish,  was  the  reduction  of  the  enlaro-ed 
glands  that  frequently  remain  after  catarrh,  but  it  soon  appeared  that  it  could  reduce 
almost  every  species  of  tumour.  Much  concerned  in  the  first  introduction  of  iodine 
into  veterinary  practice,  the  writer  of  the  present  work  bears  willing  testimonv  to 
the  zeal  and  success  of  others,  in  establishinor  the  claims  of  this  most  valuable  medi- 
cine. Professor  Morton  has  devoted  much  time  and  labour  to  the  different  combina- 
tions of  iodine,  and  they  are  described  at  leno^th  in  his  useful  "  Manual  of  Pharma- 
cy." He  wives  the  formula  of  the  composition  of  a  liniment,  an  ointment,  and  a 
tincture  of  iodine,  adapted  to  different  species  and  stages  of  disease.  He  next  de- 
scribes the  preparation  of  the  iodide  of  potassium  —  the  combination  of  iodine  and 
potash,  —  and  then  the  improvement  on  that  under  the  name  of  the  diniodide  of 
copper — the  union  of  two  parts  of  the  iodide  of  potassium  with  four  of  the  sulphate 
of  copper. 

The  action  of  this  compound  is  an  admirable  tonic  and  a  stimulant  to  the  absorb- 
ent system,  if  combined  with  vegetable  tonics,  and,  occasionally,  small  doses  of 
cantharides.  Professor  Spooner  and  Mr.  Daws  applied  this  compound,  and  with 
marked  success,  to  the  alleviation  of  farcy,  nasal  gleet,  and  glanders.  It  is  pleas- 
ing to  witness  these  triumphs  over  disease,  a  little  while  ago  so  unexpected,  and  now 
so  assured. 

Juniper,  Oil  of. — This  essential  oil  is  retained  because  it  has  some  diuretic  pro- 
perty, as  well  as  being  a  pleasant  aromatic.  It  frequently  enters  into  the  compositi<- 
of  the  diuretic  ball. 

Lead,  Plumbum. — The  Carbonate  of  Lead  has  a  deleterious  effect  on  the  biped  and 
the  quadruped  in  the  neighbourhood  of  lead  works.  They  are  subject  to  violent  grip- 
ing pains,  and  to  constipation  that  can  with  great  difficulty,  or  not  at  all,  be  overcome. 
Soiaething  of  the  same  kind  is  occasionally  observed  in  the  cider  counties,  and  the 

*  Veterinarian,  vol.  xvi.,  or  i.,  new  series,  pp.  325,  441,  and  f  24, 


412  MEDICINE. 

"  painter's  colic"  is  a  circumstance  of  too  frequent  occurrence — the  occasional  dread- 
ful pains,  and  the  ravenous  appetite  extending  to  everything  that  comes  in  the  way 
of  the  animal.  Active  purgatives  followed  by  opium  are  the  most  effectual  remedies. 
The  Jlcdale  of  Lead,  Flumbi  Jcetas. — Sugar  of  lead  is  seldom  given  externally  to 
the  horse,  but  is  used  as  a  coUyrium  for  infianmiation  of  the  eyes. 

The  Liquor  Flumbi  Siibacetatis,  or  Goulardh  Extract,  or,  as  it  used  to  be  termed 
at  the  Veterinary  College,  the  J}qua  Fegetn,  is  a  better  coUyrium,  and  advantageously 
used  in  external  and  superficial  inflammation,  and  particularly  the  inflammation  that 
remains  after  the  application  of  a  blister. 

Lime  was  formerly  sprinkled  over  cankered  feet  and  greasy  heels,  but  there  are  less 
painful  caustics,  and  more  effectual  absorbents  of  moisture.  Lime-water  is.  rarely 
used,  but  the  Chhride  of  Lime  is  exceedingly  valuable.  Diluted  with  twenty  times 
its  quantity  of  water,  it  helps  to  form  the  poultice  applied  to  every  part  from  which 
there  is  the  slightest  oflensive  discharge.  The  foetid  smell  of  fistulous  withers,  poll- 
evil,  canker,  and  ill-conditioned  wounds,  is  immediately  removed,  and  the  ulcers  are 
more  disposed  to  heal.  When  mangy  horses  are  dismissed  as  cured,  a  washing  with 
the  diluted  chloride  will  remove  any  infection  that  may  lurk  about  them,  or  which 
they  may  carry  from  the  place  in  which  they  have  been  confined.  One  pint  of  the 
chloride  mixed  with  three  gallons  of  water,  and  brushed  over  the  walls  and  manger 
and  rack  of  the  foulest  stable,  will  completely  remove  all  infection.  Professor  Mor- 
ton, very  properly,  says  that  the  common  practice  of  merely  whitewashing  the  walls 
serves  only  to  cover  the  infectious  matter,  and  perhaps  to  preserve  it  for  an  indefinite 
length  of  time,' so  that  when  the  lime  scales  off,  disease  may  be  again  engendered  by 
the  exposed  virus.  The  horse  furniture  worn  by  a  glandered  or  mangy  animal  will 
be  effectually  purified  by  the  chloride.  Internally  administered,  it  seems  to  have  little 
or  no  power. 

Liniments  are  oily  applications  of  the  consistence  of  a  thick  fluid,  and  designed 
either  to  soothe  an  inflamed  surface,  or,  by  gently  stimulating  the  skin,  to  remove 
deeper-seated  pain  or  inflammation.  As  an  emollient  liniment,  one  composed  of  half 
an  ounce  of  extract  of  lead  and  four  ounces  of  olive  oil  will  be  useful.  For  sprains, 
old  swellings,  or  rheumatism,  two  ounces  of  hartshorn,  the  same  quantity  of  cam- 
phorated spirit,  an  ounce  of  oil  of  turpentine,  and  half  an  ounce  of  laudanum,  may 
be  mixed  together;  or  or  an  ounce  of  camphor  may  be  dissolved  in  four  ounces  of 
sweet  oil,  to  which  an  ounce  of  oil  of  turpentine  may  be  afterwards  added.  A  little 
powdered  cantharides,  or  tincture  of  cantharides,  or  mustard  powder,  will  render 
either  of  these  more  powerful,  or  convert  it  into  a  liquid  blister. 

Linseed. — An  infusion  of  linseed  is  often  used  instead  of  water,  for  the  drink  of 
the  horse  with  sore-throat  or  catarrh,  or  disease  of  the  urinary  organs  or  of  the  bowels. 
A  pail  containing  it  should  be  slung  in  the  stable  or  loose  box.  Thin  gruel,  however, 
is  preferable ;  it  is  as  bland  and  soothing,  and  it  is  more  nutritious.  Linseed  meal 
forms  the  best  poultice  for  almost  every  purpose. 

Magnesia. — The  sulphate  of  magnesia,  or  Epsom  Salts,  should  be  used  only  in 
promoting  the  purgative  effect  of  clysters,  or,  in  repeated  doses  of  six  or  eight 
ounces,  gently  to  open  the  bowels  at  the  commencement  of  fever.  Some  doubt, 
however,  attends  the  latter  practice ;  for  the  dose  must  occasionally  be  thrice  repeated 
before  it  will  act,  and  then,  although  safer  than  aloes,  it  may  produce  too  much  irri- 
tation in  the  intestinal  canal,  especially  if  the  fever  is  the  precursor  of  inflammation 
of  the  lungs. 

Mashes  constitute  a  very  important  part  of  horse-provender,  whether  in  sickness 
or  health.  A  mash  given  occasionally  to  a  horse  that  is  otherwise  fed  on  dry  meat 
prevents  him  from  becoming  dangerously  costive.  To  the  over-worked  and  tired 
horse,  nothincr  is  so  refreshing  as  a  warm  mash  with  his  usual  allowance  of  corn  in  it 
The  art  of  getting  a  horse  into  apparent  condition  for  sale,  or  giving  him  a  round  and 
plump  appearance,  consists  principally  in  the  frequent  repetition  of  mashes,  and 
from  their  easiness  of  digestion  and  the  mild  nutriment  which  they  afford,  as  well  as 
their  laxative  effect,  they  form  the  principal  diet  of  the  sick  horse. 

They  are  made  by  pouring  boiling  water  on  bran,  and  stirring  it  well,  and  then 
covering  it  over  until  it  is  sufliciently  cool  for  the  horse  to  cat.  If  in  the  heat  of 
summer  a  cold  mash  is  preferred,  it  should,  nevertheless,  be  made  with  hot  water, 
and  then  suffered  to  remain  until  it  is  cold.  This  is  not  always  sufliciently  attended 
t,o  by  the  groom,  who  is  not  aware  that  the  efficacy  of  the  mash  depends  principally 


MEDICINE.  413 

on  the  change  which  is  effected  in  the  bran  and  the  other  ingredients  by  the  boiling 
water  rendering  them  more  easy  of  digestion,  as  well  as  more  aperient.  If  the  horse 
refuses  the  mash,  a  few  oats  may  be  sprinkled  over  it,  in  order  to  tempt  him  to  eat 
it",  but  if  it  is  previously  designed  that  corn  should  be  given  in  the  mash,  it  should 
be  scalded  with  the  bran,  in  order  to  soften  it  and  render  it  more  digestible.  Bran 
maslies  are  very  useful  preparatives  for  physic,  and  they  are  necessary  during  the 
operation  of  the  physic.  They  very  soon  become  sour,  and  the  manger  of  the  horse, 
of  whose  diet  they  form  a  principal  part,  should  be  daily  and  carefully  cleaned  out. 

When  horses  are  weakly  and  much  reduced,  malt  mashes  will  often  be  very  pala- 
table to  them  and  very  nutritive :  but  the  water  that  is  poured  on  a  malt  mash  should 
be  considerably  below  the  boiling  heat,  otherwise  the  malt  will  be  set,  or  clogged 
together.  If  the  owner  was  aware  of  the  value  of  a  malt  mash,  it  would  be  oftener 
given  when  the  horse  is  rapidly  getting  weaker  from  protracted  disease,  or  when  he 
is  beginning  to  recover  from  a  disease  by  which  he  has  been  much  reduced.  The 
only  exception  to  their  use  is  in  cases  of  chest  affection,  in  which  they  must  not 
be  given  too  early.  In  grease,  and  in  mange  accompanied  by  much  emaciation,  malt 
mashes  will  be  peculiarly  useful,  especially  if  they  constitute  a  principal  portion  of 
the  food. 

Mustard,  Sinapis. — ^This  will  be  found  occasionally  useful,  if,  in  inflammation 
of  the  chest  or  bowels,  it  is  well  rubbed  on  the  chest  or  the  abdomen.  The  external 
swelling  and  irritation  which  it  excites  may,  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  abate  tho 
inflammation  within. 

Myrrh  may  be  used  in  the  form  of  tincture,  or  it  may  be  united  to  the  tincture  of 
aloes  as  a  stimulating  and  digestive  application  lo  wounds.  Diluted  with  an  equal 
quantity  of  water,  it  is  a  good  application  for  canker  in  the  mouth,  but  as  an  internal 
medicine  it  seems  to  be  inert,  although  some  practitioners  advocate  its  use,  combined 
with  opium,  in  cases  of  chronic  cough. 

Nitrous  ^ther.  Spirit  of,  is  a  very  useful  medicine  in  the  advanced  stages  of 
fever,  for  while  it,  to  a  certain  degree,  rouses  the  exhausted  powers  of  the  animal,  and 
may  be  denominated  a  stimulant,  it  never  brings  back  the  dangerous  febrile  action 
which  was  subsiding.     It  is  given  in  doses  of  three  or  four  drachms. 

Olive  Oil  is  an  emollient  and  demulcent.  Its  laxative  effect  is  very  inconsider 
able  and  uncertain  in  the  horse. 

Opium. — However  underrated  by  some,  there  is  not  a  more  valuable  drug  on  our 
list.  It  does  not  often  act  as  a  narcotic  except  inconsiderable  doses;  but  it  is  a  pow- 
erful antispasmodic,  sedative,  and  astringent.  As  an  antispasmodic,  it  enters  into 
the  cholic  drink,  and  it  is  the  sheet-anchor  of  the  veterinarian  in  the  treatment  of  teta- 
nus or  locked-jaw.  As  a  sedative  it  relaxes  that  universal  spasm  of  the  muscular 
system  which  is  the  characteristic  of  tetanus  ;  and,  perhaps,  it  is  only  as  a  sedative 
that  it  has  such  admirable  effect  as  an  astringent,  for  when  the  irritation  around  the 
mouths  of  the  vessels  of  the  intestines  and  kidneys  is  allayed  by  the  opium,  the  undue 
purging  and  profuse  staling  will  necessarily  be  arrested. 

Opium  should,  however,  be  given  with  caution.  It  is  its  secondary  effect  that  is 
sedative,  and,  if  given  in  cases  of  fever,  its  primary  effect  in  increasing  the  excita- 
tion of  the  frame  may  be  very  considerable  and  highly  injurious.  In  the  early  and 
acute  stage  of  fever,  it  would  be  bad  practice  to  give  it  in  the  smallest  quantity  ;  but 
when  the  fever  has  passed,  or  is  passing,  there  is  nothing  which  so  rapidly  subdues 
the  irritability  that  accompanies  extreme  weakness.  It  becomes  an  excellent  tonic, 
because  it  is  a  sedative. 

If  the  blue  or  green  vitriol,  or  cantharides,  have  been  pushed  too  far,  opium,  sooner 
than  any  other  drug,  quiets  the  disorder  they  have  occasioned.  It  is  given  in  doses 
of  one  or  two  drachms,  in  the  form  of  ball.  Other  medicines  are  usually  combined 
with  it,  according  to  the  circumstances  of  the  case. 

Externally,  it  is  useful  in  ophthalmia.  In  the  form  of  decoction  of  the  poppy-head, 
it  may  constitute  the  basis  of  an  anodyne  poultice;  but  it  must  not  be  given  in  union 
with  any  alkali,  with  the  exception  of  chalk,  in  over-purging;  nor  with  the  supera- 
cetate  of  lead,  by  which  its  powers  are  materially  impaired;  nor  with  sulphate  of 
zinc,  or  copper,  or  iron. 

From  its  high  price  it  is  much  adulterated,  and  it  is  not  always  met  with  in  a  state 
of  purity.  The  best  tests  are  its  smell,  its  taste,  its  toughness  and  pliancy,  its  fawn 
01  brown  colour,  and  its  weight,  for  it  is  the  heaviest  of  all  the  vegetable  extracts 
3.5* 


414  MEDICINE. 

except  iTiiin  arabic;  yet  its  weight  is  often  fraudulently  increased  by  stones  and  bits 
of  lead  dexterously  concealed  in  it.  The  English  opium  is  almost  as  good  as  the 
Turkish,  and  frequently  sold  for  it;  but  is  distinguishable  by  its  blackness  and  soft- 
ness. 

P,.ji.M  Oil,  -when  genuine,  is  the  very  best  substance  that  can  be  used  for  making 
masses  and  balls.     It  has  a  pleasant  smell,  and  it  never  becomes  rancid. 

Pitch  is  used  to  give  adhesiveness  and  firmness  to  charges  and  plasters.  The 
common  pitch  is  quite  as  good  as  the  more  expensive  Burgundy  pitch.  The  best 
plaster  for  sandcrack  consists  of  one  pound  of  pitch  and  an  ounce  of  yellow  bees- 
wax melted  together. 

Physic. — The  cases  w^hich  require  physic,  the  composition  of  the  most  effectual 
and  safest  physic-ball,  and  the  mode  of  treatment  under  physic,  have  been  already 
described. 

Potash. — Two  compounds  of  potash  are  used  in  veterinary  practice.  The  Nitrate 
of  Potash  {Nitre)  is  a  valuable  cooling  medicine  and  a  mild  diuretic,  and,  therefore, 
it  should  enter  into  the  composition  of  every  fever-ball.  Its  dose  is  from  two  to  four 
drachms.  Grooms  often  dissolve  it  in  the  water.  There  are  two  objections  to  this  : 
cither  the  horse  is  nauseated  and  will  not  drink  so  much  water  as  lie  ought;  or  the 
s;ilt  taste  of  the  water  causes  considerable  thirst,  and  disinclination  to  solid  food. 
Nitre,  whilst  dissolving,  materially  lowers  the  temperature  of  water,  and  furnishes  a 
very  cold  and  useful  lotion  for  sprain  of  the  back  sinews,  and  other  local  inflamma- 
tions. The  lotion  should  be  used  as  soon  as  the  salt  is  dissolved,  for  it  quickly  be- 
comes as  warm  as  the  surrounding  air.  The  Bitartrate  of  Potash  {Cream  of  Tartar') 
is  a  mild  diuretic,  and,  combined  with  ^thiop's  mineral,  is  used  as  an  alterative  in 
obstinate  mange  or  grease.  The  objection,  however,  to  its  use  in  such  an  animal  as 
the  horse,  is  the  little  power  which  it  seems  to  exercise. 

Poultices. — Few  horsemen  are  aware  of  the  value  of  these  simple  applications  in 
abating  inflammation,  relieving  pain,  cleansing  wounds,  and  disposing  them  to  heal. 
They  are  applications  of  the  best  kind  continued  much  longer  than  a  simple  fomenta- 
tion can  be.  In  all  inflammations  of  the  foot  they  are  very  beneficial,  by  softening 
the  horn  hardened  by  the  heat  of  the  foot  and  contracted  and  pressing  on  the  internal 
and  highly  sensible  parts.  The  moisture  and  warmth  are  the  useful  qualities  of  the 
poultice;  and  that  poultice  is  the  best  for  general  purposes  in  which  moisture  and 
warmth  are  longest  retained.  Perspiration  is  most  abundantly  promoted  in  the  part, 
the  pores  are  opened,  swellings  are  relieved,  and  discharges  of  a  healthy  nature  pro- 
cured from  wounds. 

Linseed  meal  forms  the  best  general  poultice,  because  it  longest  retains  the  mois- 
ture. Bran,  although  frequently  used  for  poultices,  is  objectionable,  because  it  so 
soon  becomes  dry.  To  abate  considerable  iuflammation,  and  especially  in  a  wounded 
part,  Goulard  may  be  added,  or  the  linseed  meal  may  be  made  into  a  paste  with  a 
decoction  of  poppy-heads.  To  promote  a  healthy  discharge  from  an  old  or  foul  ulcer; 
or  separation  of'  the  dead  from  the  living  parts,  in  the  process  of  what  is  called  coring 
out;  or  to  hasten  the  ripening  of  a  tumour  that  must  be  opened  ;  or  to  cleanse  it  when 
it  is  opened, — two  ounces  of  common  turpentine  may  be  added  to  a  pound  of  linseed 
meal  :  but  nothing  can  be  so  absurd,  or  is  so  injurious,  as  the  addition  of  turpentine 
to  a  poultice  that  is  designed  to  be  an  emollient.  The  drawing  poultices  and  stop- 
pings of  farriers  are  often  highly  injurious,  instead  of  abating  inflammation. 

If  the  ulcer  smells  offensively,  two  ounces  of  powdered  charcoal  may  be  added  to 
the  linseed  meal,  or  the  poultice  may  be  made  of  water,  to  which  a  solution  of  the 
chloride  of  lime  has  been  added  in  the  proportion  of  half  an  ounce  to  a  pound.  As 
an  emollient  poultice  for  grease  and  cracked  heels,  and  especially  if  accompanied  by 
mucli  unpleasant  smell,  there  is  nothing  preferable  to  a  poultice  of  mashed  carrots 
with  charcoal.  For  old  grease  some  slight  stimulant  must  be  added,  as  a  little  yeast 
or  the  grounds  of  table-beer. 

There  are  two  errors  in  the  application  of  a  poultice,  and  particularly  as  it  regards 
the  legs.  It  is  often  })Ut  on  too  tight,  by  means  of  which  the  return  of  the  blood  from 
the  foot  is  prevented,  and  the  disease  is  increased  instead  of  lessened;  or  it  is'too  hot 
and  unnecessary  pain  is  given,  and  the  inflammation  aggravated. 

Powders. — Some  horses  are  very  difficult  to  ball  or  drench,  and  the  violent  Strug 
gle  that  would  accompany  the  attempt  to  conquer  them  may  heighten  the  fever  or 
inflammation.    To  such  horses  powders  must  be  given  in  mashes.    Emetic  tartar  an^ 


MEDICINE.  415 

riiffitalis  may  be  generally  used  in  cases  of  inflammation  or  fever ;  or  emetic  tartar 
for  worms;  or  calomel  or  even  the  farina  of  the  croton  nut  for  physic:  but  powders 
are  too  olten  an  excuse  for  the  laziness  or  awkwardness  of  the  carter  or  groom.  The 
dorse  frequently  refuses  them,  especially  if  his  appetite  has  otherwise  begun  to  fail; 
the  powder  and  the  mash  are  wasted,  and  the  animal  is  unnecessarily  nauseated.  All 
medicine  should  be  given  in  the  form  of  ball  or  drink. 

Raking. — This  consists  in  introducing  the  hand  into  the  rectum  of  the  horse,  and 
drawing  out  any  hardened  dung  that  may  be  there.  It  may  be  necessary  in  costive- 
ness  or  fever,  if  a  clyster  pipe  cannot  be  obtained  ;  but  an  injection  will  better  effect 
the  purpose,  and  with  less  inconvenience  to  the  animal.  The  introduction  of  the 
hand  into  the  rectum  is,  however,  useful  to  ascertain  the  existence  of  stone  in  the 
bladder,  or  the  degree  of  distension  of  the  bladder  in  suppression  of  urine,  for  the 
bladder  will  be  easily  felt  below  the  intestine,  and,  at  the  same  time  by  the  heat  of 
the  intestine,  the  degree  of  inflammation  in  it  or  in  the  bladder  may  be  detected. 

Resin. — The  yellow  resin  is  that  which  remains  after  the  distillation  of  oil  of  tur- 
pentine. It  is  used  externally  to  give  consistence  to  ointments,  and  to  render  them 
slightly  stimulant.  Intfernally  it  is  a  useful  diuretic,  and  is  given  in  doses  of  live  or 
six  drachms  made  into  a  ball  with  soft  soap.  The  common  liquid  turpentine  is,  how- 
ever, preferable. 

Rowels.  —  The  manner  of  Towelling  has  been  already  described.  As  exciting 
inflammation  on  the  surface,  and  so  lessening  that  which  had  previously  existed  in  a 
neighbouring  but  deeper-seated  part,  they  are  decidedly  inferior  to  blisters,  for  they 
do  not  act  so  quickly  or  so  extensively ;  therefore  they  should  not  be  used  in  acute 
inflammation  of  the  lungs  or  bowels,  or  any  vital  part.  When  the  inflammation, 
however,  although  not  intense,  has  long  continued,  rowels  will  be  serviceable  by  pro- 
ducing an  irritation  and  discharge  that  can  be  better  kept  up  than  by  a  blister.  As 
promoting  a  permanent,  although  not  very  considerable  discharge,  and  some  inflam- 
mation, rowels  in  the  thighs  are  useful  in  swelled  legs  and  obstinate  grease.  If  fluid 
is  thrown  oiit  under  the  skin  in  any  other  part,  the  rowel  acts  as  a  permanent  drain. 
When  sprain  of  the  joint  or  the  muscles  of  the  shoulders  is  suspected,  a  rowel  in  the 
cliest  will  be  serviceable.  The  wound  caused  by  a  rowel  will  readily  heal,  and  wilb 
little  blemish,  unless  the  useless  leather  of  the  farrier  has  been  inserted. 

Secale  cornutum,  the  Ergot  of  Rye. — This  is  well  known  to  be  an  excitant  ii> 
assisting  parturition  in  cattle,  sheep,  and  dogs.  It  has  been  used  with  success  in  the. 
mare  by  Mr.  Richardson,  of  Lincoln.  It  should  only  be  applied  in  diflicult  cases, 
and  the  dose  should  be  two  drachms,  combined  with  some  carminative,  and  given 
every  hour. 

Sedatives  are  medicines  that  subdue  irritation,  repress  spasmodic  action,  or  deaden 
pain.  We  will  not  inquire  whether  they  act  first  as  stimulants :  if  they  do,  theit 
effect  is  exceedingly  transient,  and  is  quickly  followed  by  depression  and  diminished 
action.  Digitalis,  hellebore,  opium,  turpentine,  are  medicines  of  this  kind.  Their 
effect  in  difl^erent  diseases  or  stages  of  disease,  and  the  circumstances  which  indicate 
the  use  of  any  one  of  them  in  preference  to  the  rest,  are  considered  under  their  respec- 
tive titles. 

Soda The  Carbonate  of  Soda  is  a  useful  antacid,  an^  probably  a  diuretic,  but  it  is 

not  much  used  in  veterinary  practice.  The  Chloride  of  Soda  is  not  so  eflicacinos  for 
the  removal  of  unpleasant  smells  and  all  infection  as  the  chloride  of  lime;  but  it  is 
exceedingly  useful  in  changing  malignant  and  corroding  and  destructive  sores  into  the 
state  of  simple  ulcers,  and,  in  ulcers  that  are  not  malignant,  it  much  hastens  the  cure. 
Poll  evil  and  fistulous  withers  are  much  benefited  by  it,  and  all  farcy  ulcers.  It  is 
used  in  the  proportion  of  one  part  of  the  solution  to  twenty-four  of  waiter. 

SoDii  CiiLORiDUM,  Common  Salt,  is  very  extensively  employed  in  veterinary  prac- 
tice. It  forms  an  efficacious  aperient  clyster,  and  a  solution  of  it  has  been  given  as 
an  aperient  drink.  Sprinkled  over  the  hay,  or  in  a  mash,  it  is  very  palatable  to  sick 
horses ;  and  in  that  languor  and  disinclination  to  food  which  remain  after  severe  illness, 
•ew  things  will  so  soon  recall  the  appetite  as  a  drink  composed  of  six  or  eight  ounces 
of  salt  in  solution.  To  horses  in  health  it  is  more  useful  than  is  generally  imagined, 
as  promoting  the  digestion  of  the  food,  and,  consequently,  condition.  Externally  ap 
plied,  there  are  few  better  lotions  for  inflamed  eyes  than  a  solution  of  half  a  drachm 
of  salt  in  four  ounces  of  water.  In  the  proportion  of  an  ounce  of  salt  to  the  same 
<juanti*y  of  water,  it  is  a  good  embrocation  for  sore  shoulders  and  backs;  and  if  it 


416  MEDICINE. 

does  not  always  disperse  warbles  and  tumours,  it  takes  away  much  of  the  tenderness 
of  the  skin. 

SodjE  Sulphas, — Sulphate  i>f  Sada. — Glauber's  Salt. — This  medicine  is  seldom  used 
in  the  treatment  of  the  horse.     It  appears  to  have  some  diuretic  property. 

Soap  is  supposed  to  possess  a  diuretic  quality,  and  therefore  enters  into  the  compo- 
sition of  some  diuretic  masses.  See  Resin.  By  many  practitioners  it  is  made  an 
ingredient  in  the  physic-ball,  but  uselessly  or  even  injuriously  so;  for  if  the  aloes  are 
fuPely  powdered  and  mixed  with  palm  oil,  they  will  dissolve  readily  enough  in  tlie 
nowols  without  the  aid  of  the  soap,  while  the  action  of  the  soap  on  the  kidneys  will 
jnpair  the  purgative  effect  of  the  aloes. 

Starch  may  be  substituted  with  advantage  for  gruel  in  obstinate  cases  of  purging, 
ooth  as  a  plyster,  and  to  support  the  strength  of  the  animal. 

Stoppings  constitute  an  important,  but  too  often  neglected  part  of  stable  manage- 
ment. If  a  horse  is  irregularly  or  seldom  worked,  his  feet  are  deprived  of  moisture; 
ihey  become  hard  and  unyielding  and  brittle,  and  disposed  to  corn  and  contraction 
and  founder.  The  very  dung  of  a  neglected  and  filthy  stable  would  be  preferable  to 
habitual  standing  on  the  cleanest  litter  without  stopping,  in  wounds,  and  bruises, 
and  corns,  moisture  is  even  more  necessary,  in  order  to  supple  the  horn,  and  relieve 
its  pressure  on  the  tender  parts  beneath.  As 'a  common  stopping,  notliing  is  better 
than  cow-dung  with  a  fourth  part  of  clay  well  beaten  into  it,  and  confined  with  splents 
from  the  binding  or  larger  twigs  of  the  broom.  In  cases  of  wounds  a  little  tar  may 
be  added ;  but  tar,  as  a  common  stopping,  is  too  stimulating  and  drying.  Pads  made 
of  thick  felt  have  lately  been  contrived,  which  are  fitted  to  the  sole,  and,  swelling  on 
being  wetted,  are  sufl!iciently  confined  by  the  shoe.  Having  been  well  saturated  with 
water,  they  will  continue  moist  during  the  night.  They  are  very  useful  in  gentlemen's 
stables;  but  the  cow-dung  and  clay  are  sufiicient  for  the  firmer. 

Strychnia. — This  drug  has  frequently  been  employed  with  decided  advantage  in 
cases  of  paralysis  in  the  dog;  and  lately,  and  with  decided  advantage,  it  has  been 
administered  to  the  horse.  The  dose  is  from  one  to  three  grains,  given  twice  in  the 
day. 

Sulphur  is  the  basis  of  the  most  effectual  applications  for  mange.  It  is  an  excel- 
lent alterative,  combined  usually  w  ith  antimony  and  nitre,  and  particularly  for  mange, 
surfeit,  grease,  hidebound,  or  want  of  condition;  and  it  is  a  nseful  ingredient  in  the 
cough  and  fever  ball.  When  given  alone,  it  seems  to  have  little  effect,  except  as  a 
laxative  in  doses  of  six  or  eight  ounces ;  but  there  are  much  better  aperients.  The 
black  sulphur  consists  principally  of  the  dross  after  the  pure  sulphur  has  been  sepa- 
rated. 

Tar  melted  with  an  equal  quantity  of  grease  forms  the  usual  stopping  of  the  farrier. 
It  is  a  warm,  or  slightly  stimulant,  and  therefore  useful,  dressing  for  bruised  or  wounded 
feet;  but  its  principal  virtue  seems  to  consist  in  preventing  the  penetration  of  dirt  and 
water  to  the  wounded  part.  Asa  common  stopping  it  has  been  considered  objection- 
able. From  its  warm  and  drying  properties  it  is  the  usual  and  proper  basis  for  thrush 
ointments ;  and  from  its  adhesiveness,  and  slightly  stimulating  power,  it  often  forms 
an  ingredient  in  applications  for  mange.  Some  practitioners  give  it,  and  advantageously, 
with  the  usual  cough  medicine,  and  in  doses  of  two  or  three  drachms  for  chronic  cough. 
The  common  tar  is  as  effectuSl  as  the  Barbadoes  for  every  veterinary  purpose.  The 
oil,  or  spirit  (rectified  oil)  of  tar  is  sometimes  used  alone  for  the  cure  of  mange,  but  it 
is  not  to  be  depended  upon.  The  spirit  of  tar,  mixed  with  double  the  quantity  offish 
oil,  is,  from  its  peculiar  penetrating  property,  one  of  the  best  applications  for  hard  and 
brittle  feet.  It  should  be  Avell  rubbed  with  a  brush,  every  night,  both  on  the  crust 
and  sole. 

Tinctures. — The  medicinal  properties  of  many  substances  are  extracted  by  spirit 
of  wine,  but  in  such  small  quantities  as  to  be  scarcely  available  for  internal'  use  iir 
veterinary  practice.  So  much  aloes  or  opium  must  be  given  in  order  to  produce  effect 
on  the  horse,  that  the  quantity  of  spirit  necessary  to  dissolve  it  would  be  injurious  or 
might  be  fatal..  As  applications  to  wounds  or  inflamed  surfaces,  the  tinctures  of  aloes, 
digitalis,  myrrh,  and  opium,  are  highly  useful. 

Tobacco,  in  the  hands  of  the  skilful  veterinarian,  maybe  advantageously  employed 
in  cases' of  extreme  cosliveness,  or  dangerous  cholic;  but  should  never  be  permitted 
to  be  used  as  an  external  application  for  the  cure  of  mange,  or  an  internal  medicine  tc 
promote  a  fine  coat. 


MEDICINE.  41? 

Tonics  are  valuable  medicines  when  judiciously  emploj-ed;  but,  like  cordials,  they 
have  been  fatally  abused.  Many  a  horse  recovering  from  severe  disease  has  been 
destroyed  by  their  too  early,  or  too  free  use.  The  veterinary  surgeon  occasionally 
administers  them  injuriously,  in  his  anxiety  to  gratify  the  impatience  of  his  employer. 
The  mild  vegetable  tonics,  chamomile,  gentian,  and  ginger,  and,  perhaps,  the  carbonate 
of  iron,  may  sometimes  be  given  with  benefit,  and  may  hasten  the  perfect  recovery  of 
the  patient;  but  there  are  few  principles  more  truly  founded  on  reason  and  experience, 
than,  that  disease  once  removed,  the  powers  of  nature  are  sufficient  to  re-esiablisii 
health.  Against  the  more  powerful  mineral  tonics,  except  for  the  particular  purposes 
that  have  been  pointed  out  under  the  proper  heads,  the  horse  proprietor  and  the  vete- 
rinarian should  be  on  his  guard. 

Turpentine. — The  common  liquid  turpentine  has  been  described  as  one  of  the  best 
diuretics,  in  doses  of  half  an  ounce,  and  made  into  a  ball  with  linseed  meal  and  pow- 
dered ginger.  It  is  added  to  the  calamine  or  any  other  mild  o.ntment  in  order  to  render 
it  stimulating  and  digestive,  and,  from  its  adhesiveness  and  slight  stimulating  power 
it  is  an  ingredient  in  mange  ointments.  The  oil  of  turpentine  is  an  excellent  antispas- 
modic. For  the  ren>oval  of  cholic  it  stands  unrivalled.  Forming  a  tincture  with 
cantharides,  it  is  the  basis  of  the  sweating  blister  for  old  strains  and  swellings.  As  a 
blister  it  is  far  inferior  to  the  common  ointment.  As  a  stimulant  frequently  applied  it 
must  be  sufficiently  lowered,  or  it  may  blemish. 

Wax. — The  yellow  wax  is  used  in  charges  and  some  plasters  to  render  them  less 
brittle. 

Zixc. — ^l^he  impure  carbonate  of  zinc,  under  the  name  of  Calamine  Powder,  is  used 
in  the  preparation  of  a  valuable  healing  ointment,  called  Turner's  Cerate.  Five  parts 
of  lard  and  one  of  resin  are  melted  together,  and  when  these  begin  to  get  cool,  two 
parts  of  the  calamine,  reduced  to  an  impalpable  powder,  are  stirred  in.  If  the  wound 
is  not  healthy,  a  small  quantity  of  common  turpentine  may  be  added.  This  salve 
justly  deserves  the  name  which  it  has  gained,  "The  Healing  Ointment."  The 
calamine  is  sometimes  sprinkled  with  advantage  on  cracked  heels  and  superficial 
sores. 

The  sulphate  of  zinc,  White  Vitriol,  in  the  proportion  of  three  grains  to  an  ounce 
nf  water,  is  an  excellent  application  in  ophthalmia,  when  the  inflammatory  stage  is 
passing  over;  and  quitter  is  most  successfully  treated  by  a  saturated  solution  of  white 
vitriol  being  injected  into  the  sinuses.  A  solution  of  white  vitriol  of  less  strength 
forms  a  wash  for  grease  that  is  occasionally  useful,  when  the  alum  or  blue  vitriol  does 
not  appear  to  succeed. 

ZiNGiBERis  Radix. — Ginger  Root. — This  is  an  admirable  stimulant  and  carminative. 
It  is  useful  in  loss  of  appetite  and  flatulent  cholic,  while  it  rouses  the  intestinal  canal 
to  its  proper  action.  Tlie  cordial  mass  resorted  to  by  the  best  surgeons  consists  of 
equal  parts  of  ginger  and  gentian  beaten  into  a  mass  with  treacle. 


THE   ASS  AND   THE  MULE, 

BY  J.   S.   SKINNER. 


Have  made  them  mules:  wni,  nave  then  pjove^er 
Only  for  bearing  burdens ;  and  sore  blows 
For  Binkicg  under  them." 


Against  these  humble  animals  there  seems  with  many,  to  be  a  prejudice,  more  cruel,  if 
not  more  inveterate,  tiian  tliat  wliich  prompts  every  son  of  Adam,  whether  he  meet  him  on 
the  liigh-way  or  the  bye-way,  to  "bruise  the  serpent's  head!"  Can  it  be  tiiat  these 
abiding  antipathies  to  both,  are  perpetuated  by  the  force  of  scriptural  injunctions  against  tlie 
life  of  the  one  and  the  procreation  of  the  other  ?  "  Thou  shall  not  let  thy  cattle  gender  with 
a  diverse  kind,"  saith  the  Scriptures  :  now,  though  this  command  may  be  admitted  as  binding 
upon  the  Jews  not  to  breed  mules,  does  it  follow  that  a  christian  is  forbidden  the  kind  treat- 
ment and  judicious  use  of  them?  The  same  chapter  and  verse  which  denounces  this 
experiment  upon  the  procreative  faculties  of  God's  creatures,  also  warns  the  husbandman  not 
to  "  sow  mingled  seed" — but  what  farmer,  whether  Jew  or  Gentile,  refuses  to  reap  a  good 
crop  of  mixed  clover  and  timothy?  and  besides,  did  not  King  David,  a  man  after  God's  own 
heart,  indicate  his  care  for  his  sou,  and  intend  it  as  a  compliment  for  both  him  and  tlie  mule, 
when  he  gave  the  order,  "  take  with  you  the  servants  of  your  Lord,  and  cause  Solomon  my 
son  to  ride  upon  mine  own  mule,  and  bring  him  down  to  Gihon  ?"  Let  me  then  invoke  the 
liberality  of  my  readers  to  cast  aside  all  prejudice  against  this  useful  and  too  often  abused 
hybrid,  and  impartially  to  hear  me  "  for  my  cause," 

To  all,  and  there  are  many,  who  entertain  a  scornful  contempt  for  the  whole  asinine 
family,  might  be  commended  Sterne's  pathetic  story  of  "  The  Dead  Ass,"  for  a  touching 
picture  of  laithful  service,  and  of  mutual  friendship  in  the  humblest  walks  of  life — "Shame 
on  the  world  !  said  I  to  myself.  Did  we  love  each  other  as  this  poor  soul  loved  hia 
Ass — 't  would  be  something." 

America,  as  to  its  Agiiculture,  may  be  likened  to  a  gallant  ship,  moored  in  a  beautiful 
harbour,  whose  owners  have  no  means  to  buy  her  cargo  or  hire  sailors  to  man  and  send  her 
to  sea.  The  mildew  blights  her  sails,  and  worms  eat  out  her  boltom.  So  it  is  with  our 
lands  ;  with  millions  on  millions  of  acres,  the  growth  of  our  population  and  national  wealth 
is  lamentably  retarded  for  want  of  force  to  put  them  in  good  and  profitable  tillage. 
There  is  no  country  where  labour,  and  all  labour-saving  animals  and  contrivances,  are  so 
much  a  desideratum  as  in  ours  !  Hence  the  necessity  and  the  usefulness  of  every  discussion 
which  sliall  teach  the  land-holder  how  and  in  what  form — with  what  animal  or  implemeut, 
he  can  with  the  least  outlay,  command  the  greatest  amount  of  productive  poioer  applicable  to 
agriculture.  Tiiat  power,  in  a  word,  whether  animate  or  inanimate,  which  will  work  the 
longest  and  the  cheapest  and  with  most  effect  Among  animals,  is  it  not  in  the  ?nule  t'u^^ 
we  find  this  power  or  machine  ?  This,  reader,  is  the  subject  of  our  inquiry :  and  first  it 
seems  proper  to  look  into  its  natural  history  ana  qualities,  to  see  whether  there  be  in  fact 
any  ground  of  preference  between  one  and  another,  or  whether  a  mule  is  a  mule  I  all  being 
alike,  as  too  many  seem  to  suppose;  and  finally  to  inquire  and  explain  in  what  the  differ! 
ence  of  quality,  imparting  difference  of  value,  consists — ruch,  reader,  is  the  object  of  this 
dissertation. 

Agriculturists,  even  those  who  have  enjoyed  opportunities  of  becoming  more  familiar 
with  the  qualities  and  uses  of  this  animal,  seem  to  reason,  as  already  hinted,  or  rather  to 
conclude  without  reason,  that  all  mules  are  alike  ;  with  the  name  and  the  sight  of  all  is  alike 
associated  th?  idea  of  jumping  and  kicking  and  all  sorts  of  devilment  incarnate  '.  Hence 
has  arisen  the  difficulty,  the  limited  employment  and  the  slowness  in  realising  the  improve- 
ments of  which  this  animal  is  susceptible,  like  others,  even  the  proud  "  lord  of  the  creation," 
Hy  attention  to  breed  and  to  education  ! 

We  must  be  allowed  to  premise  that  we  have  not  taken  the  subject  in  hand  in  any  vain 
belief  that  we  can  add  anything  new  to  what  has  been  written  upon  their  natural  history; 

(419^ 


420  THE   ASS   AND    THE   MULE. 

but  rather  with  the  hope  of  makings  some  impression  on  the  public  mind,  and  inducing  a 
higher  appreciation  of  these  animals,  by  presenting  at  one  view  the  opinions,  some  of  them 
hitherto  unpublished,  and  believed  to  be  very  striking,  of  gentlemen  who  have  enjoyed  rare 
opportunities  to  judge  of  the  different  races  of  the  Ass,  and  of  the  temper,  habits  and  capa- 
bilities of  the  Mule.  True,  the  Editor  professes  to  be  himself  not  altogether  without  expe- 
ri-jnce  on  some  of  these  points ;  having  often,  when  a  boy,  been  mounted  on  the  back  of 
one,  and  sent,  on  Saturday  (always  on  Saturday)  in  spite  of  all  pouting  and  sulking,  to  the 
weaver,  the  shoemaker,  the  tailor,  or  the  country  store.  On  these  mournful  occasions,  the 
sense  of  hardship  at  being  disappointed  of  some  well-concerted  scheme  of  rural  sport,  tbund 
vent,  it  may  be  easily  imagined,  in  acts  of  spitefulness  (not  always  unretaliated)  towards  the 
innocent  mule — the  poor  beast  being  beaten  and  the  rider  sometimes  thrown  over  Ids  head! 
until  now,  that  though  near  forty  years  have  passed  away  since  the  close  of  tliis  war  of 
puerile  injustice  and  mulish  resentment,  it  may  yet  be  questioned  whether  it  be  exactly 
fair,  that  one  of  the  parties  should  assume  to  be  the  limner  of  the  other  !  We  will  ea. 
deavour,  however,  in  weighing  the  subject,  to  hold  the  scales  with  even  hand  ;  and  here, 
lest  it  be  elsewhere  omitted,  let  one  acknowledgment  be  made,  and  noted  by  the  advocates 
of  the  more  sightly  and  favoured  horse, — that  though  the  mule  may,  as  already  suggested, 
be  the  cause  of  falls  in  others,  no  man  ever  yet  saw  a  mule  fall  down!  but  we  must  not 
anticipate. 

As  already  stated,  the  first  inquiry  would  seem  to  be  as  to  the  progenitors  of  the  mule, 
to  decide  how  far,  on  these,  depend  the  qualities  and  value  of  the  progeny.  This  point  being 
discussed,  the  subject  leads  us  to  consider  the  question  of  rearing  and  breaking — his  age, 
strength  and  general  usefulness  compared  with  other  animals.  On  all  these  points  we  shall 
rely  as  before  admitted  on  the  views  of  intelligent  writers,  and  of  gentlemen  of  close  obser- 
vation and  of  the  highest  respectability  with  whom  we  have  recently  corresponded.  Before 
proceeding  however  to  quote  authorities  on  these  points,  there  is  one  proposition  or  conclusion 
which  reading  and  inquiry  have  led  us  to  adopt,  and  which  may  as  well  be  here  expressed, 
without  stopping  to  trouble  the  reader  with  all  the  particular  grounds  of  it.  It  is  that  the 
best  mules  are  produced  by  the  union  of  the  Jack  with  the  mare,  rather  than  from  cohabita- 
tion between  the  Stallion  and  the  Jennet.  Independently  of  any  particular  facts,  and  of  the 
few  instances  in  which  the  Stallion  is  known  to  have  been  so  employed,  (that  alone  warrant- 
ing the  inference  against  its  eligibility)  we  should  form  the  conclusion  here  announced,  that 
the  better  produce  would  be,  generally  from  the  smaller  sire  and  the  larger  dam  ;  on  the  clear 
principles  of  breeding  laid  down  by  Professor  Cline  of  London,  in  his  essay  on  breeding 
domestic  animals,  which  is  elsewhere  referred  to  and  quoted  in  our  introduction  to  the  work 
on  the  Horse. 

In  the  annals  of  American  agriculture  at  least,  the  essay  on  the  mule,  which  may  be 
regarded  as  the  most  elaborate  and  of  the  highest  authority,  is  one  written  by  S.  W.  Pomeroy, 
Esq.,  a  gentleman  who,  whether  farming,  as  then,  near  the  "  Literary  Emporium,"  or  as 
now,  more  profitably  employed,  as  we  learn  and  hope,  in  heaving  coal  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ohio ;  brings  light  to  every  circle  in  which  he  moves.  Of  an  essay  so  meritorious,  we  may  be 
justified  in  telling  the  history ;  and  the  more  so  as  by  so  doing  we  shall  give  to  the  positions 
it  maintains  more  weight  with  the  reader  than  would  any  dictum  of  ours. 

The  writer  of  this,  then  the  Editor  of  the  old  American  Farmer,  being  himself  bred  on  a 
"plantation"  where  mules  were  bred  and  in  constant  use,  and  anxious  to  have  the  minds  of 
his  numerous  patrons  disabused  and  enlightened  as  to  the  true  qualities  and  value  of  this,  as 
compared  with  other  and  more  favoured  animals  for  the  usual  purposes  of  husbandry,  with- 
out difficulty  persuaded  the  late  venerable  Charles  Carroll  of  (JarroUton  to  offer  a  premium 
for  the  best  essay  on  that  subject.  The  competitors  were  numerous,  but  the  award  of  the 
plate,  with  its  appropriate  devices  and  inscriptions,  was  unanimously  and  without  hesitation, 
to  S.  W.  PoMEROY,  then  of  Brighton  Massachusetts.  It  is  to  that  essay  we  shall  now  have 
free  recourse  ;  and  first  as  to 

THE   DIFFERENT  RACES   OF  JACKS. 

It  seems  to  be  a  well-established  fact,  that  different  races  of  the  Ass  exist  with  properties 
as  distinctly  marked  as  those  which  characterise  the  various  species  of  camel.  According 
to  the  learned  Doctor  Harris,  author  of  the  "  Natural  History  of  the  Bible,"  tour  different 
races  of  asses  are  recognised  in  the  original  Hebrew  Scriptures :  viz.  Fara,  Chamor,  Aton, 
und  Orud. 

We  find,  says  the  author  of  the  prize  essay  referred  to,  that  at  a  very  early  period  of  sacred 
history,  the  common  domestic  ass,  Chamor,  was  employed  in  all  the  menial  labours  of  a 
patriarchal  family,  while  a  nobler  and  more  estimable  animal  {Aton)  was  destined  to  carry 
the  patriarchs,  the  well-born,  and  those  on  whom  marks  of  distinction  were  to  be  conferred. 
They  constituted  an  important  item  in  a  schedule  of  pastoral  wealth  of  those  times. 
David,  wo  are  told,  had  an  officer  of  high  dignity  appointed  expressly  to  superintend  his  stud 
of  high-bred  asses !  Atonoth. 


THE    ASS    AND    THE    MULE.  421 

The  difFercncc  lir-tween  the  different  races,  for  which  all  writers  of  research  anJ  the  ruost 
observant  travelLrs  and  agriculturists  contend,  may  be  plainly  traced  in  the  portriits  drawn 
by  G.  \V.  Park  Custis,  Esq.,  of  Arlington,  of  the  two  Jacks,  the  Royal  Gift,  and  the  Knight 
OF  Malta,  presented  to  General  Washington  about  tlie  year  1787 — of  these  Mr.  Custis 
says,  "  The  Gij'ly  witli  a  jennet,  was  a  present  from  the  king  of  Spain,  and  said  to  have  been 
selected  from  the  royal  stud.  The  Knight  I  believe  was  from  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette, 
and  shipped  from  Marseilles. 

"The  Gift  was  a  huge  and  ill-shaped  Jack,  near  sixteen  hands  high,  very  large  head,  clumsy 
limbs,  and  to  all  appearance  little  calculated  for  active  service ;  he  was  of  a  grey  colour, 
probably  not  young  when  imported,  and  died  at  Mount  Vernon  but  little  valued  for  his  mules, 
which  were  unwieldy  and  dull. 

"  The  Knight  was  of  a  moderate  size,  clean  limbed,  great  activity,  the  fire  and  ferocity  of  a 
tiger,  a  dark  brown,  nearly  a  black  colour,  wiiite  belly  and  muzzle,  could  be  managed  only 
by  one  groom,  and  that  always  at  considerable  personal  risk.  He  lived  to  a  great  old  age, 
and  was  so  infirm  towards  the  last  as  to  require  lifting.  He  died  on  my  estate,  in  New 
Kent,  in  the  state  of  Virginia,  in  the  year  18U2  or  '3.  His  mules  were  all  active,  spirited, 
and  serviceable,  and  from  stout  mares  attained  considerable  size. 

The  Kni^'ht  of  Malta,  here  mentioned  by  Mr.  Custis,  is  believed  unquestionably  to  have 
been  "  the  first  Maltese  Jack  ever  brought  to  the  United  States."  The  second  one,  says  Mr. 
Pomeroy,  came  in  the  Frigate  Constitution  on  her  return,  as  he  thinks,  from  the  Mediter- 
ranean,  and  was  sold,  it  is  believed,  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  Since  that  time  a  number 
have  been  introduced  by  officers  of  tlie  Navy,  and  in  merchant-ships. 

The  learned  Professor  Wilson,  in  an  article  in  the  Encyclopedia  Brittanica,  on  the  natural 
history  of  quadrupeds  and  whales,  says  of  the  Ass :  "  The  races  of  eastern  origin  are  much 
more  beautiful,  with  glossy  skins,  carrying  their  heads  loftily,  and  moving  their  limbs  in  a 
very  graceful  manner.     They  accordingly  fetch  a  very  high  price." 

There  is  no  one  within  the  range  of  our  acquaintance  whose  dealings  and  whose  experi- 
ence on  these  subjects,  equal  those  of  General  James  Shelby  of  Kentucky.  Owning  and 
residing  upon  a  magnificent  estate  of  "blue  grass  land,"  its  resources  have  been  in  a  good 
measure  dedicated  to  rearing  mules  and  cattle  of  improved  breeds.  The  writer  had  the 
pleasure  to  make  him  a  visit  in  1839  ;  and  while  partaking  festively  and  intellectually  of  the 
hospitalities  of  his  mansion,  to  learn  much  of  the  7nule  trade,  in  its  various  branches.  It 
was  like  going  to  New  Bedford  to  be  instructed  in  all  the  art  and  mystery  of  the  whaling 
business  '.  The  general's  residence  is  eight  miles  from  Lexington  :  and  it  may  be  taken  as  a 
proof  of  no  mean  powers  of  performance  in  light  harness,  that  we  were  taken  to  his  house  in 
his  own  carriage  by  a  pair  of  his  mules,  then  in  common  family  use  in  that  waj',  within  the 
hour,  and  without  a  touch  of  the  whip. 

On  the  point  under  consideration,  the  different  breeds  of  Jacks,  General  Shelby's  opinion 
is  positive,  and  should  carry  with  it  all  the  weight  that  habit  of  close  observation  and  large 
experience  can  impart.  He  maintains,  without  question,  that  the  Ass  belongs  to  a  family, 
possessing  as  many  varieties  as  that  of  the  horse ;  the  size,  form,  and  general  appearance  in 
the  one  being  as  dissimilar,  in  different  races,  as  in  the  other.  By  judiciously  crossing,  says 
he,  the  different  varieties  of  horses,  other  varieties  have  been  obtained,  better  adapted  to  the 
particular  purposes  of  the  breeder — so  likewise  may  the  Jack  be  improved.  This  last  sug- 
gestion is  in  strict  accordance  with  the  fact  stated  by  Mr.  Custis,  who,  in  his  letter  to  Mr.  Pome- 
roy, after  exemplifying  the  remarkable  difference  of  properties  which  distinguished  the  Royal 
Gift  and  the  Knight  of  I\Ialta,  says  that  General  Washington  bred  a  favouiite  Jack  called 
Compound  from  the  cross  of  Spanish  and  Maltese,  putting  the  Knight  of  Malta  sent  out  by 
General  Lafayette  to  the  large  jennet  sent  out  by  the  king  of  Spain  along  with  the  Royal 
Gifl.  The  Jack  produced  by  this  cross,  Mr.  Custis  says  "  was  a  very  superior  animal,  very 
long  bodied,  well  set,  with  all  the  qualities  of  the  Knight  and  the  weight  of  the  Spanish 
breed — he  was  sire  of  some  of  the  finest  mules  at  Mount  Vernon,  and  died  from  accident. 

In  full  support  of  these  views  and  descriptions  of  ditfcrence  of  breed  in  J^icks,  we  have 
yet  in  reserve  an  authority  on  which  we  place  the  highest  confidence  and  value.  It  is  that 
of  J.  N.  Hambleton,  Esq.,  of  the  United  States  Navy — whose  profossionil  duties  carr}'  him 
to  different  quarters  of  the  world,  and  who,  moreover,  carries  with  him  on  his  travels  very 
rare  advantnges  and  habits,  such  as,  be  it  said,  en  passant,  it  behoves  all  our  young  officers 
to  acquire  and  to  practise — he  has  been  studious  to  gain  the  command  of  languages,  which 
he  takes  with  him,  as  so  many  keys,  to  unlock  and  examine  the  stores  that  contain  whatever 
is  curious  or  useful,  wherever  he  goes.  VVith  these  advantages  he  combines  an  inqui.'^itiva 
disposition  and  the  faculty  of  clear  discrimination  Wh.it  fruitful  sources,  these,  of  intel 
lectual  enjoyment!  what  sure  guarantees  of  extraordinary  information  and  usefulness! 

Mr.  Hambleton,  on  the  question  o^  different  breeds  of  Asses,  states,  as  the  result  of  inquiry 
and  personal  observation  during  years  of  service  and  travel  along  the  shores  of  the  Mediter. 
ranean,  that  "The  Maltese  Ass  is  without  doubt  the  best — he  has  greater  activity  and  en- 
durance than  Uie  coarse  Jack  of  Spain  and  France;  and  in  his  fine  limbs  and  deer-like  form, 


422  THE   ASS   AND    THE   MULE. 

has  immense  power — the  other  breeds  are  often  clumsy  and  sluggish. — It  is  the  biood-horst 
against  Conestoga.  In  Minorca  the  farmers  were  extremely  anxious  to  breed  trom  Jacks 
which  our  officers  of  the  navy  had  brought  from  Malta,  and  confessed  their  superiority. — 
There  are  two  Uinds  at  Malta,  the  black  and  the  grey.  The  former  is  always  most  esteemed. 
I  paid  tor  I'cter  Simple  two  hundred  and  fifty  Spanish  dollars,  and  he  cost  me  five  liundred 
here.  It  was  considered  a  high  price,  but  he  was  known  to  be  the  best  Jack  of  his  age  in 
tlie  Island.  His  sire  was  carried  to  England  for  Admiral  Rowley."  The  Jack  here  spoken 
of;  Fctcr  Simple,  is  one  of,  if  not  the  finest  we  have  ever  seen.  Mr.  H.  adds  in  a 
familiar  letter  in  answer  to  one  addressed  to  him  on  the  subjects  of  this  memoir  gen- 
erally,  some  interesting  facts  which  we  take  the  liberty  to  transcribe  in  the  unstudied  lan- 
guage (and  the  better  tor  that)  in  which  they  are  written  by  one  friend  to  another.  As  to 
the  well-known  inditfercncc,  not  to  say  antipathy,  evinced  by  some  Jacks  to  cohabit  with  a 
mare,  she  being  of  a  "  diverse  kind,"  he  says,  "  I  have  heard  that  it  was  common  lor  jacks 
to  refuse  mares  in  Spain,  and  hence  the  risk  of  buying  them  untried.  They  do  not  like  to 
sell  their  breeders,  and  ask  high  prices  for  them.  In  Majorca  I  have  heard  of  some  that 
were  held  as  high  as  $1000.  I  sent  in  two  from  Gibraltar  which  came  from  Ronda,  in  An- 
dalusia :  one  was  a  grey,  and  the  other  milk-white  with  a  sorrel  belly.  I  was  told  that  he, 
the  white,  was  of  an  excellent  strain,  originally  from  Barbary.  He  was  short-legged,  very 
broad  over  the  back,  and  compactly  made  ;  and  took  on  fat  like  a  pig.  He  was  not  clumsy, 
and  was  the  Jinest  ambler  I  ever  saw.  Unfortunately  he  was  very  slack,  and  on  that  account 
of  little  value.  His  colts  are  good,  but  have  not  the  spirit  of  those  of  Peter  Simple.  Some 
of  the  latter  from  good  mares  can  compare  with  the  Kentucky  mules  in  size." 

We  shall  now  bind  all  that  has  been  asserted  in  support  of  the  fact  that  Jacks  are  of  dif- 
ferent races  and  tempers,  and  that  the  Maltese,  among  those  within  our  reach  and  with  which 
we  are  familiar,  is  the  best,  by  the  following  quotation  from  a  friendly  letter,  written,  to  use 
his  own  expressive  phrase,  currente  calamo,  "just  as  if  we  were  sitting  under  a  tree  along 
shore,"  from  Col.  N.  Goldborough  of  Maryland,  whose  attention  to  all  such  matters  is  linown 
to  be  as  critical  as  his  judgment  in  them  is  allowed  to  be  sound  and  superior. 

Of  Asses  and  Mules,  says  the  Col.,  "  I  know  but  little  of  the  natural  history  of  the  former, 
but  have  an  experience  of  some  thirty  years  of  the  latter.  The  Maltese  Jack  in  the  pro- 
duction of  mules  holds  the  same  rank  with  the  Arabian  as  to  horses.  I  have  never  seen 
a  dull  mule  got  by  the  Jack  I  purchased  of  you,  even  t>om  notoriously  sluggish  mares.  1 
have  often  wondered  that  the  mule  had  so  much  spirit,  when  the  usual  qualities  attributed  to 
the  ass  are  taken  into  consideration.  I  have  bred  the  same  marc  at  different  periods  to  the 
ass,  and  to  the  blood-horse — the  horse  of  fine  spirit  too,  and  the  progeny  of  the  ass  has  pos- 
sessed as  much  spirit,  and  in  one  instance  far  more  than  that  of  the  horse."  It  would  be 
superfluous  to  multiply  authorities  or  opinions  in  proof  or  in  description  of  different  races 
of  Jacks,  possessing  distinct  qualities  as  to  conformation  and  temper:  than  those  already 
quoted,  none  can  be  higher  or  more  conclusive.  It  was,  however,  deemed  necessary  to  say 
thus  much,  because  if,  as  we  expect  to  show,  the  mule  be  highly  worthy  of  more  genera! 
regard,  as  an  animal  whose  employment  is  attended  with  great  economy,  is  it  not  essential 
that  those  who  may  be  led  to  breed  or  purchase,  should  understand  that  their  value,  no  less 
than  that  of  tlie  horse,  is  affected  by  and  depends  in  a  great  measure  upon  breed?  and  that 
if  this  fact  be  not  kept  constantly  in  mind,  both  animals  are  liable  to  deterioration,  leading 
in  time,  as  with  respect  to  the  mule  it  has  already  done,  to  disparagement  and  rejection 
Having  indicated,  by  the  opinion  of  the  most  competent  judges,  how  much  the  progeny  de- 
pends tor  its  value  on  the  quality  of  the  sire,  it  will  be  seen  in  the  .sequel  that  the  influence 
of  the  mare  is  no  less  than  that  of  the  Jack — we  have  heard  large  mule  traders  contend  that 
it  was  greater  and  more  obvious.  It  is  doubtless  the  greater  prevalence  of  blood  in  the  Ken- 
tucky  mares,  for  example,  which  stamps  the  mules  of  that  state  with  a  blood-like  look  and 
air  of  superiority,  which  so  plainly  distinguish  them  from  the  coarser  mules  of  Ohio — where 
racing,  until  very  lately,  has  been  considered  almost  an  "abomination  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  " 

We  proceed  now  to  view  the  mule  as  he  is,  in  a  practical  point  of  view — that  is  in  respect 
of  the  cost  and  mode  of  rearing  him — his  capacities  and  uses  :  to  this  end  we  shall  take 
leave  to  publish,  without  stopping  to  separate  and  systematise  the  facts  they  contain,  and  the 
arguments  they  advance,  some  portions  of  letters  from  the  friends  already  spoken  of,  as  well 
as  further  quotations  from  respectable  writers  who  have  given  their  attention  to  this  subject, 
than  which,  it  is  not  easy  to  think  of  one  more  interesting  to  the  American  husbandman. 

The  great  nurseries  of  the  mule,  for  the  supply  of  Maryland  and  the  yet  greater  demand 
for  the  Southern  plantations,  have  for  years  past  been  Kentucky,  and  more  recently  Ohio. 
Before  the  commencement  of  this  century,  the  breeding  of  the  nmlc  for  sale  in  our  own 
country,  and  for  the  plantations  in  the  West  Indies,  had  been  confined  to  New-England  ;  of 
its  history  there — the  sort  of  jack  employed,  and  kind  of  inule  then  and  there  produced,  the 
following  account  is  given  in  the  prize  essay  already  spoken  of,  and  which  we  commend  to 
the  reader  for  proof  at  once  of  the  eagerness  and  tlie  accuracy  of  the  writer's  inquiries  into 
the  qualities  of  the  mule. 


THE    ASS    AND    THE    MULE.  423 

In  Sir  George  Staunton's  account  of  Lord  Macartney's  embassy  to  China,  we  are  told 
»Jiat  innles  are  valued  in  that  economical  empire  at  a  much  higher  price  than  horses.  In  our 
own  country,  prior  to  the  war  of  the  revolution,  a  few  Jacks  of  an  ordinary  kind  were  im- 
ported — a  small  number  of  mules  bred  ;  and  all  exported  to  the  West  Lidies.  I  have  refer- 
ence to  New-England,  as  I  am  not  aware  that  any  attention  was  paid  to  the  system  in  the 
Middle  or  Southern  States,  though  it  is  not  improbable  that  some  valuable  mules  may  have 
ocen  raised  by  the  farmei-s  and  planters  for  their  own  use.  When  peace  took  place,  the  price 
of  mules  in  the  West  Indies  e.xcited  attention  to  the  breeding  of  them,  which  was  principally 
confined  to  Connecticut;  and  several  cargoes  of  the  small  race  of  Jacks  were  imported  from 
^ne  Cape  de  Verd  Islands,  and  St.  Michael's,  one  of  the  Azores.  It  should  be  observed  that 
the  exportation  of  jacks  from  Spain,  or  any  of  her  colonies,  was  strictly  prohibited,  and  con- 
tinued to  be  until  after  the  Peninsular  war.  There  might  have  been,  however,  a  few  smug- 
gled from  the  Spanish  part  of  Hispaniola  into  Cape  Francois,  and  from  tiience  introduced, 
but  tliey  were  vastly  inferior  to  the  Spanish  Jacks.  From  this  miserable  stock  a  system  of 
breeding  mules  commenced,  the  best  calculated  to  deteriorate  any  race  of  animals  that  has 
been,  or  could  be  devised,  since  their  creation.  The  purchaser  of  a  Jack,  when  about  to 
commence  intile  dealer,  made  little  inquiry  concerning  him  but  of  his  capacity  to  propagate 
a  nmlo.  He  placed  him  in  a  district  where  there  was  tiie  greatest  number  of  mares  of  quali- 
ties so  inferior  that  their  colts  would  not  compensate  their  owners  for  the  expense  of  putting 
them  to  a  horse,  and  contracted  to  purchase  their  mules  at  four  months  old.  Those  are  kept 
in  herds,  with  precarious  shelter  in  winter,  having  ample  opportunities  afforded  them  to 
mature  and  transfer  that  propensity  for  kickinrr,  which  seems  at  first  merely  playful,  into  an 
habitual  means  of  defence,  to  be  exercised  wiicn  the  biped  or  any  other  race  of  animals 
approach  them.  In  tliis  kicking  seminary  they  remain  two  years,  and  are  then  driven  to 
market.  At  subsequent  periods,  a  few  Jacks  of  higher  grades  were  procured,  from  which  a 
small  number  of  good-sized  mules  were  bred,  and  a  few  of  them  broke.  The  breed  of  Jacks 
has  somewhat  improved,  and  7nule  dealers  are  now  located  in  most  of  the  New-England 
states  and  some  parts  of  New- York.  But  the  system  as  above  detailed,  with  few  exceptions, 
has  continued  ;  and  it  is  from  such  a  race  of  Jacks,  and  such  a  system  of  breeding  and  ma- 
nagement, that  the  mules  have  been  produced,  with  v.-hich  the  farmers  and  planters  of  Mary- 
land and  Virginia,  and  the  Southern  States,  have  been  supplied  from  New-England;  and 
such  have  furnished  a  criterion  for  a  great  portion  of  our  countrymen  to  form  an  estimate 
of  the  value  and  properties  of  this  degraded  animal. 

On  the  share  of  the  ?nare,  in  affecting  the  value  of  the  mule,  Mr.  Custis  says  emphatically, 
that  General  Washington  bred  nmles  from  "his  best  coach  mares;  and  found  the  value  of  the 
mule  to  bear  a  just  proportion  to  the  value  of  the  dam.  Four  mules  sold  at  the  sale  of  hib 
effects  for  upwards  of  $800,  and  two  more  pair  at  upwards  of  $100  each  pair.  One  pair  of 
these  mules  was  nearly  sixteen  hands  high." — Now,  although  it  be  not  here  affirmed  that 
these  "  best  coach  mares"  were  hlood  mares,  the  fact  may  be  very  safely  assumed  that  they 
were  deep  in  the  blood,  when  we  consider  that  the  General  himself  was  of  the  "  race-horse 
region," — a  member  and  officer  of  tlie  jockey  club  at  Alexandria — sometimes  acting  as  judge 
of  the  race — fond  of  the  turf  and  of  the  chase;  in  which,  according  to  one,  of  all  men 
living,  most  familiar  with  his  habits,  he  was  "  always  superbly  mounted,  in  true  sporting 
costume,  of  blue  coat,  scarlet  vest,  buckskin  breeches,  top-boots,  velvet  cap  and  whip  with 
long  thong,  he  took  the  field  at  day  dawn,  with  his  huntsman  Will  Lee,  his  friends  and 
neighbours ;  and  none  rode  more  gallantly  in  the  chase,  nor  with  voice  more  cheerly  awak- 
ened echo  in  the  woodland,  than  he  who  was  afterwards  destined,  by  voice  and  example,  to 
cheer  his  countrymen  in  tiieir  glorious  struggle  for  independence  and  empire." — Thus 
mounted  on  his  famous  hunter  Blue-skin,  sa3's  the  author  of  his  yet  unpublished  memoirs, 
Washington  was  aUvays  "  in  at  the  death,  and  yielding  to  no  man  the  honour  of  the  brush." 
BeL.g  himself  breeder  and  runner  of  thorough-bred  stock,  and  well  acquainted  with  the  good 
effect  of  a  generous  sprinkling  of  hlood,  as  well  for  the  road  as  for  the  battle-field,  it  may  be 
fairly  inferred  that  these  "best  coach  mares"  had  a  heavy  dash  of  it,  from  which  were  bred 
mules  that  commanded  8200  each,  and  were  nearly  sixteen  hands  high,  "  active  and  spirited." 

It  is  well  remembered  as  the  opinion  of  the  late  Frederick  Skinner,  (blessed  be  his  me- 
mory,) futiier  of  the  writer  of  this  memoir,  who  sent  his  jennets  several  years  from  Calvert 
County,  to  the  Jacks  at  Mount  Vernon,  and  who  was  withal  a  connoisseur  in  all  such  cases. 
— it  was  his  often-expressed  conviction  that  the  activity,  endurance,  and  value  of  nmles  was 
greatly  enhanced  when  bred  from  mares  deep  in  the  blood.  But  we  cannot  dismiss  our  re- 
spected and  cautious  author  of  the  prize  essay,  without  availing  yet  more  largely  of  the 
result  of  his  careful  researches  and  reflections,  founded  on  personal  experience,  and  so  we 
proceed  to  transcribe  his  remarks  on  the  several  points  of  breeding  and  rearing — economy 
of  keep — steadiness  to  labour — docility  of  temper — exemption  from  disease — and  longevity  of 
the  animal. 

The  impressions  received,  says  he,  when  on  a  visit  to  the  West  Indies  in  my  youth,  by  observ- 
ing  in  the  sugar  plantations,  the  severe  labour  performed  by  mules  in  cane  mills,  induced  me, 


424  THE   ASS   AND    THE   MULE. 

when  I  commenced  farming,  to  purchase  the  first  well-broke  mule  I  could  light  on ;  and 
notwithstanding  lie  was  so  small  as  to  require  a  vehicle  and  harness  constructed  purposely 
for  him,  liis  services  were  found  so  valuable,  and  the  economy  of  using  tliose  animals  so 
evident,  that  I  was  stimulated  to  great  exertions  for  procuring  several  otliers  of  larger 
size:  in  this  1  succeeded,  after  great  difficulty,  to  such  an  extent,  as  to  have  had  more  labour 
performed  by  tiicm  on  farm  and  road  for  thirty  years  past,  tlian  any  person,  I  presume,  in 
New  England  ;  and  every  day's  experience  lias  served  to  fortify  my  conviction  of  tlie  supe^ 
rior  utility  of  the  mule  over  the  horse,  for  all  the  purposes  for  which  I  have  proposed  him  as 
a  candidate.  And  it  sliould  be  considered  that  those  I  have  used  were  of  an  ordinary  breed, 
vastly  inferior  to  such  as  may  be  easily  produced  in  our  country,  by  attention  to  the  intro- 
duction of  a  suitable  race  oi'Jacks,  and  a  proper  system  of  breeding  and  management. 

Tiic  quot-tion  occurs,  how  is  this  to  be  effected  ?  1  will  premise,  that  there  exists  a  strong 
analogy  between  three  varieties  of  the  horse,  and  those  of  the  domestic  ass,  considered  the 
most  valuable.  We  have  the  Arabian,  the  hunter,  and  the  stout  cart-horse.  There  is  the 
heavy  Spanish  Jack,  with  long  slouching  ears,  which  Mr.  Custis  has  described,  that  answers 
to  the  carl-horse  ;  another  Spanish  breed  called  the  Andalusian,  with  ears  shorter  and  erect,  of 
tolerable  size,  plenty  of  bone,  active,  more  spirited,  and  answering  to  the  hunter.  Tlien 
comes  the  Arabian  Jack,  with  ears  always  erect,  of  a  delicate  form,  fine  limbs,  and  full  of 
fire  and  spirit.  Judicious  crosses  from  these  varieties,  will  be  requisite  to  produce  such  kind 
of  mules  as  may  be  wanted  for  general  purposes.  From  the  small  Jack  of  African  origin, 
with  a  list  down  his  back  and  shoulders,  are  bred  a  small  race  of  mules,  by  fur  the  most 
hardy  of  any.  With  attention  to  selection  in  breeding  the  Jacks,  with,  perhaps,  a  dash  of 
some  cross  of  the  foregoing  description,  a  stock  of  mules  may  be  produced,  preferable  to  all 
others  for  the  light  lands  and  cotton  culture  of  the  middle  and  southern  states. 

To  procure  any  number  of  Arabian  Jacks  from  their  native  country,  is  hardly  practicable 
at  the  present  time.  Egypt  has  been  celebrated  by  Sonnini  and  other  travellers,  for  superb 
Jacks  of  the  Arabian  breed,  which  probably  has  been  often  improved  by  those  introduced 
by  the  pilgrims  from  Mecca.  I  apprehend  no  great  difficulty  in  obtaining  them  from  that 
country.  There  is,  however,  no  question  but  the  Maltese  Jacks  are  of  the  Arabian  race, 
more  or  less  degenerated.  The  most  of  those  brought  to  this  country  that  I  have  seen,  were 
selected  on  account  of  their  size,  and  had  been  used  to  the  draught.  I  should  recommend 
the  selection  of  those  that  are  esteemed  most  suitable  for  the  saddle,  as  likely  to  possess 
greater  pvritij  of  blood.  A  Jack  of  this  kind  was,  a  number  of  years  since,  imported  from 
Gibraltar,  that  had  been  selected  by  a  British  officer  at  Malta ;  and  very  much  resembled  the 
Knight  of  Malta,  described  by  Mr.  Custis.  I  found,  upon  a  careful  examination,  that  he 
differed  but  little  from  the  description  I  had  heard  and  read  of  the  true  Arabian  race;  indeed 
I  could  discover  some  prominent  points  and  marks,  that  agreed  with  those  found,  by  Profes- 
sor Pallas,  to  belong  to  the  Hemioims  or  wild  mule  of  Mongalia.  From  this  Jack  I  have 
bred  a  stock,  out  of  a  large  Spanish  Jennet  of  the  Andalusian  breed,  that  corresponds  very 
minutely  with  Mr.  Custis's  description  of  Compound,  bred  by  General  Washington,  and 
also  a  7nule  that  now,  not  three  years  old,  stands  fifteen  hands,  and  has  other  points  of  great 
promise. 

My  attention  has  been  but  lately  directed  to  breeding  mules  ;  and  those  intended  only  for 
my  own  use.  The  system  adopted  is  to  halter  them  at  four  months,  and  have  the  males 
emasculated  before  six  months  old  ;  which  has  great  influence  on  their  future  conduct,  and 
is  attended  with  much  less  hazard  and  trouble,  than  if  delayed  until  they  are  one  or  two 
years  old,  as  is  the  general  practice.  If  they  are  treated  gently,  and  fed  occasionally  out  of 
the  hand,  with  corn,  potatoes,  &c.,  they  soon  become  attached ;  and  when  they  find  that 
"  every  man's  hand  is  not  against  them,"  will  have  no  propensity  to  direct  their  heels  against 
him,  and  soon  forget  they  have  the  power.  In  winter  they  sliould  be  tied  up  in  separate 
stalls,  and  often  rubbed  down.  By  such  treatment  there  is  not  more  danger  of  having  a 
vicious  mule  than  a  vicious  horse — and  I  am  decidedly  of  opinion,  that  a  high-spirited  mule 
so  managed,  and  well  broke,  will  not  jeopard  the  lives  or  limbs  of  men,  women,  or  children 
by  any  means  so  much  as  a  high-spirited  horse,  however  well  he  may  have  been  trained. 

The  longevity  of  the  mule  has  become  so  proverbial,  that  a  purchaser  seldom  inquiies 
his  age.  Pliny  gives  an  account  of  one,  taken  from  Grecian  history,  tliat  was  eighty  years 
old ;  and  though  past  labour,  followed  others  that  were  carrying  materials  to  build  the  temple 
of  Minerva  at  Athens,  and  seemed  to  wish  to  assist  them  ;  which  so  pleased  the  people,  that 
they  ordered  he  should  have  free  egress  to  the  grain  market.  Dr.  Rees  mentions  two  that 
weic  seventy  years  old  in  England.  I  saw,  myself,  in  the  West  Indies,  a  mule  perform  his 
task  in  a  cane  mill,  that  his  owner  assured  me  was  forty  years  old.  I  now  own  a  7nare 
mule  twenty-Jive  years  old,  that  1  have  had  in  constant  work  twenty-one  years,  and  can  discover 
no  diminution  in  her  ])owcrs;  she  has  within  a  year  past  often  taken  upwards  of  a  ton 
weight  in  a  wagon  to  Boston,  a  distance  of  more  than  five  miles.  A  gentleman  in  my 
neighbourhood  has  owned  a  very  large  mule  about  fourteen  years,  that  cannot  be  less  than 


THE   ASS   AND    THE    MULE.  425 

ivoenly-eight  years  old.  He  informed  me  a  few  days  since,  that  he  could  not  perceive  the 
least  failure  in  him,  and  would  not  exchange  him  for  any  farni  horse  in  the  country.  And 
I  am  just  informed,  from  a  source  entitled  to  perfect  confidence,  that  a  highly  respectable 
gent.eman  and  eminent  agriculturist,  near  Centreville,  on  liie  eastern  shore  of  Maryland, 
owns  a  mule  that  is  thirty-fice  years  old,  as  capable  of  labour  as  at  any  former  period. 

From  what  has  been  stated  respecting  the  longevity  of  the  mule,  I  think  it  may  be  fairy 
assumed,  that  he  does  not  deteriorate  more  rapidly  atler  twenty  years  of  age  than  the  horse 
after  ten,  allowing  the  same  extent  of  work  and  similar  treatment  to  each.  Tlie  contrast  in 
the  mule's  freedom  from  malady  or  disease,  compared  with  the  horse,  is  not  less  striking. 
Arthur  Young,  during  his  tour  in  Ireland,  was  informed  that  a  gentleman  had  lost  several 
fine  mules,  by  feeding  them  on  wheat  straw  cut.  And  I  have  been  informed  tiiat  a  mule- 
dealer,  in  the  western  part  of  New- York,  attributed  tlie  loss  of  a  number  of  young  mules,  in 
a  severe  winter,  when  his  hay  was  exhausted,  to  feeding  them  exclusively  on  cut  straw  and 
Indian-corn  meal.  In  no  other  instance  have  I  ever  heard  or  known  of  a  mule  being 
attacked  with  any  disorder  or  complaint,  except  two  or  three  cases  of  inflammation  of  the 
intestines,  caused  b}'  gross  neglect  in  permitting  them  to  remain  exposed  to  cold  and  wet, 
when  in  a  high  state  of  perspiration  after  severe  labour,  and  drinking  to  excess  of  cold 
water. 

From  his  light  frame  and  more  cautious  movements,  the  mule  is  less  subject  to  casualties 
than  the  horse.  Indeed  it  is  not  improbable  that  a  farmer  may  work  the  same  team  of  mules 
above  twenty  years,  and  never  be  presented  with  a.  farrier's  bill,  or  find  it  necessary  to  exer- 
cise the  art  himself 

Sir  John  Sinclair,  in  his  "Reports  on  the  Agriculture  of  Scotland,"  remarks  that  "  if  the 
whole  period  of  a  horse's  labour  be  fitleen  years,  the  first  six  may  be  equal  in  value  to  the 
remaining  nine;  therefore  a  horse  of  ten  years  old,  after  working  six  years,  may  be  worth 
half  his  original  value."  He  estimates  the  annual  decline  of  a  horse  to  be  equal  to  fifty  per 
cent,  on  his  price  every  six  years,  and  supposes  one  out  of  twenty-five  that  are  regularly 
employed  in  agriculture,  to  die  every  year:  for  insurance  against  diseases  and  accidents. 
He  considers  five  acres  of  land,  of  medium  quality,  necessary  for  the  maintenance  of  each 
horse,  and  the  annual  expense,  including  harness,  shoeing,  farriery,  insurance  and  decline  in 
value,  allowing  him  to  cost  S230,  to  exceed  that  sum  about  Jive  per  cent.,  which  is  the  only 
difference  between  the  estimate  of  this  illustrious  and  accurate  agriculturist,  and  that  of  a 
respectable  committee  of  the  Farmers'  Society  of  Barwell  district.  South  Carolina,  who  in  a 
report  published  in  the  Carleston  Courier,  of  the  '23d  of  February  last  (1825,)  state,  that"  the  an- 
nual expense  of  keeping  a  horse  is  equal  to  his  value."  The  same  committee  also  state,  that,  "at 
four  years  old  a  horse  will  seldom  sell  for  more  than  the  expense  of  rearing  him."  That 
"the  superiority  of  the  mule  over  the  horse,  had  long  been  appreciated  by  some  of  their  most 
judicious  planters  ;  that  two  mules  could  be  raised  at  less  expense  than  one  horse  ;  that  a  mule 
is  fit  for  service  at  an  earlier  age,  if  of  sufficient  size  ;  will  perform  as  much  labour;  and  if 
attended  to  when  first  put  to  work,  his  gait  and  habits  may  be  formed  to  suit  the  taste  of  the 
owner."  This  report  may  be  considered  a  most  valuable  document,  emanating,  as  it  does, 
from  enlightened  practical  farmers  and  planters,  in  a  section  of  our  country  where  we  may 
suppose  a  horse  can  be  maintained  cheaper  than  in  Maryland,  or  any  state  farther  north. 

I  am  convinced  that  the  small  breed  of  muks  will  consume  less,  in  proportion  to  the  labour 
they  are  capable  of  performing,  than  the  larger  rice;  but  I  shall  confine  the  comparison  to 
the  latter — those  that  stand  from  fourteen  and  a  half  to  rising  of  fifteen  hands,  and  equal  to 
any  labour  that  a  horse  is  usually  put  to.  From  repeated  experiments,  in  the  course  of  two 
winters,  I  found  that  three  mules  of  this  description,  that  were  constantly  at  work,  consumed 
about  the  same  quantity  of  hay,  and  only  one-fourth  the  provender  that  was  given  to  two 
middling-sized  coach  horses,  moderately  worked.  And  from  many  years'  attentive  observa- 
tion, I  am  led  to  believe  that  a  large  sized  mule  will  not  require  more  than  from  three-Jiflhs 
totioothirds  the  food,  to  keep  him  in  good  order,  that  will  be  necessary  for  a  horse  performing 
the  same  extent  of  labour.  Altiiough  a  mule  will  work  and  endure  on  such  mean  and  hard 
fare,  that  a  horse  would  soon  give  out  upon,  he  has  an  equal  relish  for  that  which  is  good ; 
and  it  is  strict  economy  to  indulge  him,  for  no  animal  will  pay  better  for  extra  keep  by  extra 
work.  But  if  by  hard  fare,  or  hard  work,  he  is  reduced  to  a  skeleton,  two  or  three  weeks, 
rest  and  good  keeping  will  put  him  in  flesh  and  high  condition  for  labour.  I  have  witnessed 
3e\'eral  such  examples  with  subjects  twenty  years  old  ;  so  much  cannot  be  said  of  a  horse  at 
half  that  age.  The  expense  of  shoeing  a  mule,  the  year  round,  does  not  amount  to  more  than 
one-third  that  of  a  horse,  his  hoofs  being  harder,  more  horny,  and  so  slow  in  their  growth, 
that  the  shoes  require  no  removal,  and  hold  on  till  worn  out ;  and  the  wear,  from  the  liglitne«> 
of  the  animal,  is  much  less. 

In  answer  to  the  charge  generally  prevalent  against  the  mule,  that  he  is  "vicious,  stubborn 
and  slow,"   I  can  assert,  that  out  of  about  twenty  that  have  been  employed  on  my  estate  at 
different  periods  during  a  course  of  thirty  years,  and  those  picked  up,  chiefly  on  account  of 
36*  3d 


426  THE   ASS   AND    THE   MULE. 

their  size  and  spirit,  wherever  they  could  be  found,  one  only  had  any  vkious  propensities, 
and  those  might  liave  been  subdued  by  proper  management  when  youn^,  1  have  always 
found  them  truer  pullers  and  quicker  travellers,  with  a  load,  than  horses.  Their  vision  and 
Hearing  is  mucli  more  accurate.  I  have  used  them  in  my  family  carriage,  in  a  gig,  and 
under  the  saddle ;  and  have  never  known  one  to  start  or  run  from  any  object  or  noise ;  a 
fault  in  the  horse  that  continually  causes  the  maiming  and  death  of  numbers  of  human 
beings.  The  mule  is  more  steady  in  his  draught,  and  less  likely  to  waste  his  strength  than 
the  horse;  hence  more  suitable  to  work  with  oxen;  and  as  he  walks  faster,  will  habituate 
them  to  a  quicker  gait.  But  for  none  of  the  purposes  of  agriculture  does  his  superior.'ty 
appear  more  conspicuous  tlian  ploughing  among  crops ;  his  feet  being  smaller,  and  follow 
each  other  so  much  more  in  a  line,  that  he  seldom  treads  down  the  ridges  or  crops.  The 
facility  of  instructing  him  to  obey  implicitly  the  voice  of  his  driver  or  the  ploughman,  is  as- 
tonishing. The  best  ploughed  tillage  land  I  ever  saw,  I  have  had  performed  by  two  mules 
tandem  without  lines  or  driver. 

There  is  one  plausible  objection  often  urged  against  the  mule,  that  "on  deep  soils  and  deep 
roads,  his  feet  being  so  much  smaller  than  those  of  the  horse,  sink  farther  in :"  but  it  should 
be  considered  that  he  can  extricate  them  with  as  much  greater  facility. 

Few  can  be  ignorant  of  the  capacity  of  the  mule  to  endure  labour  in  a  temperature  of /icat 
that  would  be  destructive  to  the  horse,  who  have  any  knowledge  of  the  preference  for  him, 
merely  on  that  account,  in  the  West  Indies,  and  in  the  Southern  States. 

It  is  full  time  to  bring  our  comparison  to  a  close ;  which  I  shall  do  by  assuming  the  posi- 
tion, that  the  farmer,  who  substitutes  rnules  for  horses,  will  have  this  portion  of  his  animal 
labour  performed,  with  the  expense  of  one  spire  of  grass,  instead  of  two ;  which  may  be 
equal,  so  far,  to  making  "  two  spires  grow  where  one  grew  before."  For  although  a  large- 
sized  mule  will  consume  somewhat  more  than  half  the  food  necessary  for  a  horse,  as  has 
been  observed,  yet  if  we  take  into  the  account  the  saving  in  the  expense  of  shoeing,  farriery, 
and  insurance  against  diseases  and  accidents,  we  may  safely  affirm,  that  a  clear  saving  of 
one-half  ca.n  be  fully  substantiated.  But,  in  addition  to  this,  the  rnule  farmer  may  calculate, 
with  tolerable  certainty,  upon  the  continuation  of  his  capital  for  thirty  years;  whereas  the 
horse  farmer,  at  the  expiration  of  fifteen  years,  must  look  to  his  crops,  to  his  acres,  or  a 
Bank,  for  the  renewal  of  his — or,  perhaps,  what  is  worse,  he  must  commence  horse-jockey  at 
an  eai-ly  period. 

*******  *  «  » 

I  cannot  resist  the  impulse  to  exhibit  the  mule  in  one  other  point  of  view.  For  the  move, 
ment  of  machinery,  tlie  employment  of  this  animal,  when  judiciously  selected,  has  met  with 
a  most  decided  preference,  in  comparison  with  the  horse,  independent  of  the  economy  of  using 
him.  And  if  we  consider  the  rapid  and  probably  progressive  increase  of  labour-saving  ma- 
chines, in  every  department  where  they  can  be  made  subservient  to  the  requirements  of  so- 
ciety, it  is  evident  there  will  be  a  corresponding  demand  for  animal  power,  as  well  as  for  that, 
more  potent,  derived  from  the  elements  ;  and  although  the  latter  may  vastly  predominate,  yet 
should  tlie  horse  be  employed,  and  his  increase  for  other  purposes  continue,  as  it  now  does, 
in  tiie  ratio  of  population,  the  number,  at  no  very  distant  period,  may  become  as  alarming  in 
oar  own,  as  it  is  at  present  in  our  mother  country.  And  notwithstanding  we  may  feel  secure, 
from  the  extent  of  our  territory,  and  extreme  diversity  of  soil  and  climate,  but,  above  all, 
from  being  in  possession  of  Indian-corn, — the  Golden  Fleece,  found  by  our  "  Pilgrim  Fa- 
thers," when  they  first  landed  on  these  shores ;  yet  such  peculiar  advantages  may  not  insure 
us  against  the  visitations  of  one  of  the  most  distressing  calamities  that  a  feeling  community 
can  possibly  be  subjected  to." 

The  reader  cannot  fail  to  be  struck  with  the  strong  corroborative  proof  which  is  brought 
in  support  of  the  views  of  this  well-informed  writer,  after  a  lapse  of  seventeen  years,  in  the 
testimony  which  follows,  from  no  less  instructive  and  intelligent  observers.  On  the  pre- 
ceding points  generally,  we  now  present  the  answers,  of  recent  date,  unstudied  in  style,  but 
deliberate  as  to  facts ;  received  in  reply  to,  and  corresponding  in  order  with  interrogatories 
propounded  in  desultory  form  to  gentlemen  whose  names  we  have  already  taken  the  freedom 
to  introduce  to  the  reader — beginning  with  the  letter  from  General  Shelby,  whose  testimony 
embraces  the  practical  knowledge  derived  from  many  years  of  opportunity  to  view  the  subjev't 
well  in  all  its  aspects.  "  As  to  mules,"  says  the  General,  their  qualities  may  be  greatly  varied 
from  the  same  Jack,  whether  the  diminutive  donkey  of  three  feet,  or  the  Jack  of  Spain  of 
sixteen  hands,  by  reason  of  the  great  variety  of  mares  bred  to  him.  The  Maltese  Jack  of 
fourteen  hands,  I  consider  entitled  to  the  same  rank  and  dignity  in  his  race  that  is  accorded 
to  t'ne  Arahian  Horse  in  his.  A  cross  between  him  and  the  Spanish  Jack  of  sixteen  hands, 
will  be  found  to  combine  all  the  essential  properties  of  size,  form  and  action,  and  to  facilitate 
the  breeding  of  mules  possessing  those  requisites — I  need  only  add  that,  in  all  respects, 
whether  in  breeding,  rearing,  breaking,  using  and  in  selecting — tiie  subject  of  the  mule 
should  be  considered  as  in  the  same  light  precisely  as  that  of  tlie  horse — therefore  the  grounds 
of  preference  between  one  Jack  and  another;  in  other  words,  their  good  and  bad  points,  resul* 


THE   ASS   AND    THE   MULE.  427 

Iron  -he  CDmbination  of  sutScient  size,  form  and  action,  and  not  from  any  one  of  those  quali 
ties. — Tlic  sunie  as  to  mules. 

Jacks  have  sold  in  Kentucky  as  high  as  S5000.  Their  value  at  this  time  (April,  1842)  is 
nominal — sixteen  hands  is  the  largest  size — fifteen  is  quite  common — laules  of  seventeen 
hands  are  sometimes  to  be  met  with.  The  quality  of  the  mule  is  improved  by  the  blood  of 
the  mare.  It  is  quite  common  to  work  mares  while  going  to  the  Jack,  while  in  foal,  and 
while  suckling.  Mules  should  be  weaned  at  about  five  months  old — we  teed  our  mules  on 
grain,  corn,  oats,  or  rye,  the  latter  in  the  form  of  chop,  from  season  to  season  until  sold.  I 
mean  during  the  winter,  our  blue-grass  being  all-suSicient  during  the  rest  of  the  year.  It  is 
necessary,  however,  to  grain  feed  them  on  the  grass  through  the  summer  they  are  fattened 
for  market — we  sell  the  majority  of  our  stock  the  fall  after  tiiey  are  two — mostly  to  the  cotton 
planters — a  few  of  lute  to  the  Pennsylvania  iron  works,  and  a  few  to  Cuba;  the  remainder 
we  sell  at  a  year  older.  The  present  prices  at  a  given  age  are  as  variant  as  that  of  horses 
cattle,  or  any  thing  else  whose  value  depends  upon  its  quality,  and  the  demands  and  mone- 
tary condition  of  the  country — sales  were  effected  last  fall  at  from  835  to  $125.  I  have  known 
mules  sell  at  weaning-time  for  $150,  and  when  grown  as  higii  as  $300.  They  should  be 
broke  at  the  age  you  would  break  a  horse ;  and,  according  to  my  observation,  by  the  same 
system.  They  eat  as  mucii  as  horses,  and  reward  a  liberal  allowance  as  well,  though  he 
may,  when  unavoidable,  be  able  to  withstand  privation  better.  I  have  known  mules  to  travel 
ten  miles  within  the  hour  in  light  harness.  I  drove  a  pair  from  Lexington  to  the  Blue  Lick 
in  six  hours,  stopping  one  hour  by  the  way — the  distance  is  forty  miles.  What  may  be  the 
precise  ditference  in  "  the  age  of  the  miile  as  compared  with  the  horse,  under  the  same  treat- 
ment,  on  a  plantation,"  I  cannot  say ;  the  advantage,  however,  would  be  on  the  side  of  the 
former — I  know  of  no  particular  inconvenience  in  using  them  in  a  carriage. 

The  mule  trade  in  Kentucky  is  of  about  forty  years'  standing.  For  the  first  twenty  years 
the  number  increased  gradually,  to  about  eight  hundred  ;  during  the  next  fifteen  or  sixteen 
years,  it  went  up  to  four  or  five  thousand;  since  when,  it  has  gone  back  to  where  it  was 
twenty  years  ago.  Our  farmers  who  breed  mules,  prefer  to  sell  them  when  they  put  their 
mares  to  the  Jack,  or  at  weaning  time.  The  price  rose  gradually  from  twenty  to  fifty 
dollars  for  colts.  My  last  lot  cost  me  in  1833  fifty  dollars,  and  the  season  of  my  Jack  given 
in.  The  mares  were  selected,  and  the  colts  bargained  for  in  the  season  of  1837.  When  the 
price  went  down  with  everything  else  a  few  years  back,  they  discontinued,  in  a  great  degree, 
the  breeding  of  them  ;  so  that  our  present  prices  result  from  a  greatly  insufficient  supply  for 
the  ordinary  demand.  I  sold  m}'  stock  of  three  year  olds,  (seventy-three  head)  last  fall  at 
$70.  I  was  anxious  to  retain  two  or  three  pair  (not  the  largest)  at  $250  a  pair,  but  the 
purchaser  objected — but  he  was  equally  anxious  to  select  for  me  some  twenty  head  (and  not 
the  least)  at  thirty-five  dollars.  1  declined  taking  them.  The  number  of  mules  annually 
exported  from  Kentucky,  may  be  set  down  at  the  whole  number  raised — as  the  small  number 
broke  to  service  in  this  state,  are  sure,  at  last,  to  find  their  way  to  a  foreign  market — at  a 
rough  guess,  I  would  fix  the  nett  average  value,  in  market,  of  our  mules,  at  about  $70. 

The  reason  why  mules  have  been  raised  in  such  numbers  in  Kentucky  more  than  in  other 
states,  is  the  better  adaptation  of  our  soil  and  climate  to  the  production  of  grain  and  grass 
than  any  other  state,  and  for  which  we  can  obtain  a  market  only  in  the  form  of  live  stock. 
The  "  cost  of  raising  a  mule  to  be  three  years  old,  when  corn  is  twenty-five  cents  per  bushel," 
charging  from  the  usual  time  of  weaning,  25th  of  September,  may  be  computed  at  about 
thirty  dollars,  including  a  fair  equivalent  for  grazing  and  salting.  I  have  not  known  of  a 
case  of  a  female  mule  breeding — I  wisii  you  would  tell  me  on  what  testimony  the  Norfolk 
case  rests  [it  shall  be  done]  I  am  a  sceptic. — Our  Jacks  are  doing  but  little  this  season. — 
They  stand  at  about  five  dollars  to  mares,  and  from  that  to  fifty  dollars  for  Jennies. — The 
proportion  of  foals  from  a  Jack  and  a  horse,  does  not  vary  materially,  in  a  given  number  of 
mares." 

So  much  for  the  views  and  opinions  of  one  who  has,  perhaps,  bought  and  sold  a  greater 
aumber  of  mules  than  any  individual  in  the  United  States.  We  now  present,  in  like  man- 
oer,  without  leave  of  the  writer,  in  so  many  words,  and  without  any  studied  formality  of 
Jiction,  a  letter  from  Mr.  Hambleton,  which  the  reader  will  agree  needs  no  iiigher 
polish  of  the  pen,  or  greater  amplification,  to  give  it  interest  and  value. 

"I  am  now,  March  5th,  1842,  raising  three  mules,  and  their  ration  is  four  ears  of  corn  a 
day,  each,  and  straw  a  discretion.  This  from  the  1st  of  October,  to  the  30th  of  April,  when 
they  will  go  to  grass,  would  be  about  one  and  a  quarter  barrels  each  of  corn,  allowing  seven 
hundred  ears  to  the  barrel.  At  S3  per  barrel,  one  and  a  quarter  barrels  are  $3.75  the  first  year; 
second  year  add  one  third,  $5  ;  tiie  third  year  add  one  tiiird,  S6.62=:S14.37,  the  cost  for  corn 
at  three  years  old.  As  our  farmers  never  sell  straw,  and  consider  it  a  favour  for  any  animal 
lo  work  it  up  into  manure,  the  expense  of  that  is  not  counted.  W^hen  two  years  old,  the 
ration  should  be  augmented  one-third — you  may  smile  at  my  statistics,  but  I  can  assure  you 
these  colts  keep  in  good  order  on  this  allowance.     Eight  years  ago,  I  bought  two  three-yea.' 


428  THEASSANDTHEMULE. 

olds  from  a  New-England  drove,  that  had  never  eaten  any  grain,  I  gave  $105  for  the 
pair,  and  there  is  one  of  them  that  I  would  not  take  SlOO  for  now.  Five  cars  of  corn  at  a 
feed  is  sufficient  (or  a  working  mule  with  corn  blades.  They  will  keep  fat  on  it  under  the 
Bevcrcst  labour — I  have  worked  them  eight  years,  exclusively;  never  had  one  sick  or  lame, 
and  find  them  fully  efficient  for  any  kind  of  farm  labour,  in  this  region  (Talbot  Countj', 
Maryland.)  Our  soil  is  extremely  stiff,  but  a  pair  of  mules  will  carry  a  plough  through  the 
toughest  sward  ;  and  in  carting,  will  move  the  heaviest  loads.  In  lorming  our  largo  com- 
post beds  of  manure  (sometimes  300  loads  in  a  bed,)  and  having  the  raw  materials  to  haul, 
first  under  the  cuttle,  and  again  to  the  field  after  it  is  made,  you  may  know  that  our  teams 
have  little  idle  lime.  After  the  ground  is  broke,  a  single  mule  carries  the  plough  in  culti- 
vating corn,  or  ploughing  in  wheat.  Kentucky  mules,  ot  large  size,  three  years  old,  sold  last 
year  in  this  county  for  §200  a  pair: — now  they  would  not  bring  as  much.  I  paid  for  one, 
raised  by  a  neighbour,  four  years  old,  §70 ;  and  after  he  was  pertectly  broke,  refused  §100  for 
him.  They  are  easier  broke  than  horses,  and  do  not  kick  or  bite.  Negroes,  not  accustomed 
to  them,  regard  them  as  wild  beasts,  are  afraid  of  them,  and  thus  many  are  spoiled  in 
breaking. 

"  Mules  are  more  used  in  Spain  and  Portugal  than  in  any  other  countries  I  have  visited. 
.  The  king  of  Spain  used  them  for  his  carriage  when  I  was  in  Madrid — and  most  of  the 
grandees.  In  Lisbon  I  was  told  $1500  was  often  paid  for  a  pair  of  carriage  mules.  The 
Dutchess  of  Brnganza  (Don  Pedro's  widow,)  was  a  decided  mule-woman,  and  drove  six  of  the 
most  splendid  greys  I  ever  saw.  Doiia  Maria  used  Englisii  horses.  I  went  through  her 
stables  with  her  coachman,  who  was  an  Englishman.  He  told  me  that  in  that  mountainous 
country,  native  horses  were  the  best  for  service — mules  belter  than  either.  I  travelled  in 
the  Diligence  from  Barcelona  to  Madrid,  via  Valencia,  400  miles,  and  back.  Mules  were 
used  the  whole  route,  six  to  the  team,  and  travelled  as  fast  as  our  stages  usually  do.  Their 
public  vehicles  are  much  heavier  than  ours. 

"They  have  a  beautiful  race  of  asses  in  Egypt — small  but  exquisitely  formed,  and  of  great 
spirit.  They  are  much  used  for  the  saddle.  If  you  should  ever  go  to  Alexandria,  you  will 
never  forget  the  importunity  of  the  Jackass  boys  at  the  landing,  wliere  there  are  always 
hundreds  ready  for  service.  Our  hackmen  at  a  railroad  depot  are  nothing  to  them  ;  and 
they  all  speak  a  little  English. — "  Thin  a  fine  Jack,  Sir,  don't  take  that  one,  that  fellow  's  a 

d d  rogue,"  &c.     The  Egyptian  Ass  is  generally  of  a  mouse  colour,  with  a  black  streak 

down  the  back  and  cross  on  the  shoulder — some  of  them  blue,  {sacre  hleu.) 

"  I  cannot  inform  you  the  average  number  of  mares  impregnated  in  Talbot  by  Jacks.  If 
I  could,  the  criterion  would  not  be  fair — as  it  is  known  that  an  old  Jack  is  much  more  cer- 
tain than  a  young  one ;  and  they  are  not  in  their  prime  till  fifteen.*  Mules,  I  think,  would 
bring  more  at  tiiree  years  old  than  horses  from  the  same  dams.  A  respectable-looking  man 
told  me  at  the  fair  at  Ellicott's  mills,  that  he  knew  a  Jack  then  covering  at  Pittsburg,  that 
was  sixty  years  old.  Would  it  not  be  well  to  try  to  verify  this  ?  Judge  Brackenridge  could 
assist  you  "in  doing  it. — My  brother  Edward  told  me  that  he  kept  a  Jennet  and  Stallion  some 
weeks  together,  but  he  would  not  notice  her.  Against  this,  I  heard  of  a  case  of  a  Stallion 
covering  a  Jennet  without  producing  a  colt.  It  appears  to  be  a  mere  matter  of  taste.  When 
abroad  I  could  get  no  satisfactory  information  as  to  breeding  mules;  but  am  of  opinion  that 
the  best  mules  are  not  from  the  horse  and  jennet.  I  was  told  that  they  were  so  scary  and 
timid  as  to  be  of  little  value.  Your  Jack  is  always  the  leader  of  a  caravan  of  camels  in  Asia 
Minor.  In  Syria,  I  travelled  from  Beyrout  to  Damascus,  70  miles,  and  back,  on  a  mule,  over 
the  Lebanon  mountains.  I  could  give  you  no  idea  of  the  badness  of  the  road — the  elevation 
is  6000  feet  above  the  sea.  The  owner  of  our  mules  (a  man  about  my  size,  and  consequently 
above  saddle -iceight,)  rode  a  small  Jack,  and  carried  sundry  bags  filled  with  barley  and  cut 
straw.  I  doubt  whether  your  old  sorrel  that  ran  away  with  Campino,  could  liavc  carried 
him  as  safely.  In  our  expeditions  to  Balbec,  over  the  same  mountains,  and  to  Jerusalem, 
we  had  mules.  In  Genoa  the  mules  are  large,  but  coarse,  in  Italy  they  are  little  used  in 
carriages,  and  I  believe  not  much  in  France;  but  they  "go  their  death  on  them"  in  the 
Spanish  possessions,  Cuba,  &c, 

"  The  relative  expense  of  keeping,  I  think,  is  as  5  to  8  ;  or,  to  be  on  the  safe  side,  a  mulo 
can  be  kept  at  one-third  less." 

If  the  preceding  views,  in  which  the  attentive  reader  will  have  noticed  a  remarkable  coin 
cidence  generally,  needed  any  further  confirmation  or  support,  none  could  be  adduced  more 
conclusive  than  the  following,  from  Col.  N.  Goldsborough.  The  more  especially  so  vvith 
ail  who,  having  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance,  unite  in  their  respect  for  his  candour,  and 
anC  in  deference  to  his  superior  judgment  in  such  matters. 

'♦  I  regard,"  says  he,  "  the  point  as  settled,  that  the  mule  is  superior  to  the  horse,  for  all 


'Mares,  grazing  on  clover,  are  supposed  not  to  breed  well. 


THE    ASS    AND    THE    MULE.  429 

agricultural  uses  and  purposes;  especially  where  not  crushed  nearly  to  death,  by  the  bruta. 
conduct  of  man.  The  disposition  to  misciuef  proceeds  from  neglect.  Because  it  is  a  mule. 
it  wants  notiiintr  to  eat,  forsooth  !  My  mules  are  not  more  mischievous  tlian  horses  of  the 
same  family  ;  {i.  e.)  from  the  same  mares. 

"  Sir  John  Sinclair  has  somewhere  said,  that  wheat  straw  is  unsuited  to  the  nature  of  the 
mule — thiit  it  is  not  eaten  kindly,  and  does  not  agree  with  the  animal.  I  must  respectfully 
dissent  from  such  high  authority.  My  mules  live  on  nothing  else  through  tlie  winter,  with 
the  iiddition  of  a  little  corn,  and  are  always  in  good  condition.  They  will  haul  the  cart  in 
all  suitable  weather,  on  six  ears  of  corn  at  a  feed,  and  plenty  of  clcaii  wheat  siraio.  They 
require  less  grain  than  the  horse.     I  need  not  say  to  you  how  much  longer  they  live  and  do 

good  worii.     More  free  from  disease — not  so  liable  to  gall — superior  s^farfinfss  of  draft 

and,  when  properly  broke,  treated  and  managed,  will  walk  over  as  much  ground  in  a  day — 
blodd  horses  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding.  The  mule  is  perhaps  nowhere  so  remarkable 
as  at  the  sweeps  of  a  threshing-machine,  where  steadiness  of  draft  is  all-important.  Horses 
walking  in  a  circle  gall  sorely  where  mules  do  not.  I  will  add  that  the  mule,  in  its  three 
year  old  form,  must  be  worked  with  moderation.  It  is  scarce!}'  capable  of  doing  as  much 
work  as  the  horse  at  the  same  tender  age.  The  many  dull  and  sluggisli  ones  that  you  see, 
are  rendered  so,  by  being  crushed  in  spirit  before  being  gradually  inured  to  work ;  and  they 
ever  after  remain  so,  the  habit  being  once  formed.  Upwards  of  twenty  years  ago,  I  had  the 
largest  mule  ever  seen  on  our  shore.  He  was  from  one  of  Gordon's  Jacks.  When  three 
years  old,  he  was  put  in  the  plough,  and  worked  finely,  and  possessed  good  spirit.  Some 
weeks  after,  the  weather  became  very  hot — lie  was  overworked — became  dull,  and  finally 
could  not  be  worked  with  any  satisfaction,  alongside  of  any  animal  on  the  ftrm.  He  was 
doomed  to  work,  solus,  in  the  manure-cart,  and  in  his  prime  1  sold  him.  But  two  other 
mules  bred  from  the  same  mare,  had  first-rate  spirit;  and  this  I  attribute  to  their  not  being 
exposed  to  the  same  injurious  treatment.  One  of  them,  now  twenty  Jive  years  old,  is  among 
the  most  efficient  animals  on  my  farm  !     What  would  a  horse  be  worth  at  the  same  age  ?" 

The  Colonel  in  what  he  ascribes  to  Sir  John  Sinclair  about  the  deleterious  effect  of  wheat 
straw  as  food  for  the  mule,  perhaps  confounds  him,  in  his  recollection,  with  Sir  Arthur 
Young,  both  known  to  him  as  voluminous  and  eminent  writers  on  British  Agriculture, 
The  latter,  during  his  tour  in  Ireland,  was  informed  that  a  gentleman  had  lost  several  fine 
mules  by  feeding  them  on  wheat  straw  cut,  Mr.  Pomeroy,  too,  was  told  that  "a  mule-dealer 
in  the  western  part  of  New- York,  attributed  the  loss  of  a  number  of  young  mules  to  their 
being  fed  exclusively  on  cut  straw  and  Indian-corn  meal,  during  a  severe  winter,  when  his 
hay  was  exhausted."  He  goes  on  to  say,  "in  no  other  instance  have  I  ever  heard  or  known 
of  a  mule  being  attacked  with  any  kind  of  disorder  or  complaint,  except  two  or  three  cases 
of  inflammation  of  the  intestines,  caused  by  gross  neglect  in  permitting  them  to  remain  ex- 
posed to  cold  and  wet  when  in  a  state  of  perspiration,  after  severe  labour;  and  drinking  to 
excess  of  cold  water.  From  his  light  frame  and  more  cautious  movements,  the  mule  is  less 
subject  to  casualties  than  the  horse.  Indeed  it  is  not  impossible  that  the  farmer  may  work 
the  same  team  of  mules  above  twenty  years  and  never  be  presented  with  a  farrier's  bill,  or 
find  it  necessary  to  exercise  the  art  himself"  We  are  here  prompted  to  add,  by  way  of 
caution  to  the  reader  against  that  horrible  disease,  the  glanders  (fully  treated  in  this  work 
on  tile  Horse,)  tiiat  within  two  years  we  were  painfully  made  acquainted  with  the  case  of  a 
drunken  Irish  ditcher,  bringing  a  glandered  horse,  (which  was  not  worth,  if  well,  a  85  Owl- 
Creek  bank-note,)  on  a  gentleman's  farm,  on  West  River,  to  stay  while  he  was  to  open  some 
old  ditches. — The  vile  beast  communicated  his  disorder,  nor  was  it  arrested  until  five  valua- 
ble horses,  and  as  many  first-rate  young  mules,  fell  victims  to  the  loathsome  disease. 

On  the  point  of  mischief  in  the  mule,  however,  we  cannot  but  think  that  Col.  G.'s  spirit 
of  resentment  at  the  injustice  with  which  this  valuable  creature  is  too  often  denounced  and 
outraged,  has  led  him,  in  a  measure,  to  overlook  some  of  his  natural  proclivities.  Some  of 
these  are  doubtless  the  more  excusable  as  being  exercised  in  the  right  of  self-protection— 
such  for  instance  as  dropping  a  negro  over  his  head,  when  he  attempts  to  beat  him  tiiere ; 
and  then  kicking  at  him  to  make  him  lie  still,  as  paddy  does  the  eel,  what  won't  lie  still  to 
be  skinned.  But  after  all,  we  suspect,  that  if  a  skilful  eraniologist  would  examine  the  skull  of 
a  mule,  he  would  somewhere  find,  more  enlarged  than  the  rest,  that  apartment  in  which  the 
great  artificer  has  stored  away  that  quality  called  obstinacy,  for  which,  be  it  noted,  mulishness 
is  occasionally  used  as  a  synonyme — and  of  this  opinion,  we  dare  say,  was  a  certain  Abbess 
of  Andouillets,  spoken  of  by  Sterne,  who  knew  something  of  mu'e  as  well  as  human  nature 
— as  our  friend  will  agree,  when  he  recollects  the  story  he  tells  of  the  expedients  to  which 
the  Abbess  and  the  Nun  resorted,  to  get  the  mules,  "  who  had  taken  the  stud"  to  go  ahead,  when 
night  was  coming,  in  the  absence  of  the  muleteer,  and  they  were  afraid  of  being  ravished. — He 
will  there  see  what  "  a  shrewd,  crafty  old  devil"  of  a  mule  will  sometimes  do  when — it  won't  do 
any  thing  else;  and  then  for  mischief — another  friend  and  warm  advocate  admits  that  they 
are  "  rank  poison  upon  young  calves  ."'     And  as  for  jumping,  it  has  certainly  been  said  that 


430  THE   ASS   AND    THE   MULE. 

with  yoke  and  clog  on,  they  will  yet  roll  down,  or  roll  over  a  fence  !  But  this  argument 
proves  too  much,  for  will  not  many  horses  do  the  like  ?  After  all,  it  may  be  fairly  argued 
thai  in  most  cases  the  habit  of  jumping  is  first  prompted  by  starvation ;  and  that  with  mules 
as  with  man,  bad  habits  are  more  easily  acquired  tl)an  laid  aside ;  to  lay  the  spirit  of  jumping 
there  is  nothing  like  a  good  supply  of  what  is  vulgarly  called  "belly  timber;^'  and  when 
the  farmer  complains  that  his  stock  destroy  his  crops,  he  may  well  be  suspected  of  having 
been  himself,  in  some  degree,  the  author  of  the  mischief  he  deprecates.  It  is  ten  to  one  but 
you  will  find  him  deficient  in  good  feeding  or  good  fencing ;  and  he  who  neglects  the  one,  is 
sure  to  have  greater  necessity  for  attention  to  the  other.  "  For  want  of  a  nail  the  shoe  was 
lost — for  want  of  a  shoe  the  horse  was  lost,"  saith  poor  Richard. 

Any  reader  may  make  for  himself  an  estimate  of  the  saving  to  be  realized  by  the  substitu- 
tion  of  mule  for  horse  power,  to  any  given  extent.  For  ourselves,  we  cannot  suppose  it  to 
be  less  than  $15  per  head  per  annum  in  favour  of  the  mule,  for  mere  difference  of  keep — for 
we  must  take  into  the  calculation  not  only  the  difference  in  the  grain  consumed,  bu4  that 
coarser  forage  will  subsist  the  mule— he  moreover  needs  no  grain  when  not  at  work,  fbr  it  is 
characteristic  of  his  family,  on  one  side  of  the  house,  to  browse  on  furze  and  tiiistles,  and 
almost  any  coarse  herbage.  How  many  things,  rejected  by  the  more  fastidious  taste  of  the 
horse,  is  gladly  eaten  by  the  Ass — "  whose  house  I  have  made  the  wildernsss,  and  the  barren 
land  his  dwelling:  the  range  of  the  mountains  is  his  pasture,  and  he  seeketh  after  every 
green  thing."  The  average  saving  among  any  given  number  of  the  two  animals,  in  stabling, 
grooming,  smithery  and  farriery,  will  make  no  inconsiderable  item  in  the  bill  of  costs,  in 
favour  of  the  mule;  and  when  to  these  is  added  how  much  oftener  the  capital  in  the  horse  i« 
altogether  sunk,  and  "swallowed  up"  in  the  grave— the  difference,  in  favour  of  the  mule,  is 
so  striking  and  remarkable,  that  the  wonder  is  that  the  conviction  of  it  is  not  carried  out  iu 
the  agricultural  economy  of  the  country,  to  the  almost  universal  adoption  of  mule  power.— 
Have  we  not  the  evidence,  that  as  a  general  rule  it  may  be  laid  down,  that  a  mule  at  twei'ity- 
five  is  as  hearty,  and  capable  of  labour,  as  a  horse  at  twelve  .'  Has  not  Boz  made  somebody 
ask  Sammy  Veller,  or  some  one  else,  the  question — Did  you  ever  see  a  dead  donkey  ?  Did 
you  ever  see  any  body  that  ever  saw  a  dead  donkey?  Let  any  one  take  up  the  census  and 
figure  out  the  cost  of  supporting  all  the  horses  in  the  United  States,  and  then  strike  off  one- 
third  of  that  sum,  which  would  be  saved  by  substituting  them  with  mules,  and  he  cannot  fail 
to  be  amazed  to  think  how  many  good  and  beneficent  tilings  might  be  accomplished  by  such 
a  savings  fund.  Let  him  calculate  what  an  enormous  sum  this  saving  would  pay  the  interest 
of  True,  the  census  has  been  taken  in  many  cases  with  so  little  skill,  and  so  much  care- 
lessness, that  it  is  impossible  to  found  upon  it  any  calculations  on  statistical  and  economical 
questions  of  the  highest  interest. — In  regard,  for  example,  to  the  very  subject  in  hand — on 
turning  to  it,  for  data  to  form  an  opinion  of  the  waste  of  national  means  which  is  committed 
by  the  use  of  horses  instead  of  mules,  for  the  common  drudgery  and  uses  of  agriculture — a 
question  of  obvious  importance,  and  one  which  any  political  economist  might  suppose  would 
be  raised  by  any  curious  inquirer  or  practical  statesman ;  what  do  we  find  ?  Truly,  that 
those  who  have  taken  the  census,  have  mingled  horses  and  mules  under  one  head,  and  left 
the  investigator  of  one  of  the  most  important  problems  in  politico-agricultural  economy 
without  any  means  for  its  solution  approacliing  to  exactness !  In  the  state  of  New-York, 
for  example,  instead  of  giving  for  eacli  county  the  number  of  each,  both  horse  and  mule,  the 
census  tells  us  the  gross  number  of  "  horses  and  mules !"  Of  these,  jumbled  together, 
the  number  is  set  down  at  474,543. — In  Maryland,  "  horses  and  mules,"  92,220. — In  the 
whole  Union,  horses  and  mules,  4,335,669.  As  before  remarked,  every  reader  may  work  his 
own  sum.  In  Maryland  we  suppose  it  to  be  a  large  allowance  to  say  that  of  the  92,220 
"horses  and  mules,"  there  are  in  the  whole  state  17,220  of  the  latter,  leaving  75,000  horses. 
In  South  Carolina  the  expense  of  the  mule  is  rated  at  one-half  that  of  the  horse — but  sup. 
posing  the  horse  to  be  more  expensive  than  the  mule  by  only  §10  per  annum,  and  here  is  an 
unnecessary  annual  outlay,  or  deduction  from  the  agricultural  resources  of  the  state,  of 
$750,000  I  !  In  how  many  years  would  that  sum  extinguish  the  state  debt  ?  How  long  would  it 
require,  with  such  a  sum,  to  finish  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal — cutting  one,  pari  passu, 
from  Georgetown  to  Baltimore,  which  ought  to  be  done  ?  How  many  schools  would  such  a 
sum  establish — how  much  knowledge  would  it  diffuse,  and  power  create  ?  for  nothing  is  truer 
than  the  French  maxim,  le  savoir  est  puissance  !  VVlio  will  say  that  our  tiieme,  in  this  view 
of  the  subject,  does  not  swell  at  once  into  a  question  of  national  wealth  and  importance,  that 
ought  to  command  the  regard  of  every  friend  and  promoter  of  the  agricultural  and  of  the 
public  interest? 

Observers,  of  much  more  than  ordinary  experience,  entertain  the  belief  that  a  mule  can 
be  kept  in  good  order,  at  the  same  work,  on  one-half  the  quantity  of  corn  or  oats  necessary 
for  a  horse,  provided  he  stands  at  hay,  of  which  he  will  consume,  they  say,  at  least  twenty- 
five  per  cent,  more  than  a  horse. 

At  Ellicott's  large  iron  works  the  feed  for  one  horse  is  ten  common-sized  ears  of  corn  three 
times  a  day,  while  that  for  a  mule  is  seven  ears  twice  a  day  ;  and  so,  it  may  be  added,  while 
horses  and  mules  were  employed  on  portions  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail-Road,  the  feed, 


THE    ASS    AND    THE    MULE.  431 

as  has  been  stated  by  one  of  the  superintendents,  was  two  bushels  of  chop  (rye)  and  one 
bushel  of  corn  a  day  for  six  horses  :  tlie  same  number  of  mules  getting  one  and  a-half  bushels 
corn  only — our  informant  entertains  the  common  impression  that  soft  food  is  not  suitable  for 
the  mule,  and  that  chopped  rye,  especially,  is  ill-adapted  to  his  constitution,  scouring  him,  as 
it  is  said  to  do  negroes,  who  have  a  great  aversion  to  the  substitution  of  corn  with  occasional 
rations  of  rye,  when  the  owner  happens  to  have  a  larger  supply  of  the  latter  than  of  the 
former;  unground  grain,  in  a  w^ord,  of  whatever  kind,  answers  best  for  the  mule — though  it 
may  be  contended  that  when  ground  the  stomach  can  extract  more  completely  its  nutritious 
qualities,  it  is  not  to  be  forgotten  that  the  toll  for  grinding  is  in  no  case  less  than  an  eighth 
for  the  miller,  besides  rats,  and  the  labour  of  sending  to  mill ! 

The  impressions  of  Mr.  Andrew  Ellicott,  as  to  the  economy  and  powers  of  the  mule,  so- 
licited because  of  his  extraordinary  opportunities  to  speak  upon  the  subject,  cannot  be  better 
given  than  in  his  own  words  : 

"A  mule,  with  one  feed  of  six  quarts  of  oats  or  rye,  and  furnished  with  good  hay,  will  be 
supported  in  good  order.  A  team  of  six  mules,  kept  at  hay,  can  be  supported  with  one  bushel 
and  a  half  of  ship-stufi'  with  cut  straw— or  with  one  bushel  of  corn,  divided  into  two  feeds, 
per  day.  They  do  not  require  water  in  as  great  quantity,  or  as  often  as  a  horse,  but  they 
thrive  better  by  being  watered  often. 

"A  mule  weighing  "OOlbs.,  at  the  Paluxent  Furnaces,  carries  daily  fifteen  tons  of  ore,  one 
and  a  half  tons  of  shells,  slag  and  sand  ten  tons,  and  three  tons  of  siftings  and  dirt  from  the 
ore  kilns. — The  ore  and  shells  are  hauled  up  an  eleva'tion  of  thirty  feet,  and  a  distance  of  three 
hundred  yards;  the  balance  of  the  above  quantities  is  hauled  about  the  same  distance,  though 
at  less  elevation.  This  one  mule  has  been  at  work  at  this  rate  smce  1836,  a  period  of  six 
years. 

'"Mules  are  not  subject  to  •  Botts.'  Bleeding  at  the  mouth  will  cure  them  of  nearly  every 
disease ;  and  by  being  turned  out  on  pasture,  will  recover  from  almost  any  accident.  This 
is  wonderfully  the  case.  Out  of  about  one  hundred  mules,  at  the  works,  we  have  not  lost, 
on  an  average,  one  in  two  years.  We  do  not  recollect  ever  to  have  seen  a  "wind-broken" 
one.  They  are  scarcely  ever  defective  in  the  hoofs,  and  although  we  keep  them  regularly 
shod,  it  is  not  near  so  important  to  do  so,  as  in  the  case  of  a  horse.  Their  skin  is  tougher 
than  that  of  a  horse,  and,  consequently,  are  not  so  much  worried  by  flies,  nor  do  they  suffer 
as  much  with  the  heat  of  summer.  They  are  '  truer'  in  starting,  and  never  give  up  if  well 
driven.     They  are  driven  in  the  stages  between  Winchester  and  Staunton  in  Virginia. 

"The  instinct  of  the  mule  is  very  strong;  and  he  has  a  much  better  memory,  better  judg- 
ment,  and  requires,  in  a  greater  degree,  kind  treatment.  The  manner  in  which  he  has  been 
treated  by  his  driver  can  always  be  told  by  the  temper  he  exhibits  in  the  presence  of  that 
flinctionary.  If  well-used,  they  are  very  docile  and  tractable,  and  show  an  attachment  for 
their  care-takers — but  if  abused,  or  beaten,  become  exceedingly  vicious  and  unmanageable, 
and  manifest,  for  a  long  time,  a  recollection  of  such  treatment.  We  have  known  them  kick 
at,  and  endeavour  to  injure,  one  who  has  beaten  them,  after  a  lapse  of  three  weeks.  If  they 
go  astray,  they  may  generally  be  found  by  pursuing  a  direct  course  towards  the  place  from 
whence  they  were  purchased.  Their  driver  can  go  into  their  stable,  after  they  become  ac- 
quainted with  him,  at  all  hours  in  the  night,  without  molestation,  while  it  would  be  very 
dangerous  for  a  stranger  to  attempt  it. 

"  The  ugly-headed  mule,  or  that  approximating  the  nearest  to  the  Jack,  is  the  hardiest, 
while  the  handsomest  and  largest  is  generally  interior  in  value  to  the  middle-sized.  Our 
teams  are  very  often  out  from  sunri.se  to  late  in  the  night — not  feeding  at  noon,  and  are  in 
first  rate  order." 

Here,  as  well  as  anywhere  else,  may  be  introduced  the  proof  in  support  of  the  "Norfolk 
case  of  the  breeding  mule,"  referred  to  by  General  Shelby.  Whatever  doubt  may  arise  here- 
after, there  is  none  now,  of  the  truth  of  the  fact.  Were  it  worth  the  trouble,  the  testimony 
might  be  had  of  yet  living  witnesses,  the  principal  one,  a  most  respectable  farmer  and  gen- 
tleman, having  died  since  this  account  was  published. 

We  are  indebted  for  a  copy  of  tlie  memoir  of  this  extraordinary  case  from  Ruffin's  Maga- 
zine, where  it  would  not  have  gained  admittance  if  not  well  founded,  to  the  kindness  of  that 
observant  naturalist,  and  zealous  promoter  of  useful  industry — Doctor  G.  B.  Smith,  of  Balti- 
more. 

Baltimore,  April  1,  IS42. 

Dear  Sir : — I  comply  with  your  request  with  pleasure.  The  case  of  breeding  by  a  muie 
ifi  recorded  authentically  in  the  Farmer's  Register,  volume  2,  page  389  ;  and  volume  3, 
page  440.  Supposing  it  no  more  than  probable  that  you  have  not  the  Register  to  refei  to^ 
uid  having  half  an  hour's  leisure,  I  proceed  to  copy  the  articles  : — 


432  THE    ASS   AND    THE    MULE. 

From  the  Farmer's  Register,  Vol.  2,  page  3. 

A  BREEDING  MULE 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Farmers'  Register. 

Spring  Hill,  Nansemoui  County  (Va.,)  May  2d,  1S34. 
A  circumstance  has  occurred  on  my  plantation,  which  seems  to  be  against  the  general 
principles  of  nature.  On  the  23d  of  April,  1834,  a  female  mule  of  mine  had  a  colt,  never 
suspected  by  me,  until  I  saw  its  birth.  I  had  worked  her  hard  all  last  year,  upon  the  farm, 
and  on  the  rail-road,  through  the  winter,  hauhng  marl,  and  all  the  month  of  March,  hauling 
loo-s  from  a  distance  of  two  miles,  si.v  loads  a-day,  and  thirty  logs  each  load,  making  twenty- 
four  miles  each  day.  She  was  at  work  all  April,  hauling  out  manure,  until  the  23d.  On 
that  day  I  had  gone,  a  little  before  night,  from  the  labours  of  the  day,  owing  to  one  of  my 
family  being  sick;  and  about  5  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  boy  that  drove  the  mule,  came 
running  to  the  house,  saying  that  Jenny  (for  that  was  her  name)  had  a  colt.  I  went  out, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  thereafter,  the  thing  (for  I  know  not  what  to  call  it,)  was  delivered, 
and  is  doing  well.  I  never  suspected  the  mother's  being  with  foal,  because  I  thought  it  con- 
trary to  nature,  though  I  had  for  four  or  six  weeks  observed  that  her  belly  was  enlarged,  and 
so  much  so,  that  the  cart  had  to  be  altered,  as  it  rubbed  her.  Slie  showed  no  other  signs — 
so  I  did  not  suspect  it.  She  has  little  or  no  bag,  though  I  believe  she  gives  a  plenty  of  suck, 
as  her  child  is  now  getting  fat.  At  first  it  was  very  poor.  Now  you  will  ask  what  is  the 
father  of  it?  I  cannot  say — but  believe,  a  colt  of  mine,  now  three  years  old.  He  ran  out  on 
Sundays,  with  the  mules,  and  the  black  boy  tells  me  that  there  was  cause  for  such  an  effect. 
So  it  is,  the  mule  has  a  colt,  and  it  is  exactly  like  the  young  stallion.  If  this  is  a  matter  of 
curiosity,  you  may  give  publicity  to  it,  under  my  name.  Hundreds  can  prove  the  fact,  and 
several  can  testify  that  they  were  present  at  the  birth. 

John  Thompson  Kilby. 

P   S.     The  mother  certainly  is  a  mule,  for  she  was  foaled  mine,  and  is  now  ten  years  old. 


Fro7n  the  Farmer'' s  Register,  Vol.  2,  page  389. 

DEATH  OF  THE  MULE'S  COLT. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Farmer's  Register. 

Nansemond,  22d  October,  1834, 
As  the  birth  of  the  phenomenon,  my  mule-colt,  was  recorded  in  your  Register,  so  I  will 
with  your  permission,  record  his  death,  that  the  learned  may  speculate  upon  it.  He  was 
born,  as  I  informed  you,  and  as  will  be  seen  in  your  Register  of  May  or  June,  1834,  on  the 
23d  of  April,  1834;  and  died  on  the  20th  of  October,  1834,  at  night.  The  particulars  are  as 
follows :  on  Friday  evening  late,  I  was  informed  that  the  mule-colt  was  sick :  upon  examin- 
jng  him,  I  thought  he  had  the  staggers.  He  was  freely  bled,  and  put  in  a  lot,  and  went  to 
eating  fodder;  it  was  now  dark,  and  I  determined  tiiat  in  the  morning  I  would  commence 
blistering,  purging,  and  the  use  of  injections,  which  I  have  never  known  to  fail  if  taken  in 
lime.  But  in  the  morning  he  had  the  lockjaw,  and  so  nothing  could  be  done  effectually  for 
him,  and  he  died  on  the  Monday  night  following.  He  was  weaned,  and  running  in  a  good 
pasture  with  a  horse-colt,  also  just  weaned,  which  is  doing  well.  Now  was  it  the  staggers,  or 
what  disease  ?  Or  was  ever  a  colt  delivered  of  a  mule  known  to  live  ?  I  should  have  been 
much  pleased  to  raise  it,  and  to  have  known  if  it  could  continue  its  species, 

John  T.  Kilby. 


From  the  Farmer''s  Register,  Vol.  2,  page  440. 
ANOTHER  COLT  FROM  A  MULE. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Farmer's  Register. 

Spring  Hill,  Nansemond  County,  Va.,  17th  September,  1835. 
Permit  me  to  record  in  your  Register,  the  birth  of  a  second  mule  colt  of  mine,  on  the  13th 
of  August,  1835.     The  same  mule  brought  a  fme  female  colt,  jet  black,  save  a  star  in  its 
forehead,  and  one  foot  white.     It  partakes,  as  did  the  other,  more  of  the  horse  than  of  the 
mule,  and  is  a  much  finer  colt.     It  can  be  seen  in  my  pasture  by  any  and  every  one. 

John  T.  Kilby. 


THE   ASS   AND    THE   MULE,  433 

From  the  Farmer's  Register,  Vol.  4,  page  357. 

DEATH  OF  THE  SECOND  MULE'S  COLT. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Farmi^r's  Register. 

Spring  Hill,  Nansemond  County,  (Va.,)  Aug.  20, 183G. 
Dea:  Sir  : — Permit  me  to  record,  in  your  Register,  the  death  of  my  second  colt,  the  issue 
of  a  mare  mule,  by  a  iiorse.  The  colt  was  born  in  August,  1835,  and  died  on  this  day,  hav- 
ing been  sick  two  or  three  days.  Having  lost  one,  I  was  desirous  of  raising  this.  It  was 
in  fine  order — the  mother  doing  nothing,  upon  a  good  pasture.  It  is  true,  the  mother  nor 
the  colt  had  not  been  housed  until  the  night  before  it  was  taken  sick.  I  had  another  colt 
running  in  the  same  pasture,  treated  in  the  same  way,  and  is  as  yet  doing  well.  Everything 
was  done  for  the  mule's  colt  that  could  be  done,  but  it  suffered  much  and  died  at  last.  A 
passage  could  not  be  gotten  through  it,  and  when  dead,  I  had  it  opened  and  all  that  could  be 
discovered,  was,  that  everything  that  had  been  given  it  was  then  in  its  stomach  and  had 
never  passed  on  to  the  bowels.  It  was  blistered  on  its  forehead — the  blister  drew  well,  but 
in  vain  :  and  a  question  arises  with  uie — can  an  offspring  delivered  of  the  body  of  a  mongrel 
be  raised  ?  That  question  I  should  like  to  liear  solved  by  those  better  informed  upon  that 
subject  than  I  am.  If  it  should  be  thought  to  be  possible  to  raise  one,  I  will  then  try  the 
mare  mule  with  a  Jack,  as  suggested  by  A.  B.  C.  (in  No.  4,  vol.  4,)  whose  opinion  I  should 
like  to  have  upon  this  subject.  John  T.  Kilby. 

There,  sir — you  have  the  whole  history  of  the  breeding  mule,  so  far  as  published  to  my 
knowledge.  It  seems  to  me,  you  ought  to  write  to  Mr.  Kilby  to  furnish  the  subsequent 
nistory  of  this  mule,  and  the  success  that  may  have  attended  any  subsequent  attempt  to  breed 
and  raise  the  foal.  I  would  enclose  the  letter  to  Mr.  Ruffin,  who  knows  K.'s  post-office,  and 
will  forward  it  to  him." 

We  should  have  have  done  so,  but  that  we  have  understood  that  Mr.  Kilby  has  since  deceased. 
There  are,  we  may  observe,  a  few  other  such  cases  recorded  "  in  the  books,"  but  in  alJ 
they  seem  to  have  come  into  the  world  as  unwelcome  and  monstrous  exceptions  to  a  genera! 
decree ;  and  then  to  have  soon  perished,  as  if  Providence  would  stamp  with  early  decay,  all 
fruits  of  a  passion  so  universal  and  intense,  whenever  it  is  gratified  in  violation  of  its  edict?, 
and  in  a  way  that  would  engender  infinite  disorder  and  confusion. 

J.  S.  & 


THE   EN  P. 


3e 


INDEX 


Aaron  Burr,  performance  of,  57 ;  height  of, 
65. 

Acetabulum,  description  of  the,  280. 

Acini,  description  of,  231. 

Acetic  acid,  its  properties,  398. 

Adeps,  properties  of,  399. 

iEthiop's  mineral,  an  alterative,  411. 

^thusa  cynapium,  poisonous,  226. 

Age,  natural,  of  the  horse,  150 ;  of  the  horse 
as  indicated  by  the  teeth,  145 ;  other  indi- 
cations of,  150. 

Air,  a  supply  of  pure,  necessary  for  the  health 
of  the  horse,  366. 

Alcohol,  its  medicinal  properties,  399. 

Aloes,  Barbadoes,  far  preferable  to  Cape,  399  ; 
description  of  the  different  kinds  of,  400  ; 
principal  adulterations  of,  401 ;  tincture  of, 
its  composition  and  use,  ib. 

Alteratives,  the  best,  401 ;  nature  and  effect 
of,  ib. 

Alum,  the  use  of,  in  restraining  purging,  401 ; 
solution  of,  a  good  wash  for  grease,  ib.; 
burnt,  a  stimulant  and  caustic  for  wounds, 
ib. 

American  Turf  Register,  24 ;  Sir  Archy  in- 
debted to  for  his  fiime,  25 ;  established  by 
Mr.  Skinner  in  1829,  24  ;  value  of  horses 
before  its  establishment,  25. 

Americus,  performance  of,  57,  58. 

American  Trotter,  49  ;  miscellaneous  exam- 
ples of,  58  ;  pedigrees  of,  54. 

America,  best  races  in,  35;  best  pacing  in,  58. 

American  turf,  opinions. of  B.  O.  Tayloe,  23, 
24,  32. 

Ammonia,  given  in  flatulent  colic,  401 ;  va- 
pour of,  plentifully  extricated  from  dung 
and  urine,  most  injurious  to  the  eyes  and 
lungs,  ib. 

Anchylosis  of  bones,  what,  1 72. 

Andrewetta,  race  won  by,  38. 

Animal  poisons,  an  account  of,  225. 

Animals,  zoological  divisions  of,  67. 

Anise-seed,  its  properties,  401. 

Anodyne,  opium  the  only  one  to  be  depended 
on,  402. 

Antea-spinatus  muscle,  description  of  the,  260. 

Antimonial  powder,  a  good  febrifuge,  402. 

Antimony,  black  sulphuret  of,  method  of  de- 
tecting its  adulterations,  402 ;  used  as  an 
alterative,  ib.;  tartarized,  used  as  a  nau- 
seant,  diaphoretic  and  worm  medicine,  ib. 

Antispasmodics,  nature  of,  402. 

Apoplexy,  nature  and  treatment  of,  95. 

Aqueous  fluid,  an,  why  placed  in  the  laby- 
rinth of  the  ear,  81  ;  humour  of  the  eye, 
description  of  the,  89. 

Arabian,  Lindsay's,  34;  Darby,  24;  Darley, 
21 ;  Godolphin,  21 ;  Ass,  424. 


Arbaces,  race  won  by,  38. 

Arched  form  of  the  skull,  advantage  of,  77. 

Ariel,  race  won  by,  36. 

Arietta,  race  won  by,  37. 

Arm,  description  of  the,  261  ;  action  of,  ex- 
plained on  the  principle  of  the  lever,  257, 
262;  extensor  muscles  of  the,  261,  262; 
flexor  muscles  of  the,  263;  full  and  swell- 
ing, advantage  of,  ib. :  should  be  muscular 
and  long,  261 ;  fracture  of  the,  328. 

Arsenic,  medical  use  of,  402  ;  treatment  under 
poison  by,  227. 

Arteries,  description  of  the,  161  ;  of  the  arm, 
261  ;  of  the  face,  124 ;  neck,  161 ;  shoulder, 
255. 

Ascaris,  account  of  the,  240. 

Ascot  course,  length  of  the,  41. 

Ass,  history  of,  419  ;  account  of  two  presented 
to  Gen.  Washington,  421  ;  opinion  of  him 
by  Prof  Wilson,  ib.;  ditto  by  Gen.  Shelby, 
421,  426;  ditto  by  J.  N.  Hambleton,  Esq., 

421,  427  ;  ditto  by  Col.  N.  Goldsborough, 

422,  428  ;  the  Arabian,  424  ;  price  of,  427  ; 
cruel  prejudice  against,  419  ;  mentioned  iu 
scripture,  ib.;  different  races  of,  420. 

Astor,  race  won  by,  38. 
Astragalus,  account  of  the,  285. 
Atlas,  anatomy  of  the,  157. 
.■\uscultation,  the  importance  of,  193. 
Awful,  performance  of,  57 ;  height  of,  65. 

Back,  general  description  of  the,  171 ;  proper 

form  of  the,  ib. ;  long  and  short,  compara- 

tive  advantages   of,  172;   anatomy  of  the, 

171  ;  muscles  of  the,  173. 
Backing,  of  the  colt,  356  ;  a  bad  habit  of  the 

horse,  usual  origin  of  it,  ib. 
Back-sinews,  sprain  of  the,  269  ;  thickening 

of  the,  constituting  unsoundness,  395. 
Balie  Peyton,  race  won  by,  38. 
Balls,  the  manner  of  giving,  402  ;  the  manner 

of  making,  ib. 
Barbary  horse,  description  of,  21. 
Barbs  or  paps,  treatment  of,  154. 
Bark,  Peruvian,  the  properties  of  it,  403. 
Barley,  considered  as  food  for  the  horse,  375. 
Barnacles,  use  of  the,  as  a  mode  of  restraint, 

345. 
Bar-shoe,  description  and  use  of,  341. 
Bars,  description  and  office  of  the,  29"  ;  proper 

paring  of,  for  shoeing,  299  ;  folly  of  cutting 

them  away,  298;   removal  of,  a  cause  of 

contraction,  ib, ;  corns,  ib. 
Basilicon  ointment,  403. 
Bay  horses,  description  of,  387. 
Bay  Malton,  performances  of,  30. 
Beach  horses,  26. 
Beacon  course,  length  of,  41. 

(435; 


436 


NDEX. 


Boans,  good  for  hardly  worked  horses,  and 
that  have  a  tendency  to  purge,  376,  379  ; 
should  always  be  crushed,  376. 

Bearing-rein,  the  use  and  abuse  of,  140. 

Bees-wing,  race  won  by,  37. 

Beet,  the  nutritive  matter  in,  379. 

Belladonna,  extract  of,  403. 

Bendigo,  race  won  by,  36. 

Bertrand,  race  won  by,  38. 

Bethune,  race  won  by,  36. 

Betsy  Baker,  performance  of,  57 ;  height  of,  65. 

Biceps  femoris,  account  of  the,  282. 

Bile,  account  of  the,  230,  231. 

Billy,  performance  of,  58. 

Bishoping  the  teeth,  description  of,  149. 

Biting,  a  bad  habit,  and  how  usually  acquired, 
357. 

Bit,  the,  often  too  sharp,  140  ;  sometimes  got 
into  the  mouth,  358. 

Bitting  of  the  colt,  252. 

Black  horses,  description  and  character  of, 
387. 

Black  Joke,  performance  of,  59. 

Black  Maria,  races  won  by,  36,  37,  38. 

Blacknose,  races  won  by,  37. 

Bladder,  description  of  the,  245;  inflamma- 
tion of,  symptoms  and  treatment,  246 ; 
neck  of,  ih. ;  stone  in  the,  ib. 

Bleeding,  best  place  for  general,  189,  345 ; 
directions  for,  161,  189;  from  veins  rather 
than  arteries,  161  ;  finger  should  be  on  the 
pulse  during,  ib. ;  importance  of,  in  inflam- 
mation, ib. ;  at  the  toe  described,  190  ;  com- 
parison between  the  fleam  and  lancet,  189. 

Blindness,  usual  method  of  discovering,  89  ; 
discovered  by  the  pupil  not  dilating  or  con- 
tracting, ib. ;  of  one  eye,  ib. 

Blistering  all  round  at  once,  barbarity  and 
danger  of,  347,  404 ;  after  firing,  absurdity 
and  cruelty  of,  346,  361. 

Blisters,  best  composition  of,  346 ;  the  differ- 
ent kinds  and  uses  of,  ib. ;  best  mode  of 
applying,  ib. ;  caution  with  regard  to  their 
application,  ib. ;  the  principle  of  their  ac- 
tion, 403  ;  use  of,  in  inflammation,  346 ; 
comparison  between  them  and  rowels  and 
setons,  350. 

Blood,  change  in  after  bleeding,  190  ;  changes 
in  during  respiration,  1 79  ;  coagulation  of, 
189;  horses,  very  subject  to  contraction, 
308;  spavin,  nature  and  treatment  of,  188. 

Bloody  urine,  245. 

Blue  Dick,  races  won  by,  38. 

Bog  spavin,  nature  and  treatment  of,  189,  287, 
288. 

Bole- Armenian,  medical  use  of,  403. 

Bones,  strength  does  not  depend  on  the  size 
of,  28. 

Bone-spavin,  nature  and  treatment  of,  288. 

Bonny  Boy,  performance  of,  58. 

Bonnets-o'  Blue,  race  won  by,  36. 

Boston,  race  won  by,  39. 

Bots  in  the  stomach,  natural  history  of,  224 ; 
not  usually  injurious,  ib. 

Bowels,  inflammation  of  the,  235. 

Brain,  description  of  the,  78;  its  cortical  and 


cineritious  composition,  ib. ;  the  ofEte  of 
each,  78,  79  ;  compression  of  the,  78,  94 
pressure  on  the,  ib. :  inflammation  of  the,  98. 

Bran,  as  food  for  the  horse,  376. 

Breaking  in  should  commence  in  the  second 
winter,  251 ;  description  of  its  various 
stages,  ib. ;  necessity  of  gentleness  and  pa- 
tience in,  251,  252  ;  of  the  farmer's  horse, 
251 ;  of  the  hunter  or  hackney,  ib. 

Breast,  muscles  of  the,  175. 

Breathing,  the  mechanism  of,  179. 

Breeding,  qualities  of  the  mare  of  as  much 
importance  as  those  of  .he  horse,  248;  the 
peculiarity  of  form  and  constitution  inhe 
rited,  ib. ;  in-and-in,  observations  on,  26, 249. 

Breeds,  good  eflfects  of  crossing  them,  29 ; 
bad  effects  of  ditto,  ib. 

Broken  down,  what,  270. 

Broken  knees,  treatment  of,  391  ;  method  of 
judging  of  the  danger  of,  ib. ;  when  healed 
not  unsoundness,  but  the  form  and  action 
of  the  horse  should  be  carefully  examined.ift. 

Broken  wind,  nature  and  treatment  of,  213; 
influenced  much,  and  often  caused  by  the 
manner  of  feeding,  215;  how  distinguished 
from  thick  wind,  ib. 

Brooklyn  Maid,  performance  of,  57. 

Bronchial  tubes,  description  of  the,  166. 

Bronchitis,  nature  and  treatment  of,  205. 

Eronchocele,  account  of,  197. 

Bronchotomy,  the  operation  of,  165. 

Brood  mare,  description  of  the,  248;  should 
not  be  too  old,  ib. ;  treatment  of,  after  co- 
vering, 250  ;  after  foaling,  ib. 

Brown  horses,  description  ot,  387. 

Brown,  Capt.  Thomas,  opinions  of  with  re- 
gard  to  climate,  32. 

Bryony,  dangerous,  226. 

Buckeye,  race  won  by,  37. 

Buccinator  muscle,  description  of  the,  125. 

Bull,  the,  Thompson's  description  of  the,  54. 

Cabbage,  the  nutritive  matter  in,  379. 

Ccecum,  description  of  the,  229. 

Cadmus,  race  won  by,  37. 

Calamine  powder,  account  of,  417. 

Calculi  in  the  intestines,  238. 

Calkins,    advantages    and   disadvantages   ofj 

336 ;  should  be  placed  on  both  heels,  ib. 
Camden,  race  won  by,  37. 
Camphor,  the  medical  use  of,  403. 
Canker  of  the  foot,  nature  and  treatment  of, 

320. 
Cannon,  or  shank-bone,  description  of  the,  267 
Cantharides,  form  the  best  blister,  225,  404 , 

given  for  the  cure  of  glanders,  225,  404. 
Capillary  vessels,  the,  185. 
Capivi,  balsam  of,  406. 
Capped  hock,  nature  and  treatment  of,  278 

description  of,  278,  290 ;  although  not  al 

ways  unsoundness  there  should  be  a  special 

warranty  against  it,  391. 
Capsicum    Berries,  their   stimulating  effectj 

404. 
Carbon  of  the  blood  got  rid  of  in  respiratior 

206. 


INDEX, 


437 


Carbonate  of  iron,  a  mild  tonic,  409. 

Carraways,  a  good  aromatic,  404. 

Carrots,  excellent  elfects  of  in  disease,  37S ; 
the  nutritive  matter  in,  379. 

Cartilages  of  the  foot,  description  and  action 
of  the,  300;  ossification  of  the,  321,  394;  a 
cause  of  unsoundness,  394. 

Caruncuia  lacrymalis,  the,  117. 

Cascarilla  Bark,  a  tonic  and  aromatic,  404. 

Cassjindra,  race  won  by,  36. 

Castlcy,  Mr.,  on  restiveness  in  the  horse,  353. 

Castor-oil,  not  a  purgative  for  the  horse,  404. 

Castration,  method  of,  254 ;  proper  period  for, 
ib. ;  the  operation  by  torsion,  ib. 

Cataract  in  the  eye,  nature  of,  90 ;  cannot  be 
operated  on  in  the  horse,  ib. ;  method  of 
examination  for,  ib. ;  the  occasional  appear- 
ance and  disappearance  of,  120. 

Catarrh,  description  and  treatment  of,  192; 
distinguished  from  glanders,  193  ;  distin- 
guished from  inflammation  of  the  lungs, 
192;  epidemic,  197. 

Catarrhal  fever,  nature  and  treatment  of, 
192. 

Catechu,  a  good  astringent,  method  of  giving, 
and  adulterations  of,  404. 

Catheter,  description  of  one,  247. 

Cato,  performances  of,  57  ;  height  of,  65. 

Caustic,  an  account  of  the  best,  405. 

Cawl,  description  of  the,  231. 

Centreville  Trotting  course,  63. 

Cerebellum,  description  of  the,  78. 

Cerebrum,  description  of  the,  78. 

Chalk,  its  medicinal  use  in  the  horse,  4U5. 

Chaff,  attention  should  be  paid  to  the  good- 
ness of  the  ingredients,  373  ;  best  composi- 
tion of,  ib. ;  when  given  to  the  hard-worked 
horse,  much  time  is  saved  for  repose,  ib.; 
quantity  of  necessary  for  different  kinds  of 
horses,  ib. 

Chamomile,  a  mild  tonic,  405 

Chancellor,  performances  of,  59. 

Channel  of  the  jaws,  what,  144. 

Charcoal,  useful  in  a  poultice,  and  as  an  anti- 
septic, 405. 

Charges,  composition  and  use  of,  405. 

Charlotte  Temple,  performances  of,  57;  height 
of,  65. 

Chest,  anatomy  of  the,  167  ;  proper  form  of 
the,  168,  169  ;  cut  of  the,  167  ;  the  import- 
ance of  depth  of,  167  ;  narrow  and  rounded, 
comparison  between,  169  ;  the  broad  chest, 
170  ;  founder,  description  of,  175. 

Chestnut  horses,  varieties  of,  387, 

Chinked  in  the  chine,  what,  172. 

Chloride  of  lime,  an  excellent  disinfectant, 
412;  of  soda,  useful  in  unhealthy  ulcers, 
415. 

Chorea,  109. 

Choroid  coat  of  the  eye,  description  and  use 
of  the,  87, 

Chyle,  the  formation  of,  229. 

Ciliary  processes  of  the  eye,  description  of 
the,  89. 

Cineritous  matter  of  the  brain,  nature   and 
function  of  the,  79. 
37* 


Clara  Howard,  races  won  by,  37,  38, 

Clicking,  cause  and  remedy  of,  362. 

Clipping,  recommendation  of,  383, 

Clips,  when  necessary,  337. 

Clover,  considered  as  an  article  of  food,  378, 
379. 

Clysters,  the  composition  and  great  usefulness 
of,  405  ;  directions  as  to  the  administration 
of,  ib. 

Coat,  fine,  persons  much  too  solicitous  to  pro 
cure  it,  371. 

Cocktail  horse,  mode  of  docking,  351. 

Coffin-bone,  description  of  the,  300  ;  the  la- 
mellce,  or  leaves  of,  ib. ;  fracture  of,  383. 

Coffin-joint,  sprain  of,  277. 

Cold,  common,  description  and  treatment  of, 
192. 

Colic,  flatulent,  account  of,  234 ;  spasmodic, 
description  and  treatment  of,  232, 

Colocynth,  is  poisonous,  226. 

Ctjlon,  description  of  the,  229,  230. 

Colour,  remarks  on,  386. 

Colt,  early  treatment  of  the,  251 ;  mules,  death 
of,  454,  455. 

Columbus,  performances  of,  57;  height  of|  65, 

Comple.xus  major,  description  of  the,  159 ; 
minor,  description  of  the,  160. 

Concave-seated  shoe,  the,  described  and  re- 
I      commended,  337. 

Confidence,  performances  of,  57  ;  height,  65. 

Conium  maculatum,  poisonous,  226. 

Conjunctiva,  description  of  the,  87;  appear- 
!      ance  of,  how  far  a  test  of  inflammation,  ib. 

Consumption,  account  of,  215. 

Contraction  of  the  foot,  nature  of,  305,  391 ; 
I  the  peculiarity  of  tiie  lameness  produced 
by,  303  ;  how  far  connected  with  the  navi- 
cular disease,  307  ;  is  not  the  necessary- 
consequence  of  shoeing,  ib. ;  produced  by 
neglect  of  paring,  306  ;  wearing  the  shoes 
too  long,  305  ;  want  of  natural  moisture, 
306 ;  the  removal  of  the  bars,  ib. ;  not  so 
much  produced  by  litter  as  imagined,  307 ; 
the  cause  rather  tlian  the  consequence  of 
thrush,  305 ;  best  mode  of  treating,  308, 309 ; 
rarely  permanently  cured,  309  ;  does  not 
necessarily  imply  unsoundness,  391;  al- 
though  not  necessarily  unsoundness,  should 
have  a  special  warranty  against  it,  ib. ;  blood 
horses  very  subject  to,  308, 

Convexity  of  the  eye,  the  proper,  not  suffi- 
ciently attended  to,  87. 

Copaiba,  account  of  the  resin,  406. 

Copper,  the  combinations  of,  used  in  veteri- 
nary practice,  406. 

Corded  veins,  what,  136. 

Cordials,  the  use  and  abuse  of,  in  the  horse, 
406. 

Cornea,  description  of  the,  87  ;  mode  of  exa- 
mining the,  ib. ;  its  prominence  or  flatness, 
ib.;  should  be  perfectly  transparent,  j6. 

Corns,  the  nature  and  treatment  of,  317;  pro- 
duced by  cutting  away  the  bars,  ib. ;  not 
paring  out  the  toot  between  the  crust  and 
bars,  ih. ;  pressure,  ib. ;  very  difficult  tc 
cure,  318;  constitute  unsoundness,  391. 


438 


INDEX. 


Coronary  ligament,  description  of  the,  297 ; 
tfie  crust  principally  produced  from,  ib.; 
ring,  description  of  the,  ib. 

Coronet,  description  of  the,  ib. 

Corrosive  sublimate,  treatment  under  poi- 
son by,  227 ;  a  good  tonic  for  farcy,  227, 
411. 

Cortical  substance  of  the  brain,  description 
and  fraction  of,  78. 

Cough,  the  nature  and  treatment  of,  209,  210  ; 
constitutes  unsoundness,  392 ;  the  occasional 
difficulty  with  regard  to  this,  395. 

Cow  hocks,  description  of,  291. 

Cradle,  a  safe  restraint  upon  the  horse  when 
blistered,  347. 

Cramp,  the  nature  and  treatment  of,  106. 

Cream-coloured  horses,  account  of,  38G ;  pecu- 
liarity' in  their  eyes,  88. 

Cream  of  tartar,  a  mild  diuretic,  414. 

Creasote,  its  use  in  veterinary  practice,  407. 

Creath,  races  won  by,  36,  37. 

Crib-biting,  description  of,  361 ;  causes  and 
cure,  ib. ;  injurious  to  the  horse,  ib. ;  con- 
stitutes unsoundness,  361,  392. 

Cricoid  cartilage  of  the  windpipe,  the,  163. 

Cropping  of  tlie  ear,  absurdity  of,  81. 

Crossing  the  breeds,  good  effect  of,  29 ;  bad 
effects  of  ditto,  ib. 

Croton,  the  farina  of,  used  as  physic,  407. 

Crust  of  the  foot,  description  of  the,  295 ;  com- 
position of  the,  296;  consisting  within  of 
numerous  horny  plates,  298;  proper  degree 
of  it,  slanting,  296;  proper  thickness  of  the, 
ib.;  brittleness  of,  remedy  for,  298;  the 
cause  of  sandcrack,  311. 

Crystalline  lens,  description  of  the,  90. 

Cub,  race  won  by,  37. 

Cuboid  bones,  description  of  the,  285. 

Cuneiform  bones,  description  of  the,  77, 
285. 

Curbs,  nature  and  treatment  of,  267;  consti- 
tute unsoundness,  392. 

Cuticle,  description  of  the,  381. 

Cutis,  or  true  skin,  account  of  the,  ib. 

Cutting,  cause  and  cure  of,  275,  276,  362; 
constitutes  unsoundness,  393 ;  away  the 
foot,  unfounded  prejudice  against,  306. 

Dandriff,  the  nature  of,  331. 

Darley  Arabian,  21. 

Deafness,  122. 

Depressor  labii  inferioris  muscle,  description 
of  the,  125. 

Diabetes,  the  nature  and  treatment  of,  245. 

Diaphoretics,  their  nature  and  effects,  407. 

Diaphraorm,  description  of  the,  176;  rupture 
of;  177  ;  its  connexion  with  respiration,  178. 

Digestion,  the  process  of  it  described,  222. 

Digestives,  their  nature  and  use,  407. 

Digitalis,  highly  recommended  in  colds  and 
all  inflammatory  complaints,  407. 

Dilator  magnus  lateralis  muscle,  description 
of  the,  285;  naris  lateralis  muscle,  descrip- 
tion of  the,  ib. 

Distance,  42. 

Diuretic  medicines,  the  use  and  abuse  of,  408. 


Docking,  method  of  performing,  350. 

Dogs,  danger  of  encouraging  them  about  the 

stable,  100. 
Doncaster  course,  the  length  of,  42. 
Don  Juan,  performances  of,  57. 
Dosoris,  race  won  by,  37. 
Drinks,  how  to  administer,  408;  comparison 

between  them  and  balls,  ib. 
Dropsy  of  the  chest,  219  ;  of  the  heart,  183. 
Drover,  performance  of,  58. 
Drum  of  the  ear,  description  and  use  of  the, 

81. 
Duane,  race  won  by,  39. 
Dun  horse,  account  of  the,  336. 
Duodenum,  description  of  the,  229  ;  diseases 

of  the,  ib. 
Dura  mater,  description  of  the,  78.- 
Dutchman,  performances  of,  57,  60,  61,  62; 

height  of,  65. 
Dutchess,  prrformances  of,  57, 
D.  D.  Tompkins,  performances  of,  57 ;  height 

of,  65. 
Duval  1,  Judge  G.,  services  rendered  to  the 

turf  by,  25. 

Ear,  description  of  the  external  parts,  81 ;  in- 
ternal parts,  ib. ;  bones  of  the,  description 
and  use  of,  81,  82;  labyrinth  of  the,  81; 
indicative  of  the  temper,  ib. ;  clipping  and 
singeing,  cruelty  of,  ib.;  treatment  of 
wounds  or  bruises  of,  121  ;  cruel  operations 
on  the,  ib. 

Earl  of  Margrave,  race  won  by,  37. 

Eclipse,  his  performances,  30,  39,  41 ;  was  a 
high-blower. 

Edwin  Forrest,  performances  of,  57 ;  heigut 
of,  65. 

Elasticity  of  the  ligament  of  the  neck,  77. 

Elatcrium,  poisonous,  226. 

Elbow,  (he  proper  form  and  inclinatioii  of, 
264;  capped,  261 ;  fracture  of,  328;  pjnc 
tured,  262, 

Ellen  Thompson,  performances  of,  57, 

Emetic  tartar,  used  as  a  nauseant,  diaphoretic, 
and  worm  medicine,  402. 

Empress,  performance  of,  59. 

Enamel  of  the  teeth,  account  of  the,  145. 

English  Eclipse,  24. 

English  steeple-chase,  description  of,  50. 

English  aristocracy,  advantages  of,  32, 

English  trotters,  examples  of,  51, 

Ensiform  cartilage,  the,  169, 

Entanglement  of  the  intestines,  description 
of,  239. 

Enteritis,  account  of,  235. 

Epidemic  catarrh,  nature  and  treatment  of, 
197  ;  malignant,  nature  and  treatment  ofl 
203. 

Epiglottis,  description  of  the,  163. 

Epilepsy,  nature  and  treatment  of,  109, 

Epsom  salts,  used  as  a  purgative,  412. 

Epsom  course,  the  length  of,  41. 

Ergot  of  rye,  the  action  of,  415. 

Ethmoid  bone,  description  of  the,  77. 

Euphorbium,  the  abominable  use  of  it,  226. 

Eutaw,  race  won  by,  39, 


INDEX. 


430 


Ewe-neck,  unsighlliness  and  inconvenience 
of,  IGO 

Exchanges  ofhorses  stand  on  the  same  ground 
as  sales,  397. 

Ivtercise,  directions  for,  371  ;  the  necessity 
of  regular,  ib. ;  want  of,  producing  grease, 
^94 ;  more  injury  done  by  the  want  of  it 
than  by  the  hardest  work,  372. 

Expansion  shoe,  description  and  use  of  the, 
341 

Extensor  pedis  muscle,  description  of  the, 
284. 

Eye,  description  of  the,  82  ;  cut  of  the,  86  ; 
fracture  of  the  orbit  of  the,  93 ;  healthy 
appearance  of  the,  85  ;  diseases  of  the,  116  ; 
inflammation  of,  common,  117  ;  ditto,  spe- 
cific, ib.;  ditto,  causes,  118;  ditto,  medical 
treatment  of,  118,  119;  ditto,  untractable 
nature  of,  119,  120;  ditto,  consequences 
of,  119  ;  ditto,  marks  of  recent,  393  ;  ditto, 
constitutes  unsoundness,  i6. ;  ditto,  heredi- 
tary, 119  ;  method  and  importance  of  exa- 
mining it,  87,  90;  indicative  of  the  temper, 
82 ;  the  pit  above,  indicative  of  the  age,  71 ; 
muscles  of  the,  92. 

Eyebrows,  substitute  for,  83. 

Eyelashes,  description  of,  83  ;  folly  of  singe- 
insT  them,  84. 

Eyelid,  description  of,  83,  84. 

Eyehds,  diseases  of  the,  116. 

Exostosis  on  the  orbit  of  the  eye,  94. 

Face,  description  of  tlie,  122;  cut  of  the  mus- 
cles, nerves,  and  blood-vessels  of,  125. 

Falling  in  of  the  foot,  what,  304. 

False  quarter,  nature  and  treatment  of,  313. 

Fanny  Wyatt,  race  won  by,  39. 

Farcy,  a  disease  of  the  absorbents  of  the  skin, 
136,  137;  connected  with  glanders,  136  ;j 
both  generated  and  infectious,  13S;  symp- 
toms of,  137;  treatment  of,  138;  buds, 
what,  137  ;  the  effect  of  cantharides  in, 
138,  139  ;  diniodide  of  copper,  138. 

Fashion,  perfiirmance  of,  39  ;  the  winner  of 
the  race  of  races,  33. 

FeatI.er-weight,  a,  42. 

Feeding,  high,  connected  with  grease,  294; 
regular  periods  of,  necessity  of  attending 
to,  379 ;  manner  of,  has  much  influence  on 
broken  wind,  214, 

Feet,  the  general  management  of,  380 ;  atten- 
tion to,  and  stopping  at  night,  recommend- 
ed, ib. 

Felt  soles,  description  and  use  of,  341, 

Femur,  fracture  of  the,  329. 

Fetlock,  description  of  the,  275. 

Fever,  idiopathic  or  pure,  187;  symptoms  of, 
ib.;  symptomatic,  188. 

Fibula,  description  of  the,  283. 

Filly  by  Imp.  Trustee,  race  won  by,  37. 

Firincf,  the  principle  on  which  resorted  to, 
347 ;  mode  of  applying,  ib. ;  should  not 
penetrate  the  skin,  349 ;  absurdity  and 
cruelty  of  blistering  after,  ib. ;  horse  should 
not  be  used  for  some  months  after,  ih. 

Fistula  lacrymalis,  84;  in  the  poll,  157. 


Fits,  symptoms,  causes,  and  treatment  of^ 
109, 

Fleam  and  lancet,  comparison  between  them, 
189. 

Flexor  of  the  arm,  description  of  the,  263 ; 
metatarsi  muscle,  description  of  the,  284 ; 
pedis  peiforatus,  the  perforated  muscle,  de- 
scription of  the,  263,  284  ;  pedis  perforans, 
the  perforating  muscle,  description  of  tiie, 
264,  269,  284. 

Fiirtilla,  race  won  by,  38. 

Flying  Childers,  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  success 
reached  in  his  days,  29. 

Foal,  early  treatment  of,  251 ;  early  handling 
of,  important,  ib.;  importance  of  liberal 
feeding  of,  ib. ;  time  for  weaning,  ib. 

Fomentations,  theory  and  use  of,  409. 

Food  of  the  horse,  observations  on,  372;  a  list 
of  the  usual  articles  of,  374 ;  should  be  ap- 
portioned to  the  work,  373. 

Foot,  description  of  the,  295  ;  diseases  of  the, 
302  ;  canker,  320  ;  corns,  317  ;  contraction, 
305;  false  quarter,  313;  founder,  acute, 
302;  chronic  laminitis,  304;  inflammation, 
ib. ;  navicular  joint  disease,  309  ;  overreach, 
312;  prick,  315;  pumiced,  304;  quittor, 
313;  sandcrack,  311;  thrush,  318;  tread, 
312  ;  weakness,  321 ;  wounds,.  315 

Forceps,  arterial,  the  use  of,  190. 

Forehead,  the  different  form  of,  in  the  ox  and 
horse,  78. 

Fore-legs,  description  of,  255 ;  diseases  of 
them,  267  ;  proper  position  of  them,  278. 

Forge-water  occasionally  used,  409. 

Form,  on  the  improvement  of,  28. 

Founder,  acute,  symptoms,  causes,  and  treat- 
ment of,  302;  chronic,  nature  and  treat- 
ment of,  304. 

Foxglove,  strongly  recommended  in  colds, 
and  all  fevers,  407,  408. 

Fracture  of  the  skull,  treatment  of,  93  ;  gene- 
ral  observations  on  fractures,  322 ;  of  the 
skull,  323;  orbit  of  the  eye,  324;  nasal 
bones,  ib.;  superior  maxillary  or  upper  jaw- 
bone, 325';  inferior  ditto,  ih.;  spine,  326; 
ribs,  ib.;  pelvis,  327;  tail,  328;  limbs,  ib.; 
shoulder,  ib. ;  arm,  ib. ;  elbow,  ib. ;  femur, 
329  ;  patella,  ib. ;  tibia,  ib. ;  hock,  330 ;  leg, 
ib.;  sessamoid  bones,  331;  pastern,  ib.; 
lower  pastern,  332 ;  coffin  bone,  333 ;  navi- 
cular  bone,  ib. 

Frog,  horny,  description  of  the,  299  ;  sensible, 
description  of  the,  299,  301  ;  ditto,  action 
and  use  of  the,  299  ;  pressure,  question  of 
the,  ife. ;  proper  paring  of,  for  shoeing,  ih. , 
diseases  of  the,  ib. 

Frontal  bones,  description  of  the,  70;  sinuses, 
description  of  the,  73 ;  ditto,  perforated  to 
detect  glanders,  ib. 

Furze,  considered  as  an  article  of  food,  ^78. 

Gallatin,  race  won  by,  37. 

Gall,  account  of  the,  2'31 ;  bladder,  the  horse 

has  none,  ib. 
Gall-stones,  243. 
Gazan,  race  won  by,  37. 


440 


INDEX. 


Gentian,  the  best  tonic  for  the  horse,  409. 
George  Martin,  races  won  by,  36,  38. 
Gibbing,  a  bad  liabil,  cause  of,  and  means  of 

lessening,  356. 
Gigs,  fornialion  of,  154. 
Ginger,  an  excellent  aromatic  and  tonic,  409, 

417. 
Give  and  take  plate,  42. 
Glanders,  nature  of,  129,  131  ;  symptoms,  74, 

129,  134;  slow  progress  of,  129,  131  ;  ap- 
pearances of  the  nose  in,  74,  129,  131  ;  de- 
tected by  injecting  tlie  frontal  sini  ses,  73 ; 
how  distinguished  from  catarrh,  131  ;  ditto 
from  strangles,  ib. ;  connected  with  farcy, 

130,  132;  treatment  of,  135;  causes,  133; 
both  generated  and  contagious,  133,  134, 
429 ;  oflenest  produced  by  improper  stable 
management,  133;  mode  of  communica- 
tion, 134 ;  prevention  of,  135  ;  account  of 
its  speedy  appearance,  132,  133. 

Glands,  enlarged,  it  depends  on  many  circum- 
stances wliether  they  constitute  unsound- 
ness, 393. 

Glass-eye,  nature  and  treatment  of,  121. 

Glauber's  salt,  its  effect,  416. 

Glut£Bi  muscles,  description  of  the,  281,  282. 

Godolphin  Arabian,  Sir  Archy  regarded  as 
the,  of  America,  25. 

Goulard's  extract,  the  use  of  it  much  over- 
valued, 412. 

Gracilis  muscle,  description  of  the,  281,  284. 

Grains,  occasionally  used  for  horses  of  slow 
work,  375. 

Grapes  on  the  heels,  treatment  of,  294. 

Grasses,  neglect  of  the  farmer  as  to  the  pro- 
per mixture  of,  377. 

Grease,  nature  and  treatment  of,  292 ;  cause 
of,  ib. ;  farmer's  horse  not  so  subject  to  it 
as  others,  294  ;  generally  a  mere  local  com- 
plaint, 293. 

Greenwich  Maid,  performances  of,  57;  height. 

Grey  Eagle,  race  won  by,  37. 
Grey  Medoc,  race  won  by,  39. 
Grey  horses,  account  of  the  different  shades 

of,  386. 
Grinders,  construction  of  the,  145. 
Grinding,  of  the  food,  accomplished   by  the 

mechanism  of  the  joint  of  the  lower  jaw, 

146  ;  swallowing  without,  360. 
Grogginess,  account  of,  275. 
Grooming,  as   important  as  exercise  to  the 

horse,  370  ;  opens  the  pores  of  the  skin,  and 

gives  a  fine  coat,  371 ;  directions  for,  ib. 
Grunter,  the,  description  of,  215 ;  is  unsound, 

392. 
Gullet,  description  of  the,  221 ;  foreign  bodies 

in,  223.  ^ 

Gum-arabic,  for  what  purposes  used,  398. 
Gutta  .<erena,  nature  and  treatment  of,  121. 

Habits,  vicious  or  dangerous,  353. 

Hrematuria,  245. 

Hair,  account  of  the,  381  ;  question  of  cutting 

it  from  the  heels,  295. 
Haj-as,  established  by  Napoleon,  33. 


Haunch,  description  of  the,  279 ;  wide,  ad- 
vantage of,  ib. ;  injuries  of  the,  ib, ;  joint, 
singular  strength  of  it,  ib. ;  also  of  the  thigh 
bones,  advantage  of  the  oblique  direction 
of,  ib. 

Haw,  curious  mechanism  of  the,  85;  diseases 
of,  117;  absurdity  and  cruelty  of  destroy- 
ing it,  85,  86. 

Hay,  considered  as  food,  373 ;  mowburnt,  in 
jurious,  377 ;  old  preferable  to  new,  ib. 

Head,  anatomy  of  the,  70 ;  the  numerous 
bones  composing  it,  the  reason  of  this,  70, 
71  ;  section  of  the.  72  ;  beautiful  provision 
for  its  support,  76. 

Healing  ointment,  account  of  the,  417. 

Hearing  of  the  horse,  the  very  acute,  81. 

Heart,  description  of  the,  181  ;  its  action  de 
scribed,  182;  inflammation  of  the,  183, 
dropsy  of  the,  ib. 

Heels,  question  of  cutting  the  hair  from  them, 
295  ;  low,  disadvantage  of,  322  ;  proper  par- 
ing of,  for  shoeing,  334;  washing  of  the, 
producing  grease,  294. 

Height  of  trotting  horses,  64. 

Hellebore,  white,  used  in  inflammation  of  the 
lungs  and  fevers,  409  ;  black,  its  use,  ib. 

Hemlock,  given  in  inflammation  of  the  chest, 
410. 

Henry,  match  won  by,  57  ;  height,  65. 

Hepatic  duct,  the,  231. 

Hernia,  the  nature  and  treatment  of,  240. 

Hide-bound,  the  nature  and  treatment  of,  383. 

High-blowrr,  a  description  of  the,  195,315  ;  is 
unsound,  392. 

Hind  legs,  description  of  the,  279. 

Hip-joint,  the  great  strength  of  the,  280. 

Hips,  ragged,  what,  279. 

Hobbles,  description  of  the  best,  344. 

Hock,  the  advantage  of  its  numerous  separate 
bones  and  ligaments,  290 ;  capped,  278, 
291  ;  cow,  ib. ;  description  of  the,  285  ;  en- 
largement of  the,  nature  of  and  how  affect- 
ing soundness,  286,  393;  inflammation  of 
the  small  bones  of,  a  frequent  cause  of 
lameness,  286,  287  ;  the  principal  seat  of 
lameness  behind,  286;  lameness  of  it,  with- 
out apparent  cause,  290  ;  fracture  of,  330. 

Hogs'  lard,  properties  of,  399. 

Hoof,  cut  of  the,  295  ;  description  of  the,  296. 

Horn  of  the  crust,  secreted  principally  by  the 
coronary  ligament,  298 ;  once  separated 
from  the  sensible  part  within,  will  never 
again  unite  with  it,  ib. 

Hornet,  sting  of  the,  225. 

Horse,  the  first  allusion  to  him,  17;  in  England 
and  America,  17;  English,  20;  Barb,  21; 
the  different  colours  of  the  different  breeds, 
386 ;  his  fossil  remains  found  in  every  part 
of  the  world,  17,  31  ;  the  general  manage- 
ment of,  366;  sublime  account  of,  by  Job, 
18;  first  mention  of  race-horse  in  English 
annals,  21;  Arabian  race,  27,28;  height 
of  trotting,  64  ;  price  of,  in  Solomon's  time, 
18  ;  sagacity  of,  ib. ;  can  sec  almost  in  dark- 
ness, 88  ;  English,  improved  under  William 
the  Conqueror,  21,  22  •  zoological  descrip. 


NDEX, 


441 


tion  of,  67 ;  numerous  in  Britain  at  the  in- 
vasion of  the  Roiiiuns,  20. 

Horse,  Flanders,  introduced  by  King  John, 
32;  Lombardy,  imported  by  Edward  II., 
tb  ;  Spanish,  imported  by  Edward  III.,  ib.; 
Flemish,  characteristics  of,  ib. ;  Darby  Ara- 
bian, 24  ;  revolution  in  the  system  of  breed- 
ing brought  about  by  the  invention  of  gun- 
powder, 23  ;  first  classification  for  war,  the 
turf,  the  chase,  the  road,  and  the  coach,  ib. ; 
value  of  before  the  establishment  of  the 
Turf  Register,  25  ;  Beach,  anecdotes  of,  26; 
thrives  best  within  or  near  the  torrid  zone, 
31  ;  influence  of  climate  and  food  on  the 
form  and  character  of,  31  ;  value  of  since 
the  establishment  of  the  Turf  Register,  32  ; 
ancestors  of  the  present  stock  of  American, 
40;  good  blood  in,  important  in  a  military 
point  of  view,  33  ;  prevalence  of  blood  of, 
in  Lee's  Legion,  33;  American  trotting, 
49  ;  superiority  of  the  American  trotting 
over  the  English,  49,  51  ;  speed  of,  50,  51. 

Houri,  (Imp.),  race  won  by,  36. 

Humerus,  description  of  the,  260. 

Hunter,  the,  general  account  of,  48 ;  proper 
degree  of  blood  in,  ib. ;  form  of,  ib. ;  spirit 
of,  ib. ;  English,  ib.;  shoe,  description  of 
the,  340. 

Hunting  Park  course,  64. 

Hydrocyanic  acid,  poisoning  by  it,  226;  its 
occasional  good  service,  399. 

Hjdrothorax,  symptoms  and  treatment  of, 219. 

Ileum,  description  of  the,  229. 

Inflammation,  nature  of,  185;  treatment  of, 
186 ;  hot  or  cold  applications  to,  guide  in 
the  choice  of,  ib. ;  importance  of  bleeding 
in,  185,  345;  when  proper  to  physic  in, 
LS6;  of  the  bowels,  235;  ditto,  distinction 
between  it  and  colic,  233  ;  brain,  98  :  eye, 
117;  foot,  302 ;  kidneys,  244  ;  larynx,  193 ; 
lungs,  206;  stomach,  223;  trachea,  194; 
veins,  161. 

Influenza,  nature  and  treatment  of,  197. 

Infusions,  manner  of  making  them,  411. 

Insanity,  115. 

Intercostal  muscles,  description  of  the,  169. 

Intestines,  description  of  the,  228. 

Introsusception  of  the  intestines,  treatment 
of,  238. 

Invertebrated  animals,  what,  67. 

Iodine,  usefulness  of,  in  reducing  enlarged 
glands,  411.' 

Iris,  description  of  the,  89. 

Iron,  the  carbonate  of,  a  mild  and  useful 
tonic,  409 ;  sulphate  of,  a  stronger  tonic, 
ib.;  ditto,  recommended  for  the  cure  of 
glanders,  ib. 
tchiness  of  the  skin  should  always  be  re- 
garded with  suspicion,  390. 

Jacks.     See  the  Ass. 
■James's  powder,  402. 

Jaundice,  symptomsandtreatmentof,243, 244. 
Jaw,  the  lower,  admirable  mechanism  of,  142  ; 
upper,  description  of,  141 
3f 


Jejunum,  description  of  the,  229. 

Jerry,  performance  of,  58. 

Jim  Bell,  races  won  by,  36,  39. 

Jockeys,  superiority  of  American,  51,  65. 

Jockey  Club,  rules  and  regulations  of,  42. 

John  Barcombe,  race  won  by,  39. 

John  C'ausin,  race  won  by,  36. 

John  R.  Grymes,  race  won  by,  37. 

Jointed  shoe,  the  description  and  use  of,  341 

Jugular  vein,  anatomy  of  the,  190. 

Jumper,  the  horse-breaker,  anecdotes  of  his 

power  over  animals,  353. 
Juniper,  oil  of,  use  of,  411. 

Kate  Kearney,  her  dam  sold  for  13  pounds 
tobacco  currency,  24  ;  her  fame  established 
by  Col.  J.  M.  Selden,  ib. 

Kicking,  a  bad  and  inveterate  habit,  358. 

Kidneys,  description  of  the,  243  ;  inflamma- 
tion of,  symptoms  and  treatment  of,  244. 

King  Pippin,  anecdotes  of  him  as  illustrating 
the  inveterateness  of  vicious  habits,  354. 

Knee,  an  anatomical  description  of  the,  264; 
tied  in  below,  269 ;  broken,  treatment  of^ 
265,  391. 

Knowledge  of  the  horse,  how  acquired,  69. 

Labyrinth  of  the  ear,  description  and  use  of 

the,  81. 
Lachrymal  duct,  description  of  the,  84 ;  gland, 

description  and  use  of  the,  ib. 
Lady  Clifden,  race  won  by,  39. 
Lady  Suffolk,    performances  of,  57,  63,  64; 

height  of,  65. 
Lady  Victory,  performances  of,  57;  height 

of,  65. 
Lady  Warrington,  performances  of,  57 ;  height 

of,  65. 
Lady  Kate,  performances  of,  58. 
Lamellffi  or  lamina),  horny,  account  of  the, 

298 ;  fleshy,  account  of  the,  ib. ;  weight  of 

the  horse,  supported  by  the,  ib. 
Lameness,  shoulder,  method  of  ascertaining, 

255 ;  from   whatever   cause,  unsoundness, 

393. 
Lampns,  nature  and  treatment  of,  142 ;  cruelty 

of  burning  the  bars  for,  ib. 
Laminae  of  the  foot.     See  Lamellae. 
Lancet  and  fleam,  comparison  between  them, 

189. 
Laryngitis,  chronic  and  acute,  193. 
Larynx,  description  of  the,  163 ;  inflammatioM 

of  the,  193. 
Laudanum,  the  use  of  in  veterinary  practice^ 

413. 
Lead,  the  compounds  of,  used  in  veterinary 

practice,  411,  412;  extract  of,   its   povrer 

much  overvalued,  412;  sugar  ofj  use  of,  ib.j 

white,  use  of,  ib. 
Leather  soles,  description  and  use  of,  341. 
fi  g,  cut  of  the,  112;  description  of  the,  267; 

fracture  of  the,  332. 
Legs,  fore,  the  situation  of,  255 ;  hind,  anato- 
mical description  of  the,  ib. ;  swelled,  291. 
Levator  humeri  muscle,  description  of  the^ 

160,  259. 


442 


INDEX. 


Lever,  muscular  action  explained  on  the 
principle  of  it,  257. 

Ligament  of  the  neck,  description  and  elasti- 
city of  the,  76. 

Light,  the  degree  of,  in  the  stable,  369. 

Limbs,  fracture  of  the,  328. 

Lime,  the  chloride  of,  exceedingly  useful  for 
bad  smelling  wounds,  &lc.,  412;  the  chlo- 
ride of,  valuable  in  cleansing  stables  from 
infection,  if). 

Lindsay's  Arabian,  34. 

Liniments,  the  composition  and  use  of,  ib. 

Linseed,  an  infusion  of,  used  in  catarrh,  376, 
412;  meal  forms  the  best  poultice,  412, 
414. 

Lips,  anatomy  and  uses  of  the,  139  ;  lips  the 
hands  of  the  horse,  ib. 

Litter,  the,  cannot  be  too  frequently  removed, 
368;  proper  substances  for,  369;  contrac- 
tion not  so  much  produced  by  it  as  some 
imagine,  307. 

Liver,  the  anatomy  and  use  of  it,  230 ;  diseases 
of  the,  241. 

Liverpool,  account  of  the  course  at,  42. 

Locked  jaw,  symptoms,  cause,  and  treatment 
of,  103. 

Locomotive,  performances  of,  57 ;  height  of, 
65. 

Loins,  description  of  the,  172. 

Longissimus  dorsi  muscle,  description  of  the, 
173. 

Lucern,  considered  as  an  article  of  food,  378, 

Lumbricus  teres,  the,  240. 

Lunar  caustic,  a  very  excellent  application, 
402. 

Lungs,  description  of  the,  181 ;  symptoms  of 
inflammation  of  the,  206;  causes  of,  ib.; 
how  distinguished  from  catarrh  and  dis- 
temper, 207,  208 ;  treatment  of,  208,  209  ; 
importance  of  early  bleeding  in,  209  ;  blis- 
ters preferable  to  rowels  or  setons  in,  210  ; 
consequences  of,  210,  212,  215. 

Madness,  the  symptoms  and  treatment  of, 
100. 

Magnesia,  the  sulphate  of,  412. 

Mallenders,  the  situation  of,  278 ;  the  nature 
and  treatment  of,  291. 

Mammalia,  the,  an  important  class  of  animals. 
67. 

Manchester,  account  of  the  course  at,  42. 

Mane,  description  and  use  of  the,  160. 

Mange,  description  and  treatment  of,  388; 
causes  of,  388,  389  ;  ointment,  recipes  for, 
ib.;  highly  infectious,  389;  method  of 
purifying  the  stable  after,  ib. 

Manger-feeding,  the  advantage  of,  373. 

Mare,  put  to  tlie  horse  too  early,  248,  250 ; 
deterioration  in,  249  ;  her  proper  form,  ib. ; 
breeding  in-and-in,  ib.;  time  of  being  at 
heat,  250  ;  time  of  going  with  foal,  ib. ;  best 
time  for  covering,  ib. ;  management  of, 
when  with  foal,  ib. ;  management  of,  after 
foaling,  250, 

Maria  Duke,  race  won  by,  36. 


Mark  of  the  teeth,  what,  146. 

Marsk,  his  performances,  30. 

Mashes,  importance  of  their  use,  412;  best 
method  of  making  them,  ib. 

Masseter  muscle,  description  of  the,  125,  144. 

Master  Henry,  race  won  by,  38. 

Matchem,  his  performances,  30. 

Maxillary  bones,  anatomy  of  the,  141  ,  frac- 
tures of,  325. 

Meadow  grasses,  the  quantity  of  nutritivo 
matter  in,  379. 

Medicines,  a  list  of  the  most  useful,  398. 

Medullary  substance  of  the  brain,  its  natur* 
and  function,  72,  78,  79. 

Megrims,  cause,  94 ;  symptoms,  95 ;  treat- 
ment,  ib. ;  apt  to  return,  ib. 

Melt,  description  of  the,  231. 

Mercurial  ointment,  the  use  of,  in  veterinary 
practice,  410. 

Mercury,  its  use  in  epidemic  catarrh,  201. 

Mesentery,  description  of  the,  229. 

Metacarpals,  description  of  the,  267. 

Midriff,  description  of  the,  176. 

Minstrel,  race  won  by,  36. 

Mischief,  performance  of,  59. 

Miss  Foote,  races  won  by,  39. 

Mount  Holly,  performance  of,  58. 

Modesty,  performance  of,  57 ;  height  of,  65. 

Moisture,  want  of,  a  cause  of  contractiou, 
307. 

Moon-blindness,  the  nature  of,  117. 

Moulting,  the  process  of,  385 ;  the  horse 
usually  languid  at  the  time  of,  ib. ;  no  sti- 
mulant or  spices  should  be  given,  ib. ;  mode 
of  treatment  under,  ib. 

Mounting  the  colt,  253. 

Mouth  of  the  horse,  description  of  the  bones 
of,  141 ;  should  be  always  felt  lightly  in 
riding,  ib.;  importance  of  its  sensibility,  ib, 

Mowburnt  hay  injurious,  377. 

Mule,  the,  419;  as  he  is,  422;  value  of,  in 
China,  423 ;  value  of  the  breed  of  Gen. 
Washington,  ib. ;  more  valuable  when  bred 
from  blooded  mares,  ib. ;  longevity  of,  424; 
Pliny's  account  of  a,  ib. ;  does  not  deterio- 
rate more  rapidly  after  twenty  years  of  age 
than  the  horse  after  ten,  425  ;  health  of,  ib. ; 
economy  in  food,  &c.,  ib. ;  is  more  steady 
in  his  draught  than  the  horse,  426 ;  trade 
in  Kentucky,  427 ;  his  obstinacy,  429  ;  bad 
habits,  429,  430  ;  number  of  in  the  United 
States,  430  ;  a  breeding,  432;  birth  of  two 
colts,  ib.;  death  of  ditto,  432,  433. 

Muriatic  acid,  its  properties,  399. 

Muscles  of  the  back,  description  of  the,  173; 
breast,  ditto,  175  ;  eye,  ditto,  92  ;  face,  ditto, 
125;  neck,  ditto,  158;  ribs,  ditto,  169; 
shoulder-blade,  255;  lower  bone  of  the 
shoulder,  ib. ;  the  advantageous  direction 
of,  more  important  than  their  bulk,  266, 
257,  258 ;  should  be  large,  28. 

Muscular  action,  the  principle  of,  261. 

Mustard,  the  use  of,  413. 

Myrrh,  the  use  of,  for  canker  and  wounds, 
413. 


INDEX, 


443 


Nasalis  labii  superioris  muscle,  description 
of  the,  125. 

Nasal  bones,  fracture  of,  324  ;  description  of, 
72. 

gleet,  127. 

polypus,  126. 

Navicular  bone,  description  of  the,  301 ;  the 
action  and  use  of  it,  ib. 

Navicular  joint,  disease,  nature  and  treatment 
of  the,  309  ;  how  far  connected  with  con- 
traction, 310  ;  the  cure  very  uncertain,  ib.; 
fracture  of,  333. 

Neck,  anatomy  and  muscles  of  the,  158,  159  ; 
description  of  the  arteries  of  the,  161  ;  de- 
scription of  the  veins  of  the,  ib. ;  bones  of 
the,  153;  proper  confirmation  of  the,  ib.; 
comparison  between  long  and  short,  159  ; 
loose,  what,  ib. 

Nerves,  the,  construction  and  theory  of,  70 ; 
spinal,  the  compound  nature  of,  79  ;  of  tlie 
face,  125. 

Neurotomy,  or  nerve  operation,  object  and 
effect  of  it,  111  ;  manner  of  performing  it, 
112  ;  cases  in  which  it  should  or  should  not 
be  performed,  113;  a  vestige  of  the  per- 
formance of  it,  constitutes  unsoundness, 
394. 

Nicking,  the  method  of  performing,  351 ;  use- 
less cruelty  of\en  resorted  to,  352. 

Nimrod,  his  objection  to  clipping,  383 ;  ad- 
mits the  superiority  of  American  trotters, 
49,  51. 

Nitre,  a  valuable  cooling  medicine,  and  mild 
diuretic,  414. 

Nitric  acid,  for  what  employed,  399. 

Nitrous  sether,  spirit  of,  a  mild  stimulant  and 
diuretic,  413. 

Norman  Leslie,  match  won  by,  57 ;  height  of, 
65. 

Nose,  description  of  the  bones  of  the,  122, 
123  ;  spontaneous  bleeding  from,  ib. ;  tlie 
importance  of  its  lining  membrane,  123, 
191  ;  the  nose  of  the  horse  slit  to  increase 
his  wind,  124. 

Nosebag,  importance  of  the,  379. 

Nostrils,  description  of  the,  122 ;  peculiar  in- 
flammation of  the  membrane  of  the,  74; 
the  membrane  of,  important  in  ascertaining 
disease,  126,  191;  importance  of  an  ex- 
panded one,  124;  slit  by  some  nations  to 
increase  the  wind  of  the  horse,  ib. 
Nutriment,  the  quantity  of,  contained  in  the 
diflferent  articles  of  food,  379, 

ATS,  the  usual  food  of  the  horse,  374,  379  ; 
should  be  old,  heavy,  dry,  and  sweet,  374, 
375;  kiln-dried,  injurious  to  the  horse, 
375 ;  proper  quantity  of,  for  a  horse,  ib. 

Oatmeal,  excellent  for  gruel,  and  sometimes 
used  as  a  poultice,  375. 

Occipital  bone,  description  of  the,  74. 

CEnanthe  fistulosa,  poisonous,  226. 

ffisophagus,  description  of  the,  221. 

Olfactory  nerves,  the  importance  of  them,  124. 

Olive  oil,  an  emollient,  413. 

Omega,  races  won  by,  38,  39. 


Omentum,  descnption  of  the,  231. 
Oneida  Chief,  perlormance  of,  58. 
Opacity  of  the  eye,  the  nature  and  treatment 

of,  118. 
Operations,  description  of  the  most  important, 

344. 
Ophthalmia,  117. 
Opium,  its  great  value  in  veterinary  practice, 

412  ;  adulterations  of  it,  ib. 
Orbicularis  muscle  of  the  eye,  description  of 

it,  92. 
Orbit  of  the  eye,  fracture  of,  93. 
Os  temoris,  account  of,  282. 
Ossification  of  the  carlillages,  cause  and  treat- 
ment of,  321. 
Over-reach,  the  nature  and  treatment  of,  312, 

362;  often  producing  sandcrack  or  quiltor, 

363. 
Ozena,  account  of,  123. 

Pachydermata,  an  order  of  animals,  68. 
Pack-wax,  description  of  the,  76,  157. 
Palate,  description  of  the,  163. 
Palm-oil,  the  best  substance  for  making  up 

balls,  414. 
Palsy,  the  causes  and  treatment  of,  109. 
Pancreas,  description  of  the,  243. 
Paps  or  barbs,  154. 
Parietal  bones,  description  of  the,  74. 
Paring  out  of  the  foot  for  shoeing,  directions 

for,  334 ;  neglect  of,  a  cause  of  contraction, 

306. 
Parotid  gland,  description  of  the,  and  its  dis- 
eases, 125,  153. 
Parsnips,  the  nutritive  matter  in,  379 
Passenger,  race  won  by,  37. 
Pastern,  upper,  fracture  of,  331  ;  lower,  frac- 

ture  of,  332  ;  description  of  the,  272,  276; 

bones  of  the,  ib. ;  cut  of  the,  272  ;  proper 

obliquity  of  the,  274. 
Patella  or  stifle  bone,  description  of  the,  283 ; 

fracture  of,  329. 
Paul  Pry,  performance  of,  58. 
Pawing,  remedy  for,  363. 
Payment  of  the  smallest  sum  completes  the 

purchase  of  a  horse,  396. 
Peacemaker,  race  won  by,  37. 
Peas,  somtimes  used  as  food,  but  should  be 

crushed,  376,  379. 
Pectineus  muscle,  the,  281. 
Pectorales  muscles,  description  of  the,  175,260 
Pedigrees  of  American  trotters,  54. 
Pelham,  performance  of,  58. 
Pelvis,  fracture  of  the,  327. 
Pericardium,  description  of  the,  181. 
Peronaeus  muscle,  description  of  the,  284. 
Perspiration,    insensible,    no   medicines    will 

certainly  increase  it,  385. 
Pharynx,  anatomy  of  the,  157. 
Phrenitis,  98. 

Phthisis  pulmonalis,  description  of,  215. 
Physic    balls,   method    of  compounding   the 

best,  401  ;  should  never  be  given  in  inflam 

mation  of  the  lungs,  181. 
Physicking,  rules  for,  237. 
Pia  mater,  description  of  the,  78. 


444 


INDEX. 


Pied  horse,  account  of  the,  386. 

Pigmentum  nigrum,  account  of  the,  88. 

Piper,  description  of  the,  215. 

Pit  of  the  eye,  the,  indicative  of  the  age,  71. 

Pitch,  its  use  for  charges  and  plasters,  414. 

Pithing,  a  humane  method  of  destroying  ani- 
mals, 158. 

Pleura,  description  of  the,  179. 

Pleurisy,  the  nature  and  treatment  of,  181, 
217. 

Pneumonia,  the  nature  and  treatment  of,  206. 

Poisons,  account  of  the  most  frequent,  226, 
227  ;  tests  of  the  different  ones,  227. 

Poll-evil,  the  cause  and  treatment  of,  157 ; 
importance  of  the  free  escape  of  the  mat- 
ter, ib. 

Popliteus  muscle,  description  of  the,  284. 

Porter's  Spirit  of  the  Times,  opinion  of,  51. 

Postea  spinatus  muscle,  description  of  the, 
260. 

Post  Boy,  race  won  by,  37. 

Post  Match,  42. 

Potash,  the  compound  of,  414. 

Potatoes,  considered  as  an  article  of  food,  378, 
379. 

Poultices,  their  various  compositions,  manner 
of  acting,  and  great  use,  4l4. 

Powders,  comparison  between  them  and  balls, 
415. 

Pressure,  race  won  by,  37. 

Pressure  on  the  brain,  effect  of,  94. 

Prick,  in  the  foot,  treatment  of,  315  ;  injuri- 
ous method  of  removing  the  horn  in  search- 
ing for,  317. 

Prussic  acid,  treatment  of  poisoning  by,  226. 

Puffing  the  glims,  a  trick  of  fraudulent  horse- 
dealers,  71. 

Pulse,  the  natural  standard  of  the,  184;  vari- 
eties of  the,  ib.;  importance  of  attention  to 
the,  185  ;  the  most  convenient  place  to  feel 
it,  ib. ;  the  finger  on  the  pulse  during  the 
bleeding,  ib. 

Pumiced  feet,  description  and  treatment  of, 
304;  do  not  admit  of  cure,  i6. ;  constitute 
unsoundness,  394. 

Pupil  of  the  eye,  description  of  the,  89  ;  the 
mode  of  discovering  blindness  in  it,  ib. 

Purchase,  to  complete  the,  there  must  be  a 
memorandum,  or  payment  of  some  sum, 
however  small,  396. 

Purging,  violent,  treatment  of,  235. 

Quarters  of  the  horse,  description  of  the, 
261 ;  importance  of  their  muscularity  and 
depth,  ib. ;  fool,  description  of,  297  ;  the 
inner,  crust  thinner  and  weaker  at,  298; 
folly  of  lowering  the  crust,  ib. 

Quidding  the  food,  cause  of,  363;  unsound- 
ness while  it  lasts,  394. 

Quinine,  the  sulphate  of,  403. 

Quittor  the  nature  and  treatment  of,  313;  the 
treatment  often  long  and  difficult,  exercis- 
ing  the  patience  both  of  the  practitioner 
and  owner,  314,  315;  is  unsoundness,  394. 

Rabies,  symptoms  of,  100 


Race-courses,  different  lengths  of,  41, 

Races,  among  the  Arabs,  27  ;  best  in  America 
on  record,  35 ;  at  mile  heats,  36 ;  at  two 
mile  heats,  37;  at  three  mile  Iieats,  38;  at 
four  mile  heats,  39  ;  miscellaneous  -exam- 
ples of,  40  ;  prejudices  against,  33. 

Racers  may  beget  trotters,  52,  53. 

Racks,  no  openings  should  be  allowed  above 
them,  367. 

Radius,  description  of  the,  261. 

Ragged-hipped,  what,  279  ;  no  impediment  to 
action,  ib. 

Raking,  the  operation  of,  415. 

Rattler,  matches  won  by,  57,  59  ;  height  of,  65. 

Reality,  race  won  by,  37. 

Rearing,  a  dangerous  and  inveterate  habit, 
359. 

Recti  muscles,  of  the  neck,  description  of! 
158;  of  the  thigh,  280. 

Rectum,  description  of  the,  229,  230. 

Red  Bill,  races  won  by,  36,  38. 

Reins,  description  of  the  proper,  140. 

Resin,  its  use  in  veterinary  practice,  415. 

Respiration,  description  of  the  mechanism 
and  effect  of,  179. 

Respiratory  nerves,  the,  79. 

Restiveness,  a  bad  habit,  and  never  cured, 
353 ;  anecdotes  in  proof  of  its  inveterate. 
ness,  353,  354. 

Retina,  description  of  the,  91. 

Retractor  m  uscle  of  the  eye,  description  of  it,92, 

Rheumatism,  110. 

Rifle,  performance  of,  57. 

Ribbed-home,  advantage  of  being,  171. 

Ribs,  anatomy  of  the,  168,  169. 

Richard  of  York,  race  won  by,  37. 

Ringbone,  the  nature  and  treatment  of,  277, 
278  ;  constitutes  unsoundness,  394. 

Ripple,  race  won  by,  38. 

Ripton,  matches  won  by,  57,  63,  64;  height 
of,  65. 

Roach-backed,  what,  172. 

Roan  horses,  account  of,  386. 

Roaring,  the  nature  of,  194,  215  ;  curious  his- 
tory  of,  195 ;  constitutes  unsoundness,  392 ; 
from  tight  reining,  196;  fron)  buckling  in 
crib-biting,  ib.;  treatment  of,  197. 

Robin  Hood,  race  won  by,  36. 

Rocker,  race  won  by,  37. 

Rolling,  danger  of,  and  remedy  for,  363. 

Roman  nose  in  the  horse,  wliat,  122. 

Round-bone,  the,  can  scarcely  be  dislocated, 
282. 

Round  course,  length  of,  41. 

Rowels,  manner  of  inserting,  and  their  opera- 
tion,  415  ;  comparison  between  them,  blis- 
ters, and  setons,  350. 

Rules  and  regulations  of  the  New  York 
Jockey  Club,  42. 

Rules  and  regulations  of  the  New  York 
Trotting  Club,  54. 

Running  away,  method  of  restraining,  359. 

Rupture,  treatment  of,  240;  of  the  suspensory 
ligament,  193. 

Rye-grass,  considered  as  an  article  of  food. 
378. 


INDEX. 


145 


Saddles,  tlie  proper  const»- ^ction  of,  174; 
points  of,  ib. 

Saddle-backed,  what,  172;  galls,  treatment  of, 
170. 

Saddling  oflhc  colt,  253. 

Sailor  Boy,  race  won  by,  36. 

Sainlbin  used  as  an  article  of  food,  378 

Sal  ammoniac,  the  medical  use  of,  401, 

Saliva,  its  nature  and  use,  153. 

Salivary  glands,  description  of  tlie,  ib. 

Sallenders,  nature  and  treatment  of,  291. 

Sally  Shannon,  race  won  by,  37. 

Sally  Miller,  match  won  by,  57 ;  height  of, 
65. 

Sally  Walker,  race  won  by,  38. 

Salt,  use  of  in  veterinary  practice,  415 ;  value 
of,  mingled  in  the  food  of  animals,  377. 

Sandal,  .Mr.  Percivall's,  343. 

Sandcrack,  the  situation  of,  278 ;  the  nature 
and  treutnient  of,  31 1  ;  most  dangerous 
when  proceeding  from  tread,  312 ;  liable  to 
return,  unless  the  brittleness  of  the  hoof  is 
remedied,  313;  constitutes  unsoundness, 
3;)  4. 

Sarah  Bladen,  race  won  by,  38. 

Sarah  Washington,  race  won  by,  38. 

Sartorius  muscle,  description  of  the,  281. 

Savin,  dangerous,  226. 

Scapula,  description  of  the,  255. 

Sclerotica,  description  of  the,  87. 

Scouring,  general  treatment  of,  234. 

Screwdriver,  performances  of,  57  ;  height  of, 
65. 

Secale  cornutum,  the  effect  of,  415. 

Sedatives,  a  list  of  them,  and  their  mode  of 
action,  415. 

Serratus  major  muscle,  description  of  the, 
168,  255,  259. 

Scssnmoid  bones,  admirable  use  of  in  obviating 
concussion,  273  ;  fracture  of,  331. 

Setons,  mode  of  introducing,  349  ;  cases  in 
wiiich  they  are  indicated,  ib. ;  comparison 
between  them  and  rowels  and  blisters,  350. 

Shakspeare,  performance  of,  57  ;  height  of, 
65. 

Shank-bone,  the,  267. 

Shark,  his  performances,  30,  36. 
Shoe,  the  concave-seaied,  cut  of,  338;  de- 
scribed and  recommended,  337;  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  old  one  should  be  taken 
off,  334  ;  the  putting  on  of  the  shoe,  335 ; 
it  should  be  fitted  to  the  foot,  and  not  the 
^oot  to  the  shoe,  ib. ;  description  of  the 
.ninder,  337 ;  the  unilateral,  or  one  side 
nailed  shoe,  339  ;  the  bar  shoe,  340 ;  the 
tip,  341 ;  the  hunting,  340 ;  the  jointed,  or 
expansion,  341. 
Shoeing,  not  necessarily  productive  of  con- 
traction, 307  ;  preparation  of  the  foot  for, 
333  ;  the  principles  of,  334. 
Shoulder,  anatomical  description  of  the,  255  ; 
slantinsr  direction  of  the,  advantageous, 
256,  257  ;  when  it  should  be  oblique,  and 
when  upright,  258 ;  sprain  of  the,  255  ; 
lameness,  method  of  ascertaining,  ib.;  frac- 
ture of  the.  328. 
38 


Shoulder-blade,  muscles  ot  the,  2i)5 ,  why 
united  to  the  chest  by  muscle  alone,  ib. ; 
lower  bone  of  the,  description  of,  260 ;  mus- 
cles of  the,  262,  263. 

Shying,  the  probable  cause  of,  91,  363;  treat- 
ment  of,  364 ;  on  coming  out  of  the  stable, 
description  of,  ib. 

Side-line,  description  of  the,  344. 

Sight,  the  acute  sense  of,  in  the  horse,  80. 

Silver,  the  nitrate  of,  an  excellent  caustic, 
402. 

Singeing,  recommendation  of,  383. 

Sinuses  in  the  foot,  necessity  of  following 
them  as  far  as  they  reach,  319  ;  frontal,  of 
the  head,  72. 

Sir  Archy,  indebted  for  his  fame  to  American 
Turf  Register,  25  ;  regarded  as  the  Godol- 
phin  Arabian  of  America,  ib. 

Sir  Lovel,  race  won  by,  37. 

Sir  Peter,  match  won  by,  57  ;  height  of,  65, 

Sir  Willianj,  race  won  by,  37. 

Sitfasts,  treatment  of,  174. 

Skeleton  of  the  horse,  description  of  the,  68, 
69. 

Skin,  anatomical  description  of  the,  381 ; 
function  and  uses  of  it,  381,  382  ;  pores  of 
it,  385;  when  the  animal  is  in  health,  is 
soft  and  elastic,  382. 

Skull,  anatomical  description  of  the,  70  ;  arch, 
ed  form  of  the  roof,  77  ;  fracture  of  the,  93, 
323. 

Slipping  the  collar,  remedy  for,  365,  366. 

Smell,  the  sense  and  seat  of,  124  ;  very  acute 
in  the  horse,  ib. 

Snewing,  Mr.,  his  advocacy  of  clipping,  383 

Soap,  its  use  in  veterinary  practice,  416. 

Soda,  chloride  of,  its  use  in  ulcers,  415  ;  sul- 
phate  of,  ib. 

Sole,  the  horny,  description  of,  298 ;  descent 
of,  ib. ;  proper  form  of,  ib. ;  management 
of,  in  shoeing,  ib. ;  the  sensible,  299 ;  felt 
or  leather,  their  use,  341. 

Sore-throat,  symptoms  and  treatment  of,  193. 

Sorrow,  (imp.),  race  won  by,  37. 

Soundness,  consists  in  their  being  no  disease 
or  alteration  of  structure  that  does  or  is 
likely  to  impair  the  usefulness  of  the  horse, 
390,  391 ;  considered  with  reference  to  the 
principal  causes  of  unsoundness,  391. 

Spasmodic  colic,  nature  and  treatment  of, 
232. 

Spavin,  blood,  the  nature  and  treatment  of, 
188;  is  unsoundness,  394;  bog,  cause,  na- 
ture and  treatment  of,  188,  189,  287  ;  bone, 
288;  why  not  always  accompanied  by 
lameness,  289  ;  is  unsoundness,  394. 

Spavined  horses,  the  kind  of  work  they  arc 
capable  of,  289. 

Speedy-cut,  account  of,  269. 

Sphenoid  bone,  description  of  the,  77. 

Spinalis  dorsi  muscle,  description  of  the,  173 

Spine,  description  of  the,  167;  fracture  of 
326. 

Spirit  of  the  Times,  remarks  of,  30. 

Spleen,  description  of  the,  231,  243. 

Splenius  muscle,  description  of  the,  158. 


446 


NDEX. 


Splint,  nature  and  treatment  of,  268,  278 ; 
when  constituting  unsoundness,  395  ;  bones, 
description  of  the,  268, 
Sprain  of  tlie  bacii  sinews,  treatment  of,  269, 
278;  sometimes  requires  firing,  271;  any 
remaining  thickening  constitutes  unsound- 
ness, 395  ;  sprain  of  the  shoulder,  255. 

Stables,  dark,  an  occasional  cause  of  inflam- 
mation of  the  ej'e,  119;  hot  and  foul,  a 
frequent  one  of  inflammation  of  the  eye, 
ib.;  ditto,  lungs,  367  ;  ditto,  glanders,  133,  j 
134;  should  be  large,  compared  with  the 
number  of  horses,  367 ;  the  management 
of,  too  much  neglected  by  the  owner  of  the 
horse,  ib. ;  the  ceiling  of,  should  be  plaster- 
ed, if  there  is  a  loft  above,  ib. ;  should  be  so 
contrived  that  the  urine  will  run  off,  369  ; 
the  stalls  should  not  have  too  much  decli- 
vity, ib. ;  should  be  sufficiently  light,  yet 
without  any  glaring  colour,  369,  370. 

Staggers,  stomach,  symptoms,  cause,  and 
treatment  of,  95,  96,  379  ;  generally  fatal, 
96;  producing  blindness,  98;  sometimes 
epidemic,  ib. ;  mad,  symptoms  and  treat- 
ment, ib. 

Staling,  profuse,  cause  and  treatment  of,  245. 

Stallion,  description  of  the  proper,  for  breed- 
ing, 248 ;  size  and  form  of,  prescribed  by 
Henry  VIII.,  22;  contests  between,  26. 

Starch,  useful  in  superpurgation,  416. 

Stargazer,  the,  159. 

Sternum,  or  breast-bone,  description  of  the, 
168,  260. 

Stifle,  description  of  the,  283 ;  accidents  and 
diseases  of  the,  285. 

Stomach,  description  of  the,  221,  222;  very 
small  in  the  horse,  222 ;  inflammation  of 
the,  223 ;  pump  recommended  in  apoplexy, 
97. 

Stone  in  the  bladder,  symptoms  and  treatment 
of,  246  ;  kidney,  ib. 

Stoppings,  the  best  composition  of,  and  their 
great  use,  416. 

Stranger,  performance  of,  38. 

Strangles,  symptoms  and  treatment  of,  154  ; 
distinguished  from  glanders,  131  ;  the  im- 
portance of  blistering  early  in,  155. 

Strangury,  produced  by  blistering,  347  ;  treat- 
ment of,  ib. 

Strawberry  horse,  account  of  the,  386. 

Stringhalt,  nature  of,  107;  is  decidedly  un- 
soundness, 109,  395, 

Structure  of  the  horse,  importance  of  a  know- 
ledge of,  69. 

Strychnia,  account  of,  416. 

Stud-book,  English,  reliance  to  be  placed  on, 

Stureshly,  race  won  by,  37. 

Stylo-maxillaris   muscle,  description    of  the, 

125. 
Sublingual  gland,  description  of  the,  154. 
Submaxillary  glands,  description  of  the,  153  ; 

artery,  description  of  the,  126. 
Sub-scapulo  hyoideus  muscle,  description  of 

the,  125. 
''ugar  of  lead,  use  of,  412. 


Sullivan,  the  Irish  whisperer,  ar<ecdotes  of  his 
power  over  the  horse,  354;  the  younger, 
did  not  inherit  the  power  of  his  father,  an- 
ecdote of  this,  355. 

Sulphate  of  copper,  use  of  in  veterinary  prac- 
tice, 406;  iron,  409  ;  magnesia,  412  ;  zinc, 
417. 

Sulphur,  an  excellent  alterative  and  ingre- 
dient in  all  applications  for  mange,  416, 

Surfeit,  description  and  treatment  of,  387  ;  im- 
portance of  bleeding  in,  388. 

Suspensory  ligament,  beautiful  mechanism 
of  the,  275;  rupture  of  the,  276;  suspen- 
sory muscle  of  the  eye,  description  of  the, 
92. 

Swallowing  without  grinding,  360. 

Swelled  legs,  cause  and  treatment  of,  291  ; 
most  frequently  connected  with  debility, 
292. 

Sweetbread,  description  of  the,  231. 

Sympathetic  nerves,  description  of  the,  80, 

Tail,  anatomy  of  the,  167;  fracture  of  the, 
328  ;  docking,  350  ;  nicking,  351. 

Tar,  its  use  in  veterinary  practice,  416, 

Tares,  a  nutritive  and  healthy  food,  377, 

Tartar,  cream  of,  413. 

Tayloe,  B.  O.,  his  views  of  the  American  turf, 
23,  24,  32. 

Tears,  the  secretion  and  nature  of  the,  84 ; 
how  conveyed  to  the  nose,  ib. ;  sometimes 
shed  by  the  horse  from  pain  and  grief,  ib. 

Teeth,  description  of  the,  as  connected  with 
age,  144  ;  at  birth,  ib. ;  2  months,  ib. ;  12 
months,  145;  18  months,  146;  the  front 
sometimes  pushed  out,  that  the  nest  pair 
may  sooner  appear,  and  the  horse  seem  to 
be  older  than  he  is,  147  ;  3  years,  146;  3i 
years,  147;  4  years,  ib.;  4i  years,  148; 
5  years,  ib.;  6  years,  ib.;  7  years,  149; 
8  years,  ib.;  change  of  the,  146;  enamel 
of  the,  145;  irregular,  inconvenience  and 
danger  of,  151 ;  mark  of  the,  145;  frauds 
practised  with  regard  to  the,  147 ;  diseases 
of  the,  151. 

Temper  denoted  by  the  eye,  82 ;  by  the  ear, 
80. 

Temperature,  sudden  change  of,  injurious  in 
its  effect,  367. 

Temporal  bones,  description  of  the,  74. 

Tendons  of  the  leg,  267. 

Tetanus,  symptoms,  causes  and  treatment  o£ 
103. 

Thick  wind,  nature  and  treatment  of,  212 
214,  215;  often  found  in  round-chestec 
horses,  213. 

Thigh  and  haunch  bones,  description  of,  279  ; 
form  of,  280;  should  be  long  and  muscula" 
t6. ;  description  of  the  muscles  of  the  inside 
of  the  upper  bone  of,  ib. ;  do.  of  the  outside, 
ib. ;  niechanical  calculation  of  their  power 
281. 

Thompson's  description  of  the  bull,  54. 

Thorough-pin,  the  nature  and  treatment  of^ 
285  ;  is  not  unsoundness,  395. 

Thrush,  nature   and   treatment  of,  318;  the 


INDEX. 


447 


consequence,  rather  than  the  cause  of  con- 
traction,  319  ;  its  serious  nature  and  conse- 
quences not  sufficiently  considered,  ib.; 
constitutes  unsoundness,  395. 

Thymus  gland,  the,  175. 

Thyroid  cartilage  of  the  windpipe,  description 
of  the,  163. 

Tibia,  account  of  the,  283,  285  ;  fracture  of, 
329. 

Tied  in  below  the  knee,  nature  and  disadvan- 
tage of,  269. 

Timoleon,  race  won  by,  36. 

Tinctures,  account  of  the  best,  417. 

Tips,  description  and  use  of,  341. 

Tobacco,  when  used,  417. 

Toe,  bleeding  at  the,  described,  190. 

Tom  Thutnb,,  his  performances,  58,  59. 

Tongue,  anatomy  of  the,  152  ;  diseases  of,  ib. ; 
bladders  along  the  under  part  of,  153. 

Tonics,  an  account  of  the  best,  417  ;  their  use 
and  danger  in  veterinary  practice,  ib. 

Topgallant,  performance  of,  57,  58;  height 
of,  65. 

Top  Sawyer,  performance  of,  58. 

Torsion,  the  mode  of  castration  by,  254 ;  for- 
ceps, description  of,  ib. 

Trachea,  or  windpipe,  description  of,  164; 
inflammation  of,  194. 

Tracheotomy,  165;  operation  of,  ib. 

Trapezius  muscle,  description  of  the,  258. 

Trapezium  bone,  description  of  the,  265. 

Tread,  nature  and  treatment  of,  312;  often 
producing  sandcrack  or  quittor,  ib. 

Treasurer,  races  won  by,  37,  38. 

Trenton,  race  won  by,  37. 

Tripping,  an  annoying  and  inveterate  habit, 
366. 

Trochanter  of  the  thigh,  description  of  the, 
280. 

Trochlearis  muscle,  the,  93. 

Trotter,  American,  49. 

Trotters,  American,  49  ;  superiority  over  Eng- 
lish, 49,  51 ;  speed  of,  50,  51 ;  speed  of 
\merican  attributed  to  management  rather 
than  to  breed,  51 ;  should  not  be  put  in 
training  too  young,  52. 

Trotting,  American  horses  excel  English,  49 ; 
great  number  of  clubs  in  America,  50,  ex- 
traordinary match,  60;  height  of  horses, 
64,  65. 

Trotting  on  the  Beacon  course,  63;  tables, 
57 ;  horses  should  do  nothing  but  trot,  54. 

Turbinated  bones,  description  of  the,  124. 

Turner,  Mr.  T.,  on  clipping,  383. 

Turnips,  considered  as  an  article  of  food,  379. 

Turpentine,  the  best  diuretic,  243 ;  a  useful 
ingredient  in  many  ointments,  417. 

Tushes,  description  of  the,  198,  199. 

Twitch,  description  of  the,  345. 

Ulcers  in  the  mouth,  treatment  of,  151,  152. 
Ulna,  description  of  the,  261. 
Unguiculata,  a  tribe  of  animals,  67 
Ungulata,  a  tribe  of  animals,  68, 
Unilateral  -shoe,  339. 
Unsoundness,    contraction  does   not  always 


cause  it,  307 ;  being  discovered,  the  animal 
should  be  tendered,  397  ;  ditto,  but  the  ten- 
der or  return  not  legally  necessary,  i6, ;  the 
horse  may  be  returned  and  action  briiught 
for  depreciation  in  value,  but  this  not  ad- 
visable, ib. ;  medical  means  may  be  adopted 
to  cure  the  horse,  they  are,  however,  better 
declined,  lest  in  an  unfortunate  issue  of  the 
case  they  should  be  misrepresented,  396. 

Unsteadiness  whilst  mounting,  remedy  for 
359. 

Urine,  albuminous,  245 ;  bloody,  ib. 

Vastus  muscle,  description  of  the,  280. 

Veins,  description  of  the,  188;  of  the  arm, 
description,  &.C.,  285;  of  the  neck,  ditto, 
161 ;  of  the  face,  ditto,  125  ;  of  the  shoulder, 
ditto,  252 ;  inflammation  of  the,  treatment 
of,  161. 

Velocity,  race  won  by,  37. 

Vena  portarum,  the,  231. 

Verdigris,  an  uncertain  medicine,  when  given 
internally,  406  ;  a  mild  caustic,  ib. 

Vermin,  account  of,  390. 

Vertebrae,  the  dorsal  and  lumbar,  167. 

Vertebrated  animals,  what,  67. 

Vices  of  horses,  account  of  the,  353. 

Vicious  to  clean,  a  bad  habit  that  should  he 
conquered,  359  ;  to  shoe,  a  bad  habit  that 
may  also  be  conquered,  360. 

Vinegar,  its  use  in  veterinary  practice,  398. 

Vines,  Mr.,  his  use  of  the  Spanish  fly  in  glan- 
ders, 404. 

Viper,  account  of  the  bite  of,  225. 

Vision,  theory  of,  88. 

Vitreous  humour  of  the  eye,  account  of  the, 
91. 

Vitriol,  blue,  use  of,  in  veterinary  practice, 
406. 

Volcano,  performance  of,  58. 

Wagner,  racea  won  by,  39. 

Wall-eyed  horses,  what,  89;  whether  they 
become  blind,  ib. 

Warbles,  treatment  of,  174. 

Warranty,  the  form  of  a,  395  ;  breach  of,  how 
established,  ib. ;  no  price  will  imply  it,  396; 
when  there  ia  none,  the  action  must  be 
brought  on  the  ground  of  fraud,  ib. 

Warts,  method  of  getting  rid  of,  390. 

Washington,  match  won  by,  57  ;  height  ofj 
65. 

Washing  of  the  heels,  productive  of  grease, 
295. 

Washy  horses,  description  and  treatment  of, 
236. 

Wasps,  treatment  of  the  sting  of,  225. 

Water-dropwort,  poisonous,  226;  hemlock, 
poisonous,  ib. ;  parsley,  poisonous,  ib. 

Water,  generally  given  too  sparingly,  379 , 
management  of  on  a  journey,  3S0;  the  dif- 
ference in  effect,  between  hard  and  soft, 
379  ;  spring,  principally  injurious  on  ac- 
count of  its  coldness,  ib. ;  stomach  of  the 
horse,  the,  230. 

Water  farcy,  nature  and  treatment  of,  138. 


448 


INDEX. 


Wax  used  in  charges  and  plasters,  417. 

Weaknrss  o*"  the  foot,  what,  321. 

Weaving-  indicating  an  irritable  temper,  and 
no  cure  for  it,  366. 

Whalebone,  performance  of,  57,  59;  height 
of,  65. 

Wheat,  considered  as  food  for  the  horse,  375, 
379  ;  inconvenience  and  danger  of  it,  375. 

Wheezer,  description  of  the,  215 ;  is  unsound, 
392. 

Whisperer,  tlie  anecdotes  of  his  power  over 
ttie  liorse,  354. 

Whistler,  description  of  the,215;  is  unsound, 
392. 

White  lead,  use  of,  411  ;  vitriol,  its  use  in  ve- 
terinary practice,  417. 

Wind,  broken,  nature  and  treatment  of,  213; 
galls,  description  and  treatment  of,  271, 
278;  ditto,  unsoundness  when  they  cause 
lameness,  or  are  likely  to  do  so,  395  ;  thick, 
nature  and  treatment  of,  212. 


Windpipe,  description  of  the,  164;  should  he 

prominent  and  loose,  165. 
Wind-sucking,  nature   of,    and    remedy  for, 

362. 
Withers,  description  of  the,  158,  173;  high, 

advantage  of,  ib. ;   fistulous,  treatment  of, 

174. 
Worms,  different  kinds,  and   treatment  of, 

239. 
Wounds  in  the  feet,  treatment  of,  315. 

Yankee  Sal,  performance  of,  58. 

Yellows,  symptoms  and  treatment  of  the,  242 

Yew,  the  leaves  of,  poisonous,  226. 

Zinc,  its  use  in  medicine,  417. 

Zoological  classification  of  the  horse,  67. 

Zygomatic  arch,  reason  of  the  strong  con- 
struction of  the,  75. 

Zygomaticus  muscle,  description  of  tbe^ 
125. 


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New  and  condensed  edition,  with  a  Map,  from  actual  Surveys. 

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Expedition  to  the  Dead  Sea  The  interest  wliich  was  excited  and  gratified  by  the  first  pablieation  of  this 
work,  demanded  that  it  should  be  placed  in  a  form  for  more  general  circulation,  and  this  demand  is  met  in  the 
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versed  in  the  subject  it  treats  of  should  be  ignorant  of  the  facts  it  details.  We  cannot  dismiss  the  work  wiiii- 
out  saying  that,  apart  from  the  absorbing  interest  which  belongs  to  the  subject,  the  author  has  given  it  a  charm 
in  the  easy,  flowing,  and  correct  style  in  which  the  narrative  is  written,  that  makes  the  reailer  reluctant, 
when  h^  has  taken  up  the  volume,  to  lay  it  down  before  it  is  finished,  and  which  will  cause  hiin  to  return  to 
it  again  and  again,  with  renewed  interest  and  pleasure. — Baltimore  Patriot. 

Copies  may  still  be  had  of  the  FINE  EDITION, 

In  one  very  large  and  handsome  octavo  volume, 
"With  Twenty-eight  beautiful  Plates,  and  Two  Maps. 

This  book,  so  long  and  anxiously  expected,  fully  sustains  the  hopes  of  the  mosi  sanguine  and  fastidious. 
It  is  truly  a  magnificent  work.  The  type,  paper,  binding,  style,  and  execution,  are  all  of  the  best  and  highest 
character,  as  are  also  the  maps  and  engravings.  It  will  do  more  to  elevate  the  character  of  our  national 
literature  than  any  work  that  has  appeared  for  years.  The  intrinsic  interest  of  the  subject  will  give  it  popu- 
larity and  immortality  at  once.  It  must  be  read  to  be  appreciated;  and  ii  will  be  »ead  extensively,  aad 
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LEA  &  BLANCHARD'S  NEW  PUBLICATIONS. 


JOHNSTON'S    PHYSICAL    ATLAS. 

THE    PHYSICAL    ATLAS 

OF  NATURAL  PHENOMENA. 

FOR  THE  USE  OF  COLLEGES,  ACADEMIES,  AND  FAMILIES. 

BY  ALEXANDER  KEITH  JOHNSTON,  F.  R.  G.  S.,  F.  G.  S. 

In  one  large  volume,  imperial  quarlo,  handsomely  bound, 

With  Twenty-six  Plates,  Engraved  and  Colored  in  tlie  liest  style. 

Together  with  112  pages  of  Descriptive  Letterpress,  and  a  very  copious  Index. 

This  splendid  volume  will  fill  a  void  long  felt  in  this  country,  where  no  work  has 
been  attainable  presenting  the  results  of  the  important  science  of  Physical  Geography 
in  a  distinct  and  tangible  form.  The  list  of  plates  subjoined  will  show  both  the  design 
of  the  work  and  the  manner  in  which  its  carrying  out  lias  been  attempted.  The  repu- 
tation of  the  author,  and  the  universal  approbation  with  which  his  Atlas  has  been 
received,  are  sufficient  guarantees  that  no  care  has  been  spared  to  render  the  book 
complete  and  trustworthy.  The  engraving,  printing,  and  coloring  will  all  be  found 
of  the  best  and  most  accurate  description. 

As  but  a  small  edition  has  been  prepared,  the  publishers  request  all  who  may  desire 
to  procure  copies  of  the  work  to  send  orders  through  their  booksellers  without  delay. 
LIST  OF  PLATES. 
GEOLOGY.  I  METEOROLOGY. 

1.  Geological  Structure  of  llie  Globe.  j  1.  FTumboklt's  System  of  Isothermal  Lines. 

•2.  Moumain  Chains  of  Europe  and  Asia.  {  '2.  (ifographical  Disiribuliou  of  the  Currents  of  Air. 


3.  Mountain  Chains  of  America. 

4.  Illustration  of  the  Glacier  System  of  the  Ali)s, 

(Mont  Blanc.) 

5.  Phenomena  of  Volcanic  Action. 

Palajoniological   and    Geological   Map  of   the 
British  Islands.     (A  double  sheet.) 

HYDROGRAPHY. 

1.  Physical  Chart  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 

2.  Physical  Chart  of  the  Indian  Ocean. 

3.  Physical  Chart  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  or  Great  Sea. 

4.  Tidal  Chart  of  llie  British  Seas. 

5.  The  River  Systems  of  Europe  and  Asia. 

6.  The  River  Systems  of  America. 
.      Tidal  Chart  of  the  World. 


llyetographic  or  Rain  Map  of  the  World. 
4.  llyetographic  or  Rain  Map  ofEurope. 

NATURAL  HISTORY. 

1.  Geographical  Distril)ulion  of  Plants. 

2.  Geographical  Distribution  of  the  Cultivated  Plants 
used  as  Food. 

3.  Geographical  Distribution  of  Quadrumana,  Eden- 
tata, Marsupialia,  and  Pachydermala. 

4.  Geographical  Distribution  of  Carnivora. 

5.  Geographical  Distribution  of  Rodenlia  and  Rumi- 
nantia. 

6.  Geograpliical  Distribution  of  Birds. 

7.  Geographical  Distribution  of  Reptiles. 

8.  Ethnographic  Map  of  the  world. 

9.  Ethnographic  Map  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland. 

The  intention  of  this  work  is  to  exhibit,  in  a  popular  and  attractive  form,  the  results 
of  the  researches  of  naturalists  and  philosophers  in  all  the  most  important  branches 
of  Natural  Science.  Its  study  requires  no  previous  training  ;  for  while  facts  and  de- 
ductions are  stated  according  to  the  strictest  rules  of  scientific  inquiry,  they  are  by 
an  ingenious  application  of  colors,  signs,  and  diagrams,  communicated  in  a  manner 
so  simple  and  striking  as  to  render  them  at  once  intelligible  and  easily  retained. 

For  the  first  time,  in  this  country,  the  principles  of  graphic  representation  are  here 
applied  to  the  delineation  of  the  most  important  facts  of  external  phenomena.  Simple 
but  significant  symbolical  signs  have  been  introduced  to  an  extent,  and  with  an  efi"ect, 
hitherto  never  contemplated.  The  contents  of  the  many  volumes,  formerly  the  sole 
depositories  of  information  regarding  the  different  kingdoms  of  nature,  have  been 
condensed  and  reproduced  with  a  conciseness,  precision,  completeness,  and  prompt- 
itude of  application  altogether  unattainable  by  any  other  agency. 

The  elegant  substitute  of  linear  delineation  registers  the  most  complicated  results 
in  the  most  perspicuous  form,  affords  inexhaustible  facilities  for  recording  the  con- 
tinued advance  of  science,  and  "  renders  its  progress  visible." 

The  Physical  Atlas  is  the  result  of  many  years'  labor,  and  in  its  construction  not 
only  have  the  writings  and  researches  of  the  philosophers  and  travellers  of  all  nations 
been  made  use  of,  but  many  of  the  most  eminent  men  of  the  age,  in  the  different  depart- 
ments of  science,  have  contributed  directly  to  its  pages.  The  letterpress  gives  a  con- 
densed description  of  each  subject  treated  of,  with  constant  reference  to  the  elucidation, 
of  the  maps,  and  the  colors  and  signs  employed  arc  uniformly  explained  by  notes  on 
the  plates.  But  while  endeavoring  to  make  available  to  every  one  the  rich  stores  of 
knowledge  otherwise  nearly  inaccessible,  it  has  ever  been  borne  in  mind  that,  in  such 
a  Avork,  accuracy  and  truth  are  the  first  requisites,  in  order  that  If  may  be  a  guide  to  the 
naturalist  in  investigating  the  more  philosophical  departments  of  science,  and  to  the 
inquirer  in  showing  what  has  already  been  done,  and  what  remains  to  be  accomplished, 
in  perhaps  the  most  universally  interesting  and  attractive  branch  of  human  knowledge. 


LEA  &  BLANCHAKD'S  NEW  PUBLICATIONS. 


JOHNSTONS    PHYSICAL    ATLAS.- (Continued.) 

From  among  a  vast  number  of  commendatory  notices  the  publishers  submit  the  following  : — 
We  have  thus  rapidly  run  through  tlie  contents  of  the  Atlas  to  show  its  comprehensiveness  and 
philosophic  arrangement.  Of  its  execution  no  praise  would  be  in  excess.  The  maps  are  from 
the  original  plates,  and  these  are  beautifully  finished,  and  the  coloring  has  been  laid  on  with  the 
utmost  nicety  and  care.  The  size  is  an  imperial  quarto,  and  the  accompanying  text  embraces  a 
vast  amount  of  details  that  the  imagination  is  called  on  to  fasten  and  associate  with  the  maps.  The 
enterprise  and  fine  taste  of  the  American  publishers  will,  we  hope,  be  rewarded  by  an  extensive 
sale  of  this  most  admirable  work.  No  school-room  auu  no  family  should  be  without  the  Physical 
Alias. 

In  the  hands  of  a  judicious  teacher,  or  head  of  a  family,  information  of  the  most  varied  nature 
in  all  departments  of  science  and  natural  history  can  be  introduced  and  commented  onj  in  refer- 
ence to  its  geographical  bearing,  while  the  materials  of  the  text  and  the  Atlas  may  be  commented 
on  to  any  desired  extent.  Such  works  give  attractiveness  to  knowledge,  and  stimulate  to  energy 
the  mind  of  the  young;  while  in  the  beauty,  harmony,  and  intermediate  reactions  of  nature  thus 
exhibited,  the  faculties  of  imagination  and  judgment  find  room  for  equal  exercise  and  renewed 
delight.  It  is  the  lively  picture  and  representation  of  our  planet. — N.  Y.  Lit.  World,  March  9,  1850. 

The  book  before  us  is,  in  short,  a  graphic  encyclopajdia  of  the  sciences — an  alias  of  human 
knowledge  done  into  maps.  It  exemplifies  the  truth  which  it  expresses — that  he  who  runs  may 
read.  The  Thermal  Laws  of  Leslie  it  enunciates  by  a  bent  line  running  across  a  map  of  Europe; 
the  abstract  researches  of  Gauss  it  embodies  in  a  few  parallel  curves  winding  over  a  section  of  the 
globe;  a  formula  of  Laplace  it  melts  down  to  a  little  path  of  mezzotint  shadow;  a  problem  of  the 
transcendental  analysis,  which  covers  pages  with  definite  integrals,  it  makes  plain  to  the  eye  by  a 
little  stippling  and  hatching  on  a  given  degree  of  longitude!  All  possible  relations  of  time  and 
space,  heat  and  cold,  wet  and  dry,  frost  and  snow,  volcano  and  storm,  current  and  tide,  plant  and 
beast,  race  and  religion,  attraction  and  repulsion,  glacier  and  avalanche,  fossil  and  mammoth,  river 
and  mountain,  mine  and  forest,  air  and  cloud,  and  sea  and  sky — all  in  the  earth,  and  under  the 
earth,  and  on  the  earth,  and  above  the  earth,  that  the  heart  of  man  has  conceived  or  his  head  un- 
derstood— are  brought  together  by  a  marvellous  microcosm,  and  planted  on  these  little  sheets  of 
paper,  thus  making  themselves  clear  to  every  eye.  In  short,  we  have  a  summary  of  all  the  cross- 
questions  of  Nature  for  twenty  centuries — and  all  the  answers  of  Nature  herself  set  down  and 
speaking  to  us  voluminous  system  datis  un  mot Mr.  Johnston  is  well  known  as  a  geo- 
grapher of  great  accuracy  and  research;  and  it  is  certain  that  this  work  will  add  to  his  reputation; 
for  it  is  beautifully  engraved,  and  accompanied  with  explanatory  and  tabular  letterpress  of  great 
value. — London  Athcn<eum, 

To  the  scholar,  to  the  student,  and  to  the  already  large  yet  daily  increasing  multitude  of  inqui- 
rers who  cultivate  natural  science,  the  Physical  Atlas  is  a  treasure  of  incalculable  value.  It  brings 
before  the  mind's  eye,  in  one  grand  panoramic  view,  and  in  a  form  clear,  definite,  and  easily  com- 
prehensible, all  the  facts  at  present  known  relative  to  the  great  subjects  of  which  it  treats,  and 
may  be  regarded  as  a  lucid  epitome  of  a  thousand  scattered  volumes,  more  or  less  intrinsically 
valuable,  of  which  it  contains  the  heart  and  substance. — Blackwood's  Magazine. 

Although  we  have  thus  endeavored  to  give  our  readers  an  idea  of  the  valuable  contents  of  the 
Physical  Atlas,  yet  we  are  persuaded  that  it  is  only  by  an  examination  and  study  of  the  work  itself, 
that  they  can  form  anything  like  an  accurate  estimate  of  the  amount  of  instruction  and  even  amuse- 
ment which  it  affords.  In  public  libraries  and  reading-rooms  the  work  will  be  of  inestimable  value; 
and  in  our  public,  and  even  private  schools,  the  teacher  can  scarcely  perform  his  duties  to  the 
youth  under  his  charge,  unless  he  gives  them  the  advantage  of  studying  the  phenomena  of  the 
material  universe  through  the  medium  of  its  graphic  representations. — North  British  Review. 

From  a  work  so  rich  in  information,  and  so  varied  in  its  materials,  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
select  and  compress  into  moderate  compass  anything  which  will  give  the  general  reader  a  satisfac- 
tory idea  of  its  character  and  contents.  It  is  a  merit  which  may  justly  be  conceded  to  these  maps, 
that  almost  every  one  of  them  embodies  the  materials  of  many  volumes — the  results  of  long  years 
of  research — and  exhibits  the  most  valuable  thoughts  of  the  most  distinguished  men  of  the  age, 
pictured  visibly  to  the  eye. — Edinburgh  Review. 


FI^ETCilEH'S   A'lIVEVEII.    (\ow  Ready.) 

NOTES     FROM     NINEVEH, 
And  Travels  in  Mesopotamia,  Assyria,  and  Syria. 

BY  THE  REV.  J.  P.  FLETCHER. 

In  one  neat  royal  12mo.  volume,  extra  cloth. 
Well  written,  and  deeply  interesting.— i\^or(ft  American. 


STRICKLAND'S    QUEENS    OF    ENGLAND. 
A  "Xew  and  Elegant  Edition  of 

LIVES  QF  THE  QUEENS  OF  ENGLAND. 

BY  AGNES  STRICKLAND. 

Forming  a  handsome  series  in  crown  octavo,  beautifully  printed  with  large  type  on  fine  paper, 
done  up  in  rich  extra  crimson  cloth,  and  sold  at  a  cheaper  rate  than  former  editions. 


LEA  &  BLANCHARD'S  NEW  PUBLICATIONS. 


J\'Iill^  .fJS'If  CME.1l'ESi  EnfTIO.^\ — V.m-  Ready, 

KENNEDY'S   LIFE    OF    WIRT. 

MEMOIRS  OF  THE  LIFE  OF  WILLIAM  WIRT. 

BY. JOHN  P.   KENNEDY. 

NEW    EDITION,  REVISED. 
In  two  large  vols.,  royal  12mo.,  with  a  Portrait  and  fac-simile  letter  from  John  Adams. 
The  whole  of  Mr.  Wirt's  Papers,  Correspondence,  Diaries,  &c.,  having  been  placed  in  the  hands 
of  Mr.  Kennedy,  to  be  used  in  this  work,  it  will  be  found  to   contain    much   that  is  new  and  inter- 
esting relating  to  the  political  history  of  the  times,  as  well  as  to  the  private  life  of  Mr.  Wirt. 

The  exceedingly  i'avorable  manner  in  which  this  work  has  been  everywhere  received,  having 
rapidiv  exhausted  the  first  edition,  the  publishers  have  pleasure  in  presenting  a  second,  revised,  in 
a  smaller  form  and  at  a  lower  price.  In  so  doing,  they  have  been  desirous  to  meet  the  wishes  of 
many  with  whom  its  former  cost  was  an  objection.  In  its  present  neat  and  convenient  form,  the 
work  is  eminently  fitted  to  assume  the  position  which  it  merits  as  a  book  for  every  parlor-table  and 
for  every  fire-side  where  there  is  an  ap[)reciation  of  the  kindliness  and  manliness,  the  intellect  and 
the  affection,  the  wit  ami  liveliness  which  rendered  William  Wirt  at  once  so  eminent  in  the  world, 
so  brilliant  in  society,  and  so  loving  and  loved  in  the  retirement  of  his  domestic  circle.  Uniting 
all  these  attractions,  it  cannot  fail  to  find  a  place  in  every  private  and  public  library,  and  in  all  col- 
lections of  books  for  the  use  of  schools  and  colleges,  for  the  young  can  have  before  them  no  bright- 
er example  of  what  can  be  accomplished  by  industry  and  resoluticm,  than  the  life  of  William  Wirt, 
as  unconsciously  related  by  himself  in  these  volumes.  To  lawyers  especially  this  work  will  j)re- 
sent  peculiar  attraction,  as  embodying  the  life  of  one  who  rose  from  obscurity  to  the  head  of  his 
profession,  and  as  embracing  sketches  and  observations  on  all  the  most  distinguished  members  of 
the  bar  of  that  brilliant  period,  as  well  as  notices  of  the  many  important  cases  in  which  Mr.  Wirt 
was  engaged. 

This  book  is  for  the  most  part,  as  all  life-like  "liives"  are,  autobiographic.  Wirt  stands  before  you  de- 
picled  l>y  his  own  pen,  eiiher  in  exlract^!  from  his  own  personal  memoirs,  or  from  his  public  addresses,  or  in 
Uie  iVauk  and  careless  self  exposure  of  his  private  letters.  His  life  in  all  its  moods  passes  before  you  in 
liviiifi:  porlraiture.  His  slrii£ri;les  nii(\  jippreheiisions,  his  trials,  hopes,  successes  and  sorrows;  his  defects 
and  mistakes,  his  amiable  weaknesses  and  liis  innocent  vanity,  all  commit  themselves  so  naively  and  so 
iriistiiigly  to  you,  that  you  sympathize  with  all.  The  book  thus  fascinating  your  interest  and  sympathy,  bears 
you  on'with  its  rapid  and  picturesque  sketch,  through  the  scenery  of  his  enliie  life. — St.  Louis  Intelligencer. 

Oue  of  the  most  valualile  books  of  the  season,  and  certainly  one  of  the  most  entertaining  works  ever  pub- 
lished in  ihis  country.  Mr.  Kennedy  is  admirably  qualified  for  the  preparation  of  such  a  work,  and  has  evi- 
dently had  access  to  a  great  variety  of  useful  material.  The  work  is  one  which  should  be  in  the  hands  of 
every  young  man  in  the  coantry.  Its  intrinsic  interest  will  secure  it  a  very  general  popularity. — N.  Y.  Cou- 
rier and  Enquirer. 

Tne  fascinating  letters  of  Mr.  Wirt,  one  of  the  most  brilliant  and  agreeable  men  of  the  day,  in  themselves 
furnish  a  rich  fund  of  instruclion  and  enjoyment.— ib/c/nMO/i'i  Inquirer. 

This  work  has  been  looked  for  with  much  interest  by  the  public,  and  will  not  disappoint  the  high  expecta- 
tions justly  based  upon  the  well-known  talents  of  the  author,  and  the  abundant  materials  left  by  the  disun- 
guished  orator  and  jurist,  to  which  he  has  had  free  access. — Baltimore  American. 

The  style  is  at  once  vigorous  and  fascinating,  and  the  interest  of  the  most  absorbing  character. — Philadtl- 
jihia  Inquirer. 

Air.  Kennedy  is  one  of  the  very  finest  of  American  writers.  He  never  touches  a  subject  that  he  does  not 
adorn— and  it  is  fortunate  for  the  memory  of  Mr.  Wirt  that  the  history  of  his  life  has  fallen  into  such  hands. 
The  publishers  have  performed  their  task  in  excellent  style.  The  paper  and  the  type  are  good,  and  the  whole 
getting  up  is  admirable.— .RicAwiond  Whig. 


Wlil'W  ILATIW  IS>ICTI®KAKT  F»fl  SCMOOI^S.— Just  Ready. 


A  SCHOOL  DICTIONARY  OF  THE  LATIN  LANGUAGE. 

]?Y  m\.  KALTSCHMIDT. 
IN  TWO  PARTS,  LATIN-ENGLISH  AND  ENG  LISH -LATI  N. 

Forming  one  large  volume,  royal   ISmo.,   of  over   nine  hundred   double  column  pages. 
Part  I,  Latin-English,  of  about  500  pages,  just  ready. 

I4lW®X  &N  races  of  MEiV.-Jessl  RcsatJy, 


THE  RACES  OF  MEN. 

A    FRAGMENT. 

BY  IIOBEIIT   KNOX. 

lu  one  neat  volume,  Yoya]  12mo.,  extra  clotli. 

■\Ve  know  of  no  work  which  so  prominently  inilicates  the  absolute  necessity  for  an  entire  revision  of  the 
fundamental  doctrines  of  ihe  science  called  ethnology,  a  revision,  loo,  which,  lo  our  minds,  must  certainly  be 
undertaken  upon  ihe  piincip:i  -i  indii-:iir(1  hy  Dr.  Knox,  and  whose  indicaiioiis  in  the  work  before  us  siamp 
i;.s  author  as  a  man  of  v;i-i'  ,••  mp,^,,'  mielleet,  exiensive  scientific  acquirements,  of  great  jjeneral  know- 
ledge and  discursive  re;u!  I  I  I  I'l.ver,  of  refined  taste  in  the  plastic  arts.  These  acquirements  have 
been,  in  many  instances,  I.,  ■  ;  ,  h.  I  nr  npnn  a  very  favorite  subject  of  the  author  in  a  most  original  and 
valuiible  method  ;  and  ihe  ■  iu^iii.m  before;  us  suffieienily  proves  that  Dr.  Knox  is  almost  the  only  ethnolo- 
gist vvlio  has  seized  ihe  true  fundamental  elements,  which  nmst  form  ihe  basis  of  our  reasoninffs  upon  many 
of  the  most  important  and  interesling  questions  connected  with  the  natural  history  of  man.  Bythe  few  page's 
oiTered  ihem  for  consideration  in  the  work  of  Dr.  Knox,  more  real  knowledge  has  accrued  lo  them  than  after 
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We  must  now  turn  aside  to  make  a  short  excursion  into  lluiiirary,  wiih  Mr.  Pasei  for  our  Ruide.  I;  would 
not  be  well  possible  lo  choose  a  better,  for  he  never  suliers  our  interest  to  floir.  and  appears  to  have  made 
himself  accurately  acquainted,  not  only  with  the  localities  and  traditions  of  tne  counlry,  but  wiili  its  whole 
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and,  after  another  residence  in  Constantinople,  visiting  Nicomedia  and  Adriaiiople.  His  accounts  of  the  pro- 
vincial pashaliks  appear  to  us  to  possess  the  greatest  interest,  and  his?  occasional  notices  of  agricultural  or 
matiufacturing  operations  in  places  removed  from  ihe  capital  are  weU  worth  reading.  These  he  vanes  by 
cleverly-drawn  portraits  of  people  with  whom  his  travel  brought  him  in  coiiuict.  by  remarkable  statistical 
details  not  sei<Iom  telling  against  his  own  views,  and  by  notices  of  the  public  departments  of  stale,  anc  of  the 
leading  Ministers,  which  we  are  not  at  all  disposed  to  think  inaccurate  or  overcharged.  The  abuses  of  the 
Hart-m  are  described  generally  as  in  no  respect  reformed,  melancholy  descriptions  are  siveii  of  ihe  manners 
and  morals  of  women  of  station,  and  Mr  Macfarlane  speaks  wiih  iUdisguised  contempt  and  sarcasm  of  the 
private  character  and  pursuits  of  the  fiah&n.—  Examiner. 


£;i£.W.I.^/'S    S SII  E  111,1.  — ^ust    Heady. 

TI1AT]^L.S    IN    SIBKRIA. 

INCLUDING     EXCURSIONS    NORTHWARD, 

Down  the  Obi  to  the  Folar  Circle,  and  Southward  to  the  Chinese  Frontier, 

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is  known,  than  perhaps  of  any  other  densely  inhabited  portion  of  the  globe.  Dr.  Erman  devoted 
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United  Slates,  made  himself  thoroughly  conversant  with  our  national  genius  and  character,  and  w  ih  our 
peenliarities.  political,  social,  moral,  and  religious.  These  he  describes  with  the  spirit  and  vivacity  of  a 
keenly  observant  man.  but  wilh  the  kindness  of  a  friend  ;  and  while  he  does  not  hesiiaie  to  express  disap- 
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oi  the  Trollopes  and  Basil  Halls. 


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IRISH    MELODIES, 

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Witli  Notes  and  Autobiographical  Prefaces. 

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ASPECTS    OF    NATURE, 

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WITH    SCIENTIFIC    ELUCIDATIONS. 

BY  ALEXANDER  VON  HUMBOLDT. 

TRANSLATED     BY     MRS.     SABINE. 

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wiUi  the  precise   knowledge  and  minule  accuracy  of  the  man  of  science. — London  Spectator. 

I'he  inlriiisic  interest  of  ihis  pulilicaiion  must  secure  for  it  a  vi^ide  and  rapid  popularity.  It  is  at  one© 
learned  and  fascinating,  decking  the  most  wonderful  features  of  natural  history  in  the  charms  of  a  simple, 
clear,  and  picturesque  style. — Benltty\'  Miscfllany 

The  whole  book  contains  the  most  striking  evidence  of  genius.  Every  page  teems  with  information,  and 
that  of  the  most  curious  kind  — Sunday  Times. 


SOMERVILLE'S    PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 

New  Edition,  much  Improicd— Now  Ready. 

PHYSIC  A  L    g"e  O  G  E  A  P  H  Y. 

BV   MAUY   SOMERVILLE, 

AUTHOR  OF   "the  CONNECTION  OF  THE  PHYSICAL  SCIENCES,"  ETC.  ETC. 

SECOND    AMERICAN     EDITION, 
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The  great  success  of  this  work,  and  its  introduction  into  many  of  the  higlier  schools  and  academies,  have 
induced  the  publishers  to  prepare  a  new  and  much  improved  edition.  In  addition  to  the  corrections  and 
improvements  of  the  author  bestowed  on  the  work  in  it«  passage  through  the  press  a  second  time  in  London, 
notes  have  been  introduced  to  adapt  it  more  fully  to  the  physical  geography  of  this  countr>';  and  a  comprehensive 
glossary  has  been  added,  rendering  the  volume  more  particularly  suited  to  educational  purposes.  The 
amount  of  these  additions  may  be  understood  from  the  fact  tliat  not  only  has  the  size  of  the  page  been  increased, 
but  the  volume  itself  enlarged  by  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  pages.  At  the  same  lime,  the  price  has  not  been 
increased. 

Our  praise  comes  lagging  in  the  rear,  and  is  wrell-nigh  superfluous.  But  we  are  anxious  to  recommend  to 
our  youth  the  enlarged  method  of  studying  geography  which  her  present  work  demonstrates  to  be  a^  capti- 
vating as  it  is  instructive.  Nowhere,  except  in  her  own  previous  work.  The  Connection  of  the  Physical 
Sciences,  is  there  to  be  found  so  large  a  store  of  well-selected  information  so  lucidly  set  forth.  In  surveying 
and  grouping  together  whatever  has  been  seen  by  the  eye  of  others,  or  detected  by  their  laliorious  investiga- 
tions, she  is  not  surpassed  by  any  one.  We  have  no  obscurities  other  than  what  the  imperfect  state  of  sci- 
ence itself  involves  her  in  :  nodisserlations  which  are  felt  to  interrupt  or  delay.  She  strings  her  beads  dis- 
tinct and  close  together.  With  C|Uiel  perspicacity  she  seizes  at  once  whatever  is  most  interesting  and  most 
captivating  in  her  subject.  Therefore  it  is  we  are  for  the  book  ;  and  we  hold  such  presents  as  Mrs  iSomer- 
ville  lias  bestowed  upon  the  public  to  be  of  incalculable  value,  disseminating  more  sound  information  than 
a'l  the  literary  and  scientific  institutions  will  accomplish  in  a  whole  cycle  oif  their  existence.— £/aciiPood'» 
Mri^azine 


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OUTLII\IES  OF~ASTRONO!VIY. 

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Willi  tills,  we  take  leave  of  ihis  remarkable  work  ;  which  we  hold  to  be,  beyond  a  doubt,  Ihe  greatest  and 
most  ri-markalile  of  Ihe  works  in  which  the  laws  of  astronomy  and  ihe  appearance  of  the  heavens  are  de- 
scribed to  those  who  are  not  maihemalicians  nor  observers,  and  recalled  to  those  who  are.  It  is  the  reward 
of  inert  who  can  descend  from  the  advancement  of  knowledge  to  care  for  its  difTusion.  that  their  works  are 
essential  to  all.  that  they  become  the  rtianualsof  the  proficient  as  well  as  the  text  books  of  the  learner  —/IMe'w. 

I'robaldy  no  book  ever  written  upon  any  science,  has  been  found  to  embrace  within  so  small  a  compass  an 
eiitire  e|)itome  of  everything  known  within  all  its  various  departments;  practical,  theoretical;  and  phyiical. — 

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CO.MPRISINCi 
THE  HABITS  OF  THE  GAME    BIRDS    AND    WILD    FOWL  OF    NORTH  AMERICA; 

The  Dog,  the  Gun,  the  Field,  and  the  Kitchen. 
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man who  was  originally  accredited  to  the  English  Cabinet  by  the  (Provisional  Governmenl  of  Hungary.  The 
private  interest  attaching  to  the  recital  of  events  which  have  become  so  famous  would  insure  a  wide  popu- 
larity for  Madame  Pulszky's  book.  But  we  should  very  much  under-eslimaie  its  value  if  we  so  limited  our 
praise  The  Memoirs,  indeed,  contain  sketches  of  social  life  which  are  worthy  of  a  place  by  the  side  of 
INladame  de  Stael  De  Lautiay.  and  Madame  Campan.  But  they  are  also  rich  in  political  and  topographical 
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MISS    KAVANAGH'S   WOMAN    IN    FRANCE. -NOW    READY. 

WOMAN  IN  FRANCE  IN  THE  EIGHTEENTH  CENTURY. 

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In  treating  other  subjects  of  her  gallery— as  for  instance  those  vi-idely  different  personages,  Mdlle  Aiss6  and 
Madame  Roland— Miss  Kavanagh  puts  forth  a  pathetic  power  which  gives  depth  and  repose  to  a  book  that 
in  other  hands  might  have  become  wearying  from  its  unmitigated  sparkle. 

The  critic,  dpaling  with  such  an  encyclopaedia  of  coquetries,  amours,  vicissitudes,  sufferings,  and  repent- 
ances as  the  history  of '■  Woman  in  France"  must  necessarily  be.  is  fain  to  content  himself  with  offering 
merely  a  general  character  like  the  above  Such  is  the  fascination  of  the  sulijecl — such  is  the  fullness  of  mat- 
ter— such  is  the  affluence  of  suggestion — that  every  page  tempts  him  to  stop  for  a  gossip  or  for  speculation  on 
modes  and  morals. 

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lic, while  at  the  same  time  it  is  one  of  the  handsomest  specimens  of  typographical  and  artistic  execulisc 
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Specimens  of  the  Engravings  and  style  of  the  volumes  may  be  had  on  application  to  the  publishers. 


MtJLLER'S  PHYSICS-LATELY  ISSUED. 

PRINCIPLES  OF  PHYSICS  AND  METEOROLOGY.  By  PnoFF.sson  J.  MrLLEn,  M.  D. 
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KWAPP'S  CHEMICAL  TECHNOLOGY. 

TECHNOLOGY;  or,  Chemistry  Applied  to  the  Arts  and  to  Manufactcres.  By  Dn.  F. 
Knapp,  Professor  at  the  University  of  Giessen.  Edited,  with  numerous  Notes  aad  Additions,  by 
Dr.  Edmund  Ronalds  and  Dr.  Thomas  Richardson.  First  American  Edition,  with  Notes  anci 
Additions  by  Prof.  Walter  R.  Johnson.  In  two  handsome  octavo  volumes,  printed  and  illus- 
trated in  the  highest  style  of  art. 

Volume  One.  lately  published,  with  two  hundred  and  fourteen  lar^e  wood  engravings. 
Volume  Two,  just  ready,  with  two  hundred  and  fifiy  wood  engravings. 


WEISBACH'S  MECHANICS. 

PRINCIPLES  OF  THE  IVIECHANICS  OF  MACHINERY  AND  ENGINEERING.  By  Pro- 
fessor Julius  Weisbach.  Translated  and  Edited  by  Prof.  Gordon,  of  Glasgow.  First  Ame- 
rican edition,  with  Additions  by  Prof.  Walter  R.  Johnson.  In  two  octavo  volumes,  beautifully 
printed. 

Volume  One,  with  550  illustrations,  Just  issued. 
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The  second  volume  of  this  work  embraces  the  application   of  the  Principles    of  Mechanics  to 

Roofs,  Bridges,  Platform  Scales,  Water  Powers,  Dams,  Water  Wheels,  Turbines,  Water  Engines, 

&c.  &c. 

MOHR,    REDWOOD,    AND  PROCTER'S  PHARMACY. 

PRACTICAL  PHARMACY:  Comprising  the  ArrRn^ements,  Apparatus,  and  Manipulations  of 
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octavo  volume,  of  570  pages,  with  over  500  engravings  on  wood. 

In  preparation,  works  mi  Chemistry,  Jfletallurgy,  Food,  the  Steam  Engine,  JSachines, 
•Sutronomj/,  Rural  Economy,  &'c» 


SIX   MONTHS   IN   THE    GOLD   MINES.     Just  Ready. 

SIX    MONTHS    IN    Yh  E    GOLD    MINES. 

FROM  A  JOURNAL  OF  A  THREE   YEARS'  RESIDENCE   IN    UPPER  AND  LOWER  CALIFOR- 
NIA DURING  lfc47,  lai-i,  AND  1^49. 

BY  E.  GOULD  BUFFUM,  ESQ., 

Lieut.  First  R'gimenl  New  York  Volunteers. 
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BY  W.  B.  CARPENTER,  M.  P.,  F.  R.  .*<., 
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Dr.  G.  L.  Roupell,  and  Dr.  W.  A.  Guy.     A  irr-aiise  on  a  subject  of  such  universal  interest  by  so  distin- 
guished a  physiologist  and  teacher  as  Dr.  Carpenter,  cannot  tail  to  aiiraei  general  attention,  and  be  pro- 
ductive of  much  benefit. 


LEA  >fc  BLAXCHARD'S  NEW  PUBLIC ATIONS.—(Zo«.  Bools.)  9 

SPENCE'S  EQUITY  JURISDICTION.— Now  Complete. 
VOLU.MK  n    JUST  ISSUED. 

EQUITABLE  JURISDICTION  Of'tHE  COURT  OF  CHANCERY. 

BY  GEORGE  SPEXCE,  Esq.,  Queen's  Counsel. 

VOLUME    L 
COMPRISING  ITS  RISE,  PROGRESS,  AND  FINAL  ESTABLISHMENT. 
To  which  is  prefixed,  with  a  view  to  the  elucidation  of  the  main  subject,  a  concise  account  of  the 
Leading  Doctrines  of  the  Common  Law,  and  of  the  Course  of  Procedure  in  the  Courts  of 
Common  Law,  with  res^ard  to  Civil  Rights;  with   an   attempt  to   trace   them  to 
their  sources;  and  in  which  the  various  Alterations  made  by  the  Legis- 
lature down  to  the  present  day  are  noticed. 
VOLUME     II. 
COMPRISING    EQUITABLE    ESTATES    AND    INTERESTS;    THEIR    NATURES, 
QUALITIES  AND  INCIDENTS. 
In  which  is  incorporated,  so  far  as  relates  to  these  subjects,  the  substance  of"  Maddock's  Treatise 

on  the  Principles  and  Practice  of  the  High  Court  of  Chancery. 

The  whole  forming  two  very  large  octavo  volumes,  of  over  Sixteen  Hundred  large  pages,  strongly 

bound  in  the  best  law  sheep. 

In  the  first  volume,  the  History  of  the  Court  of  Chancery  has  been  brought  down  to  the  time 
when  its  modern  jurisdiction  was  established,  nnd  the  various  heads  under  which  its  jurisdiction 
may  be  classed,  were  there  stated.  The  object  of  the  second  volume  is  to  illustrate  the  principles 
upon  which  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Courts  of  Chancery  is  now  exercised,  in  regard  to  what  are,  for 
the  purposes  of  this  work,  designated  as  "  Equitable  Estates  and  Interests." 

The  appearance  of  this  work  lias  been  delayed  beyond  the  period  originally  anticipated,  by  the 
care  which  the  author  has  exercised  in  collecting  materials  from  every  side,  and  treating  thoroughly 
every  ramification  of  his  subjects.  Those  who  possess  the  first  volume  should  lose  no  time  in 
completing  their  sets  while  the  second  volume  is  to  be  had  separate. 

Some  three  years  ago.  we  had  occasion  to  notice  tlie  first  volume  ot"  this  work.  (4  West.  Law.  Jour.  90.) 
We  then  said,  -The  second  volume  will  treat  the  subjeel  ot"  Chancery  jurisdiction  praoiieally  as  ii  is  now 
exercised;  and  judging  from  what  we  have  now  seen,  we  should  think  the  whole  work  would  prove  to  be 
by  far  the  most  learned  and  elaborate  work  yet  wriuen  upon  the  su'iecl."  This  prediction  has  been  fully 
realized  by  the  appearance  of  the  second  volume.  It  seems  to  exhaust  the  learning  connected  with  all  the 
subjects  of  which  it  treats.  These  sulTicienlly  appear  from  the  title-page.  The  leading  cases  are  so  fully 
analyzed,  as  almost  to  supersede  the  necessity  of  consulting  the  reports.—  Western  Law  Journal,  April  1550. 

Thus  he  has  given  us  the  most  perfect  and  lailhful  his'.ory  of  the  English  Law.  especially  in  remote  ages, 
which  has  ever  been  offered  to  the  legal  profession.  Reeves  is  undoubtedly  more  full  and  particular  in  minute 
details,  but  the  present  is  the  only  work  to  which  we  can  have  ppcourse  for  a  satistactory  and  philosophical 
acquaimauce  wiih  the  growth  of  English  jurisprudence.  To  the  professional  lawyer,  no  recommendation  is 
necessary  to  gain  favor  for  a  production  which  will  elucidate  much  that  is  dark  in  the  history  and  practice 
of  the  law,  and  furnish  him  with  the  history  and  growth  of  the  courts  in  which  he  practices,  and  the  princi- 
ples which  it  is  his  duty  to  expound.  We  will  now  leave  this  inestimable  work,  with  a  general  commenda- 
tion and  a  hearty  concurrence  with  the  eulogy  pronounced  by  the  London  Jurists  trusting,  less  on  account 
of  its  own  merits,  than  for  the  credit  of  the  profession  in  Virginia,  that  lawyers  at  least  will  not  neglect  to 
study  its  pages  most  diligently.— iJjcAmonrf  irAi§-. 

If  Mr.  Spence's  professional  engagements  should  admit  of  his  completing  with  due  accuracy  a  work  of  this 
elaborate  and  coinprei.ensive  character,  he  will  have  conferred  a  lasting  >ervice  on  his  profession.  The  gen- 
tleman's qualifications  for  the  task  are  undoubtedly  great.  To  say  nothing  of  his  great  practical  experience, 
he  is  the  author  of  the  valuable  '■  Inquiry  into  the  Origin  of  the  Laws  of  Modern  Eiirope."  &c.—  Warrtn's  Law 
StU'lies.  p.  241. 

Mr.  Spence  has  entitled  himself  to  these  thanks  by  the  production  of  the  volume  now  before  us.  in  which 
we  find,  as  the  result  of  inquiries  ihat  must  have  been  painfully  laborious,  a  deeply  intere<tiiig  account  of  the 
origin  and  gradual  growth  of  the  Court  of  Chancery,  and  of  iis  equitable  principles. — London  Jurist. 
From  Pro/.  Simon  Greenlenf. 

It  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  works  on  English  Law  issued  from  the  American  press,  and  I  earnestly  hope 
that  your  enterprise  will  be  liberally  rewarded  by  the  patronage  of  the  prolessiou. 


HIL.I.IARI>    OX    REAL.    ESTATE.      Eately  Isstied. 

THE   AMERICAN   LAW~~OF   REAL  PROPERTY. 

Second  edition,   revised,  corrected,   and  enla.rged. 
BY  FRANCIS   HILLIAED, 

Counsellor  at  Law. 
In  two  large  octavo  volumes,  beautifully  printed,  and  bound  in  best  law  sheep. 

This  book  is  designed  as  a  substitute  for  Cruise's  Digest,  occupying  the  same  ground  in  American 
law  which  that  work  has  long  covered  in  English  law.  It  embraces  all  that  portion  of  the  English 
Law  of  Real  Estate  which  has  any  applicability  in  this  country  ;  and  at  the  same  time  it  embodies 
the  statutory  provisions  and  adjudged  cases  of  all  the  States  upon  the  same  subject;  thereby  con- 
stituting a  complete  elementary  treatise  for  American  students  and  practitioners.  The  plan  of  the 
work  is  such  as  to  render  it  equally  valuable  in  all  the  States,  embracing,  as  it  does,  the  peculiar 
modifications  of  the  law  in  each  of  them.  In  this  edition,  the  statutes  and  decisions  subsequent  to 
the  former  one,  which  are  very  numerous,  have  all  been  incorporated,  thus  making  it  one-third 
larger  than  the  original  work,  and  bringing  the  view  of  the  law  upon  the  subjeel  treated  (juite 
down  to  the  present  time.  The  book  is  recommended  in  the  highest  terms  by  distinguished  jurists 
of  different  States. 


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A    NEW   LAW   DICTIONARY, 

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WHEATON'S     INTERNATIONAL     LAW. 

ELEMENTS  OF  INTERNATIONAL  LAW.      By  Henry  Wheaton,  LL.  D.,  Minister  of  the 
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ofour  author  it  is  a  delightful  one. — North  American. 


A     NEW    WORK    ON_COURTS     MARTIAL. 

A  TREATISE    ON    AMERICAN  MILITARY  LAW,  AND    THE    PRACTICE    OF    COURTS- 
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ries stand  to  Common  Law.—  U.  S.  Gazette. 

TAYLOR'S   MEDICAL   JURISPRUDENCE.— New  Edition,  Just  Ready,  1850. 

A   PRACTICAL  TREATISE  ON    MEDICAL   JURISPRUDENCE     By  Alfred  S.  Taylor.     AViih   nu- 
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TAYLOR'S     MANUAL    OF   TOXICOLOGY. 

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TRAILL'S 

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11 


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VOL U. ME  I 

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RECTOR  OF  THE  HIGH  SCHOOL.  EDIXSCRGH. 

In  one  ISmo.  vol.  of  3IS  pages,  price  60  cents.        (  In  one  handsome  ISmo.  volu 

Handsome  editions  of  Horace  and  Ovid,  on  the  same  plan,  will  shortly  follow,  together  with  First  and  Second 
Reading  Books,  a  School  Classical  Dictionary.  &c. 


VOLUME  IX.-(\ear!v  Readv.) 

INTRODUCTION  TO  LATIN  GRAMMAR. 

BY  LEONHARD  SCHMITZ,  Ph.  D..  F.  R.S.  E.,  &c. 


BOI.3IAR'S    FRE]VCM    SERIES. 

New  editions  of  the  following  works,  by  A.  Bolm.\r,  forming,  in  connection  with  "Bolmar's  Levizac,"  a 

complete  series  for  ihe  aoquisilion  of  the  French  language: — 

A  SELECTION  OF  0.\E  HUNDRED  PERRfN'-s  FABLES,  accompanied  by  a  Key,  containing  the  text, 
a  literal  and  free  iranslaiion,  arranged  in  such  a  manner  as  to  point  out  the  difference  between  the  French 
and  English  idiom.  &c.,  in  one  vol   12mo. 

A  COLLECTION  OF  COLLOQUI.\L  PHRASES,  on  every  topic  necess.\ry  to  maintain  convers.^- 
Tiox.  Arranged  under  different  heads,  with  iiumrrous  remarks  on  the  peculiar  pronunciation  and  uses  of 
various  words:  the  whole  so  disposed  as  considerably  to  lacililate  the  acquisition  of  a  correct  pronuncia- 
tion of  ihe  French,  in  one  vol.  IScno 

LF.S  AVENTURES  DE  TELEMAQUE.  PAR  FENELON.  in  one  vol.  12mo,  accompanied  by  a  Key  to 
the  first  eight  books,  in  one  vol.  Idmo  .  containing,  like  the  Fables,  the  text,  a  literal  anU  free  translation, 
intended  as  a  sequel  lo  the  Fables.     Either  volume  sold  separatelv. 

ALL  THE  FRENCH  VERBS,  both  regular  and  irregular,  in  a  small  volume. 


HERSCHEL'S  OUTLINES  OF  ASTRONO.MY.    (Just  Issued)    In  one  handsome  volurae,   crown  Svo., 

witn  six  plates  and  numerous  wood-cuis 
HERSCHKI/S  TREATISE  ON  ASTRONOMY.    In  one  12mo.  vol..  half  bound,  with  plates  and  cuts. 
BREWSTER'S  ELEMENTS  OF  OPTICS.     In  one  vol    12ino..  halfhound.  with  many  wood-cuts. 
MULLER'S  PRINCIPLES  OF  PHYSICS  AND    .METEOROLOGY.    In  one  large  and  handsome  Svo. 

volume,  with  540  wooilcuis  and  two  colored  plates. 
BIRDS  ELE.MENTS  OF  NATURAL  PHILOSOPHY.    In  one  large  and  handsome  royal  l-2mo.  volume, 

will  3T2  wood  cms. 
ARNOTT"S  ELEME.NTS  OF  PHYSICS.    In  one  Svo  volume,  with  numerous  wood-cuts. 
FOWNE  S  CHEMISTRY'  FOR  STUDENTS.    In  one  large  royal  V2mo.  volume,  with  nearly  two  hundred 

wood-ruts. 
BU  TLERS  ANCIENT  ATLAS.    In  one  Svo.  volurae.  half  bound,  with  twenty-one  colored  quarto  maps. 
BUTLER'S  .\NCIE.NT  GEOGRAPHY.    In  one  roval  12mo.  volurae.  halfhound. 
WHITE'S  ELE.MEN  rS  OF  UNIVERSAL  HISTORY'.    Edited  by  J.  S.  Hart,  LL.  D.    In  one  large  royal 

ISmo.  volume,  halfhound. 
SO.MERVILLE'S  PHYSICAL  GEOGRAPHY".    Second  and  enlarged  edition,  with  a  Glossary  and  Ameri- 
can Noie*     In  one  larsre  royal  l'3mo.  volurae.  extra  cloth. 
SH  A  WS  OUTLINES  OF  ENGLISH  LirF.R.\TURE.     In  one  large  royal  12mo.  volume. extra  cloth. 
FOSTERS  HANDBOOK  OF  EUROPEAN  LITERATURE,  lor  the  use  of  Schools  and  Private  Families. 

In  one  roval  limo.  volume,  extra  cloth. 
JOHNSTON'S    PHY'SICAL    .\TLAS   OF    NATURAL    PHENOMENA.    In  one  large  imperial  quarto 

volume,  halfhound  in  morocco.    With  26  large  and  beauufully  engraved  maps,  colored. 


TO  THE  MEDICAL  PROFESSION. 

I/ea  &  BlancViard  sul  join  a  list  of  their  publicaiioiis  in  medical  and  other  sciences,  to  which  they  would 
invite  the  attention  of  tlie  Profession,  wilh  the  full  confidence  that  they  will  be  found  to  correspond  in  every 
respect  with  the  description.  They  are  to  lie  had  of  all  the  principal  liooksellers  throughout  the  Union,  froni 
whom,  or  from  the  puhlisiiers  particulars  respecting  price,  &c.,  may  be  had  on  application. 

Philadeljjhia,  Maij,  If 50. 


DICTIONARIES  AND  JOURNALS. 

American  Journal  of  the  Medical  Sciences,  quar- 
terly, at  $5  a  year. 

Cyclopaedia  of  Practical  Medicine,  by  Forbes, 
Tweedie,  &c.,  edited  by  Dunglison,  in  4  super 
royal   volumes,  3154  double  columned  pages. 

Dunglison's  Medical  Dictionary,  7th  ed.,  1  vol. 
iinp.Svo.,  912  large  pages,  double  columns. 

Hoblyn's  Dictionary  of  Medical  Terms,  by  Hays, 
1  vol.  large  12mo.,  402  pages,  double  columns. 

Medical  News  and  Library,  monthly,  at  $  1  a  year. 

ANATOMY. 

Anatomical  Atlas,  by  Smith  and  Horner,  large 
imp.  8vo.,  650  figures.    New  and  cheaper  ed. 

Horner's  Special  Anatomy  and  Histology,  7th 
edition,  2  vols.  8vo.,  many  cuts,  1130  pages. 

Horner's  United  States  Dissector,  1  vol.  large 
royal  12mo.,  many  cuts,  444  pages. 

Maclise's  Surgical  Anatomy,  Parts  I.  II.  and  III., 
4G  colored  plates,  imp.  4to.  Price  $2  00  each. 
(To  be  complete  in  4  parts.) 

Sharpey  and  Quain's  Anatomy,  by  Leidy,  2  vols. 
Svo.,  1300  pages,  511  wood-cuts.    Now  ready. 

Wilson's  Human  Anatomy,  by  Goddard,4th  edi- 
tion, 1  vol.  Svo. ,  252  wood-cuts,  580  pp. 

Wilson's  Dissector,  or  Practical  and  Surgical 
Anatomy,  with  cuts,  1  vol.  12mo.,  444  pages. 

PHYSIOLOGY. 

Carpenter's  Principles  of  Human  Physiology,  1 

vol.  8vo.,  752  pp.,  300  cuts  and  2  plates,  4th 

edition,  much  improved  and  enlarged.     1850. 
Carpenter's  Elements,  or  Manual  of  Physiolog5  , 

1  vol.  Svo.,  566  pages,  many  cuts. 
Dunglison's  Human  Physiology,  7th   edition,  2 

vols.  8vo.,  1428  pages,  and  472  wood-cuts. 
Harrison  on  the  Nerves,  1  vol.  8vo.,  292  pages. 
Kirkes  and   Paget's   Physiology,   1   vol.   12mo., 

many  cuts,  550  pages. 
Matteucci  on  the  Physical  Phenomena  of  Living 

Beings,  1  vol.  12ino.,  3SS  pp.,  cuts. 
Roget's  Outlines  of  Physiology,  Svo.,  516  pages. 
Solly  on  the  Brain,  1  vol.  8vo.,  496  pp.,  1 18  cuts. 
Todd  and  Bowman's  Physiological  Anatoinyand 

J'hysiology  of  Man,  with  numerous  wood-cuts. 

Parts  I.,  II.  and  III.,  1  vol.  Svo.,  156  wood  cuts. 

PATHOLOGY. 

Abercrombieon  the  Stomach,  1  vol.  8vo.,  320pp. 
Abercrombie  on  the  Brain,  1  vol.  8vo.,  324  pp. 
Alison's  Outlines  ol'Pathology,  &c.,  8vo.,  420  pp. 
Blakiston  on  Diseasesof  the  Chest,  1  vol.,  384  pp. 
Blood  and  Urine  Manuals,  by  Reese,  Griffith,  and 

Markwick,  1  vol.  12rno.,  462  pages,  6  plates. 
Budd  on  the  Liver,  1  vol.  8vo.,  392  pages,  plates 

and  wood-cuts. 
Burrows  on    Cerebral   Circulation,   1   vol.   8vo., 

216  pages,  with  6  colored  plates. 
Billing's  Principles,  1  vol.  8vo.,  304  pages. 
Bird  on  Urinary  Deposits,  Svo.,  228  pages,  cuts. 
Copland  on  Palsy  and  Apoplexy,  1  vol.,  12mo., 

326  pp.     (Novv  Ready.) 
Frick  on  Renal  Affections,  1  vol.  12mo.,  cuts. 

(Just,  Ready.) 
Hasse's  Pathological  Anatomy,  Svo.,  379  pages. 
Hope  on  the  Heart,ne  wed.,  pi's,  1vol.  Svo.,  572  p. 
Hughes  on  the  Lungs,  &c.,  1  vol.  12mo.,  270  pp. 
Lallemand  on  SpermatorrhcEa;  1  vol. Svo. ,  320  pp. 
Mitchell  on  Fevers,  1  vol.  I2mo.,  138  pages. 
Philip  on  Protracted  Indigestion,  Svo.,  240  pp. 
Philips  on  Scrofula,  1  vol.  Svo.,  350  pages. 
Front  on  the  Stomach,  &c.,  1  vol.  8vo.,  466  pp., 

colored  plates. 


Ricordon  Venereal,  new  ed.,  1  vol.  Svo. ,340  pp> 
Stanley   on   Diseases  of  the   Bones,    1  vol.  8vo* 

286  pages.   (A  new  work.) 
Vogel's  Pathological    Anatomy   of   the   Human 

Body,    1   vol.  Svo.,  536  pages,  col.  plates. 
Walshe  on  the  Lungs,  1  vol.  12mo.,  310  pages. 
Wilson  on  the  Skin,  1  vol.  Svo.,  new  ed.,  440  pp. 

Same  work,  with  colored  plates. 
Whitehead  on  Sterility  and  Abortion,  1  vol.  Svo. , 

368  pages. 
Williams'  Principles  of  Medicine,  by  Clymer,  2d 

edition,  440  pages,  1  vol.  Svo. 
Williams  on  the  Respiratory  Organs,  by  Clymer, 

1  vol.  Svo.,  500  pages. 

PRACTICE  OF  MEDICINE. 

Ashwell  on  Females,  2d  ed.,  1  vol.  Svo.,  520  pp. 
Bennet  on  the  LUerus,  2d  and  enlarged   edition, 

1  vol.  Svo.,  356  pages.     (Now  ready.) 
Bartlctt  on  Fevers,  2d  edition,  550  p.iges. 
Benedict's  Compendium  of  Chapman's  Lectures, 

1  vol.  Svo.,  258  pages. 
Chapman  on  Fevers,  Gout,  Dropsy,  &c  &c.,  1  vol. 

Svo.,  450  pages. 
Colombat  de  L'Isere  on  Females,  by  Meigs,  1  vol. 

Svo.,  720  pages,  cuts.     New  edition.     1850. 
Condie  on  the  Diseases  of  Children,  3d  edition, 

1  vol.  Svo.,  just  issued,  1850. 

Churchill  on  the  Diseases  of  Infancy  and  Child- 
hood, 1  vol.  Svo.,  now  ready,  1850. 

Churchill  on  the  Diseases  of  F<2males,  by  Huston, 
5th  edition,  revised  by  the  author,  1  vol.  Svo., 
632  pages,  now  ready,  1850. 

Churchill's  Monographs  of  the  Diseases  of  Fe- 
males, 1  vol.  Svo.,  now  ready,  450  pages. 

Clymer  and  others  on  Fevers,  a  complete  work 
in  1  vol.  Svo.,  600  pages. 

Day  on  Old  Age,  1  vol.  Svo.,  226  pages. 

Dewees  on  Children,  9th  ed.,  1  vol.  Svo.,  548  pp. 

Dewees  on  Females. 9th  ed.,  1  vol.Svo.,53v  p.  pis. 

Dunglison's    Practice  of  Medicine^  3d    edition, 

2  vols.  Svo.,  1500  pages. 

Esquirol  on  Insanity,  by  Hunt,  8vo.,  496  pages. 
Meigs'   Letters  on  Diseases  of  Females,  1   vol. 

Svo.,  670  pages.     A  new  work. 
Meigs  on  Certain  Diseases  of  Infancy,  1  vol.  Svo. 

216  pp.,  now  ready. 
Thomson  on  the  Sick  Room,  &c.,  1  vol.  large 

12tno.,  360  pages,  cuts. 
Watson's  Principles  and  Practice  of  Physic,  3d 

edition  by  Condie,  1  vol.  Svo.,  1060  large  pages. 
West's  Lectures  on  the  Diseases  of  Infancy  and 

Childhood.     1  vol.  Svo.,  452  pp. 

SURGERY. 

Brodie  on  Urinary  Organs,  1  vol.  Svo. ,  214  pages. 

Brodie  on  the  Joints,  1  vol.  Svo.,  216  pages. 

Brodie's  Lectures  on  Surgery,  1  vol.  Svo. ,  3.50  pp. 

Brodie'sSelectSurgical  Works, 780  pp.  1vol. Svo. 

Chelius'  System  of  Surgery,  by  South  and  Norris, 
in  3  large  Svo.  vols.,  near  2200  pages. 

Cooperon  Dislocalionsand  Fractures,  1  vol.  8vo., 
500  pages,  many  cuts. 

Cooper  on  Hernia,  1  vol.  imp.  8vo.,  many  plates 

Cooper  on  the  Testis  and  Thymus  Gland,  1  vol. 
imperial  Svo.,  many  plates. 

Cooper  on  the  Anatomy  and  Diseases  ofthe  Breast, 
Surgical  Papers,  &c.  &c.,  1  vol.  imp.Svo.,  pl'ts. 

Druitt's  Principles  and  Practice  of  Modern  Sur- 
gery, 1  vol.  Svo.,  576  pages,  193  cuts,  4th  ed. 

Dufton  on  Deafness  and  Disease  ofthe  Ear,  1vol. 
12mo.,  120  pages. 

Durlacher  on  Corns,  Bunions,  &c.,  12mo.,134  pp. 


LEA  &  BLANCHARD'S  PUBLIC  ATIOXS —(.Vetf.VaZ  Worhs  ) 


13 


Ferffusson's  Practical   Surgery, 
edition,  630  pac:es,  274  cuts. 


Guthrie  on  the  Bladder,  8vo.,  150  pages. 
Jones"  Ophthalmic    Medicine    and    S^urgery,    by 

Hays,  1  vol.  12(iio.,  529  pp.,  cuts  and  plates. 
Lision"s  Lectures  on  Surgery,  by  Miitter,  1  vol. 

8vo.,  566  pages,  many  cuts. 
Lawrence  on   the    Eve.  bv  Havs,  new   edition. 


Tol.  8vo.,  3d  I  Griffith's  Chemistry  of  the  Four  Seasons,  1  vol. 
royal  12mo.,  451  pages,  many  cuts. 


Knapp's  Chemical    Technologv,  by  Johnson,  2 

vols.  Svo.,  936  pp.,  460  lar-e  cuts. 
Simon's  Chemistrv  oC  Man,  Svo.,  730  pp.,  plates. 

MEDICAL  JURISPROENCE,  EDUCATION,  &c. 

Bartlett's  Philosophy  of  Medicine,  1  vol.  Svo., 
312  pages, 
much   improved,  S63  pages,  many  cuts   and  I  Bartlett  on   Certainty  in  Medicine,  1  vol.  small 


plates 

Lawrence  on  Ruptures,  1  vol.  Svo.,  4S0  pages. 
Miller's  Principles  of  Surgery, 2d  edition,  1  vol. 

Svo.,  538  pp.,  1S48. 
Miller's  Practice  of  Surgery,  1  vol.  Svo.,  496  pp. 
Malgaigne's  Operative  Surgery,  by  Brittan,  with 

cuts.     (Publishing  in  the  Med.  S'ews  and  Lib.) 
Maury's  Dental  Surgery,  1  vol.  Svo. ,  2S6  pages, 

many  plates  and  cuts. 
Robertson  on  the  Teeth,  1  vol.  Svo. ,230  pp.,  pts. 
Sargenfs  Minor  Surgery,  1  vol.  royal  l2mo.,  3S0 

pages,  128  cuts. 
Smith  on  Fractures,  1  vol.  Svo.,  200  cuts,  314  pp. 

HUTERIA  MDICA  A\D  THERAPEUTICS. 

Chnstison's  and  Griffitirs   Dispensatory,   1  large 

vol.  Svo.,  216  cuts,  over  1000  pages. 
Carpenter  on  Alcoholic  Liquors    in   Health  and 

Disease,  1  vol.  12mo.     (Just  ready.) 
Dunglison's  Materia  Medica  and   Therapeutics, 

now  ready,  4th  ed.,  much  improved,  lS2cuts, 

2  vols.  Svo.,  1S50. 
Dunglison  on  New  Remedies,  5th  ed.,  1  vol.  Svo., 

653  pages. 
De  Jongh  on  Cod-Liver  Oil,  12mo. 
Ellis"  Medical  Formulary,  9th  ed.,  much  improv- 
ed, 1  vol.  Svo.,  268  pages-. 
Griffith's  Universal  Formulary,  1  large  vol.,  Svo. 

560  pages.     (Now  ready.) 
Grit!ith"s  Medical  Botany,  a  new  work,  1   large 

vol.  Svo.,  704  pp.,  with  over  350  illustrations. 
Mayne's  Dispensatory,  1  vol.  12mo.,  330  pages. 
Mohr,  Redwood,  and  Procter's  Pharmacy,  1  vol. 

Svo.,  55i)  pages,  506  cuts. 
Pereira's  Materia  Medica,  by  Carson,  2d  ed.,  2 

vols.  Svo.,  15S0  large  pages,  300  cuts. 

Materia  Medica  and   Therapeutics,  by 


Sro.,  84  pages. 

Dunglison'sMedical  Student, 2d  ed.l2mo. ,312pp. 

Taylor's  Medical  Jurisprudence,  by  Griffith,  1 
vol.  Svo.,  new  edition,  1S50,  670  pp. 

Taylor  on  Poisons,  by  Griffith,  1  vol.  Svo.,  688  pp. 

Traill'sMedical  Jurisprudence,  1  vol.Svo.,234pp, 

Transactions  of  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion, Vol.  L  Svo..  404  pp.     Vol.  IL,  956  pp. 

XATLRAL  SCIEXCE,  &c. 

Arnott's  Physics,  1  vol.  Svo.,  4S4pp.,many  cuts. 

Ansted's  Ancient  World,  Popular  Geology,  in  1 

12mo.  volume,  with  numerous  cuts,  3S2  pages. 

Bird's   Natural   Philosophy,  1  vol.  royal    l^mo., 

402  pages  and  372  wood-cuts. 
Brewster's  Optics,  I  vol.  12mo.  423  pp.  many  cuts. 
Broderip"s  Zoological  Recreations,  1  vol.  ]2mo., 

pp.  376. 
Coleridge's  Idea  of  Life,  12mo.,  94  pages. 
j  Carpenter's  Popular  Vegetable  Physiology,  1  vol. 

royal  12mo.,  many  cuts. 
I  Dana  on  Zoophytes,  being  vol.  S  of  Ex.  Espedi- 
I       tion,  royal  4to.,  e.xtra cloth. 

Atlas  to  "  Dana  on  Zoophytes,"  im.  fol.,  col.  pi's. 

I  Hale's  Ethnography  and  Philology  of  the  U.  S. 

Exploring  Expedition,  in  1  large  imp.  4to.  vol. 

Herschers  Treatise  on  Astronomy,  1  vol.  12mo., 

417  pages,  numerous  plates  and  cuts. 
Herschel's  Outlines  of  Astronomy,  1   vol.  small 
Svo.,  plates  and  cuts.    (A  new  work.)    620  pp. 
Humboldt's  Aspects  of  Nature,  1  vol.  12mo.,  new 
[      edition. 

j  Johnston's  Physical  Atlas,  1  vol.  imp.  4to.,  half 
bound,  25  colored  maps. 
Kirby  on  Animals,  plates,  1  vol.  Svo.,  520  pages. 
j  Kirby  and  Spence's  Entomology,  1  vol.  Svo.,  600 
rge  pages;  plates  plain  or  colored. 


Koyie 

Carson,  1  vol.  Svo.,  6S9  pages,  many  cuts.  j  Knox°on  R^ace's  of  Men',  1  vol.  12mo.  Just  ready. 
OBSTETRICS.  MUller's   Physics   and  Meteorology,  1  vol.  Svo., 

Churchill's  Theory  and  Practice  of  Midw^ifery,  by  j       636  pp.,  w  ith  540  wood-cuts  and  2  col'd  plates. 

Huston,  3d  ed.,  1  vol.  Svo.,  526  pp.,  manvcuts.  Roget's  Animal  and  Vegetable  Physiology,  with 
Dewees' Midwifery,  llih  ed.,  1  vol.  Svo.,660pp.,        400  cuts,  2  vols.  Svo.^S72  pages'. 

plates.  Small  Books  on  Great  Subjects,  12  parts,  done  up 


Lee's  Clinical  Midwifery,  12mo.,  238  pages. 
Meigs'  Obstetrics;  the  Science  and  the  Art;  1 

vol.  Svo.,  6S6  pages,  121  cuts. 
Ramsbotham  on  Parturition,  with  many  plates,  1 

large  vol.  imperial  Svo.,  520  pp.     5th  edition. 
Smith  (Tv'.er)  on  Parturition,  1  vol.  12mo.,400  pp. 

CnE-IIISTRY  A.\D  HYGIENE. 

Bowman's    Practical  Chemistry,    1    vol.    12mo., 

97  cuts,  350  pages. 
Bowman's    Aledical   Chemistry,    1    vol.    12mo., 

many  cuts,  just  ready,  2SS  pages. 
Bnghamon  Excitement, ice,  1  vol. 12mo.,  204  pp. 
Dunglison  on  Human  Health, 2d  ed., Svo.,  464  pp. 
Fowne's  Elementary  Chemistry,  3d  ed.,  1   vol. 

12mo.,  much  improved,  many  cut?,  now  ready. 
Gardner's  Medical  Chemistry,  1 


n  3  handsome  12mo.  volumes,  extra  cloth 
Somerville's  Physical  Geography,  1  vol.  12mo., 

cloth,  540  pages,  enlarged  edition,  now  ready. 
Weisbach"s  Mechanics  applied  to  Machinery  and 

Engineerins,  Vol.  I.  Svo. ,486  p. 550  wood-cuts 

Vol.  IL,  Svo.,  400  pp.,  340  cuts. 

^ITEROARY  MEDICINE. 

Claterand  Skinner's  Farrier,  1vol.  12mo.,220  pp. 

Youatt's  Great  Work  on  the  Horse,  by  Skinner, 
1  vol.  Svo.,  448  pages,  many  cuts. 

Youatt  and  Clater's  Cattle  Doctor,  1  vol.  12mo., 
282  pages,  cuts. 

Youatt  on  the  Dog,  by  Lewis,  1  vol.  demy  Svo., 
403  pages,  beautiful  plates. 

Youatt  on  the  Pig,  a  new  work,  with  beautiful  il- 
lustrations of  all  the  different  varieties,  12mo. 
350  cuts. 


2mo.  400  pp. 
Neill  and   Smith's  Compend  of  the  Medical  Sciences,  1  vol.  large  12mo.,  900  pages. 

MEDICAL    BOOKS    IN    PRESS. 

Barlow's  Traciice  of  .Mpclicine.  In  one  vol.  Svo.  (Preparing.)  Golding  Bird's  Therapeutics.  (Preparing.) 
Carpemer's  Principles  ot  General  and  Comparative  Physiology.  In  1  large  Svo.  vol..  many  cuts.  (Preparing  ) 
Siill^'s  General  anil  Special  Tlierapeulics.  Jn  one  vol  bvo  (Preparing.)  Todd  and  Bowman's  Physiological 
Aiiaiomy  and  Physiology  of  Man.  (Three-founhsofthis  has  been  published  in  the  Medical  News  and  Library.) 
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(Publishing  in  ihe  -Medical  News  and  Library  )  De  La  Beche's'Geology,  wiih  many  illustrations.  A  new 
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